captioning sponsored b newshour productions, llc >> woodruff: good evening. i'm judy woodruff. on the newshour tonight: combating the coronavirus. the debate in the senate intensifies ahead of critical votes on president biden's covid economic relief bill. then, one on one. treasury secretary janet yellen reveals what she says is the real unemployment rate, and why she supports going big on economic aid to americans. >> the most important thing is to get our economy back on track and help people get their lives back in order, to make sure that this pandemic doesn't permanently scar our workforce.

>> woodruff: and, it's friday. david brooks and jonathan capehart consider the covid relief bill debate, the political divide on voting rights, and efforts to reform policing. all that and more, on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: ♪ ♪ ♪ moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us.

>> fidelity wealth management. >> consumer cellular. >> johnson & johnson. >> the john s. and james l. knight foundation. fostering informed and engaged communities. more at kf.org. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions: and friends of the newshour. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: the latest jobs report showed a surprising

rebound in the american labor market. employers added a net of 379,000 new jobs in february and, the unemployment rate fell a tenth of a percentage point, to 6.2%. the rise in employment comes as the senate debates a massive coronavirus relief bill, poised to bring economic aid to millions struggling during this pandemic. our congressional correspondent lisa desjardins brings us the latest on the negotiations. so lisa, tell us where do things stand? i know at one point they the shopped debating. where does it stand now? >> desjardins: that is still the case judy. senatesdemocrats, even as they were taking the floor oarch the relief bill, it surrounds one of their own members, democratic senator from west virginia, joe

manchin. he would like those extended unemployment benefits to end perhaps in july. democrats announced a deem previously that would extend them about from september into october. that has led to an impasse, even though democrats hoped they would be flying closer to the finish line. we are hoping to see what resolves tonight. >> woodruff: with everything going on lisa tell us what's changing if anything in the bill and who would be affected. >> desjardins: that's right. there are major provisions that are still in play tonight and they obviously have major impact across the country. let's look at that. first of all those $1400 checks, the slightly more limited version now in senate democrats plan would still affect about 150 million americans no those checks would glo to. now on unemployment, why $300 added a week, it matters how long that would last.

could affect 18 million americans, and then housing help, there are billions in here helping people facing eviction. people nerves paying their rent and their mortgages. something else i want to talk about is the sheer scope of this bill. here's a way of thinking about how massive this bill is, firm it is $1.9 trillion as we've been talking about. how much is that? that is equal to all individual income taxes paid in 2019, the last about normal year before the pandemic. more than twice the amount of the total stimulus that was passed in 2009 under president obama to face the recession. that was a massive bill, this is more than twice as large. >> woodruff: our perspectives have changed in so many ways.

lisa desjardins, reporting on what is happening on that legislation. thank you lisa. >> woodruff: in the day's other news, february's better-than- expected jobs report fueled a rally on wall street. the dow jones industrial average soared 572 points to close at 31,496. the nasdaq rose 196 points, and the s&p 500 added 73. a new study from the centers for disease control and prevention is shedding light on how mask mandates and other rules have slowed the number of covid infections and deaths. that comes as some states are lifting restrictions and re-opening. c.d.c. director dr. rochelle walensky sounded this warning. >> you have decreases in cases and deaths when you wear masks, and have increases in cases and deaths when you have in-person

restaurant dining. and so we would advocate policies, certainly while we are at this plateau of a high number of cases, that would listen to that public health science. >> woodruff: that comes as california announced it will allow people to attend major league baseball games, disneyland, and live concerts at reduced capacity, beginning april 1. also today, a supreme court public information officer confirmed that all nine justices have now been fully vaccinated. there is word that top aides to new york governor andrew cuomo altered a state report to help him hide the high number of covid nursing home deaths. the "new york times" and the "wall street journal" saidhe july document was edited to remove those who became sick in nursing homes and later died in hospitals. the special counsel to the governor later issued a statement playing down any cover-up, and insisted the data

was publicly disclosed during cuomo's daily briefings. it is the latest in a series of scandals plaguing the governor, including accusations he sexually harassed three women. one of the house impeachment magers, california democratic congressman eric swalwell, filed a lawsuit today against former president trump and several of his allies for inciting the capitol insurrection. meanwhile, federico klein, a former state department aide in the trump administration, has been charged with obstructing congress and assaulting officers during the january siege. he is believed to be the first trump appointee to face charges. in myanmar, demonstrations against the military coup pressed on across several cities, despite a violent crackdown by security forces. protesters in mandalay shouted slogans and carried signs while marching in the streets. meanwhile, in yangon, a father

mourning his son's death during the unrest voiced support for the rallies. >> ( translated ): i want to encourage the youth to take part in this revolution until we succeed. we will support our younger generation and back them up as we are already old. >> woodruff: about 50 peaceful protesters have been killed there this week alone. meanwhile, at a united nations security council meeting, the u.n. special envoy for myanmar urged member nations to do more to stop the violence. pope francis arrived in baghdad today for the first-ever papal visit to iraq. he traveled under tight security, despite the pandemic, for meetings with dignitaries and members of the country's christian minority. we will take a look at his historic trip, later in the program. john mcafee, the developer of the anti-virus software, has been indicted on fraud and money laundering charges.

mcafee and an adviser are accused of using social media to tout crypto-currencies, and mislead investors out of over $13 million. mcafee is currently detained in spain on a separate tax-related charge. and, for the first time in n.f.l. history, a black woman will be officiating games come september. maia chaka, a college referee and physical education teacher from virginia, is just the second female official in the major league. the other, sarah thomas, became the first woman to officiate a super bowl last month. still to come on the newshour: we discuss employment and the economic outlook with treasury secretary janet yellen. pope francis makes a historic pilgrimage to iraq to reach the region's christians. minneapolis is on edge, as the trial in the police killing of george floyd is set to begin.

and, much more. >> woodruff: the surge in hiring last month suggests the prospects of a better spring ahead for the u.s. economy. i spoke earlier today with treasury secretary janet yellen about the latest, how it might affect the debate over the size and scope of the covid relief package, and more. secretary yellen, thank you very much for joining us. you are going to be briefing the president this afternoon on the state of the economy. there was an unusually strong report today for unemployment and the month of february. does that tell you the recovery is coming sooner than expected? when do you think we could have a full recovery?

>> well, i was pleased to see 379,000 new jobs this month. the unemployment rate ticked down just a tenth of a percent. it was a bit stronger than expected. but really, judy, what we have, to put this in perspective, we still have an unemployment rate that, if we really measure it properly, taking account of all the four million people who've droppeout of the labor force, it's really running at 10%. and the jobs were mainly in leisure and hospitality, the hardest-hit sectors of our economy. leisure and hospitality, over the last year, it's down more than 3.5 million jobs. and when you think about the pace, although 379,000 jobs in one month, it sounds like a lot,

but at that pace, it would take us more than two-- two years to get back to full employment. and we're-- we want to make sure that our workers get back to full employment. the state we had in the economy before the pandemic struck a lot sooner than that. >> woodruff: well, as i'm sure you know, one of your predecessors as treasury secretary, larry summers, has said he sees these jobs coming back even as-- as soon as, by the end of next year. and that that's an argument for not having as large a covid relief package as the administration has. is it possible that it makes sense to do something smaller because the recovery is-- is on the way? >> well, i think we should want a rapid recovery. we have a large number of workers who are long-term unemployed, and we have to make sure that they're not scarred to

the point where this pandemic has a permanent impact on their lives. the congressional budget office estimated without this package, it would take until 2024 to get back to full employment. and i think it's very important to have that occur sooner. you know, the package that the president and his visers put together that's working its way through the senate now, which is really geared to relieve the suffering of the american people. >> woodruff: so, there are some projections out there that i know you've heard, that the economy could even grow at a rate as high as 7% or 8% this year. you're saying, even with that, this large a relief package is necessary? it's more than the entire discretionary part of the federal budget. >> well, it's a big package, but

i think that we need to go big now, and that we can afford to go big. and the most important thing is to get our economy back on track and help people get their lives back, in order to make sure that this pandemic doesn't permanently scar our workforce. and i think this is what we need. i'm hopeful that next year, with the package of this size, we can be back at full employment. and, you know, remember, judy, before-- i mean, people talk about inflation risk. we had a 3.5% unemployment rate before the pandemic struck, a lower rate than many people think is consistent with full employment. but inflation was extremely low. if anything, too low, rather than too high. so i think this is what the economy needs to get rapidly back on track. >> woodruff: and i did want to ask you about that, because yesterday, as you know, the

chair of the federal reserve, jerome powell, said that, yes, there may well be inflation once this recovery gets underway, but that the fed has tools to get it under control. even with that, the markets reacted negatively. they don't seem to believe they don't seem to have the concern that inflation can be kept under ntrol. >> well, i don't see that the markets are expecting inflation to rise above the 2% objective that the fed has is an average inflation rate over the longer run. long-term interest rates have gone up some, but mainly, i think, because market participants are seeing a stronger recovery, as we have success with getting people vaccinated and a strong fiscal package that's going to get people back to work.

and of course, the fed does have tools to address inflation if it becomes a problem. but i don't believe-- i don't believe it will. and i don't see markets or most forecasters worrying about that. >> woodruff: so the rising interest rates don't concern you? >> i think there is a sign that the economy is getting back on track, and that market participants see that and they expect a stronger economy, and instead of inflation lingering below levels that are desirable for years on end, they're beginning to see inflation get back to a normal range, around 2%. >> woodruff: i do want to come back to something that-- that you've touched on, secretary yellen, and i know it's something you've-- you've spent a lot of time thinking about and focusing on, and that is inequity, inequality in this country. the enormous gap between the

1% and the other 99%, the wealth gap in this country. what are the one or two things that that you that the biden administration can do to address this? and is one of them, frankly, the federal minimum wage, which is just had to be pulled out of the covid relief package? >> well, i think the minimum wage is part of addressing those inequities, and president biden is strongly committed to $15 minimum wage. it looks like, because of senate rules, that can't be included in this package. but it's something he's going to be pressing for in other legislation going forward. but when we've recovered from the pandemic, that's-- that's an important first step. but we need to do a lot to rebuild the american economy and to address the inequities that you mentioned, and also to

address the grave threat of climate change. and so we're working on another package. we could call it a recovery package, or sometimes a "build back better" package, which will be oriented toward long-term improvements, addressing racial inequality, creating good jobs, repairing our infrastructure, putting in place the investments we need to address climate change, education. we know early childhood education is so important for good outcomes for individuals and labor force development training, community colleges, investment in r.& d. to make our economy more competitive and make sure that the supports are

available in the form of paid leave and child care that will enable people to get into the labor force. >> woodruff: secretary yellen, a question about the debt. president biden inherited a huge debt for this country. the decisions that he and other presidents are making, mean that it's going to be even more huge in years and decades to come. we're seeing dire forecasts from the congressional budget office, from other organizations. how concerned are you about this and about what it means for the next generation in this country? >> well, we must have sustainable federal finances on a long-term basis, but i think we have more fiscal room than you might imagine from looking at a number measuring the size

of the debt or its size relative to the output of our economy. but the spending that we're doing now is arguably helping our debt path by getting our economy back on track. i think it would be a false economy, even in terms of the debt path. you know, when you allow the economy to be weak, there's less tax revenue and there's more spending that's needed for safety net expenditures. and so, it just isn't the case that our failure to spend a dollar to help people would lower the debt that much. so i think that would be a false economy, even from a fiscal prudence standpoint. >> woodruff: secretary yellen,

thank you very mucfor joining us. we appreciate it. >> my pleasure. thank you, judy. >> woodruff: it was a pilgrimage never seen before, in the face of violent threats and a deadly virus. nick schiffrin has the story of prope francis in iraq. ( cheers ) >> reporter: in the birthplace of abraham, pope francis was welcomed as a hero and prayed with the most vulnerable christians. iraqi catholics are the itome of what francis calls the martyred church. today, he honored their sacrifices. >> in the last few decades, you and your fellow citizens have had to face the effects of war and persecution, an ongoing struggle for economic and personal security, which has often led to internal displacement and the migration of many, including christians.

>> reporter: he spoke in our lady of salvation, in the same sanctuary that, 11 years ago, hosted horror. in october 2010, militants from al qaeda in iraq, precursor to isis, stormed into sunday evening service. they shot the men, then the women and children, and before they could be captured, blew themselves up. >> reporter: after, chaos. bloody survivors in desperate need. hallways full of wounded, and a lone priest, helping to heal. it was the deadliest attack on iraqi christians, ever. and in a neay bed, then-19- year-old melad shabo. >> ( translated ): they started shting everywhere and anyhow. i was shot, and i fell. i wanted to run, but the bullet had torn my leg off. it felt like we were in the middle of a war-- gunshots were coming off from everywhere. >> reporter: shabo had spent every day at that church, and lost 10 close friends. he also lost his mentor, father thaer abdal. >> ( translated ): he was more

than a priest, more than a father or a brother. he was my role model in life. he taught me everything-- how to live with jesus. >> reporter: father thaer and father wasim sabih tried to shield parishioners, and offered themselves instead. they were both executed. >> ( translated ): all they wanted was to help people, whether christians or muslims. to me, they were simply angels. >> reporter: the angels' coffins, were wrapped in iraqi flags. 58 people killed. but the attack wasn't only designed to kill christians. it was designed to kill a version of iraq that, in the '80s and '90s despite saddam hussein's tyranny, was diverse, integrated, and welcoming of multiple religions, including iraq's christians, which trace their lineage back 2000 years. >> ( translated ): the attack was a message to all christians and all minorities that iraq is not their country, that they are not welcome, and that they should leave. >> reporter: and they did leave. iraq's christians, used to number in the millions.

today, no more than a few hundred thousand. pushed out after the u.s. invasion by militias, and th pushed out by isis. when islamic state militants captured mosul in 2014, they gave christians 24 hours to leave or convert, or be beheaded. today, isis might be gone, but security is tight. 10,000 police and soldiers secured francis' visit. he was driven in an armored car, in a motorcade, on empty streets. today he urged the country, and iraqi leaders, to build bridges between religions. >> ( translated ): only if we learn to look beyond our differences and see each other as members of the same human family, will we be able to begin an effective process of rebuilding, and leave to future generations a better, more just and more humane world. >> reporter: shabo needed eight surgeries to recover. today he lives in france and is a mechanic, for public buses. he's also in his church choir, and says francis' visit gives

iraqi christians hope. >> ( translated ): it will give christians courage and confidence to stay in the country. the moral support will help them a lot. at least, they know there is someone standing with them, thinking about them. it's vy important. >> reporter: shabo watched the pope speak in the church. that still haunts shabo's nightmares. but he still dreams of returning to iraq, with his french family, to prove christians once again belong in baghdad. for the pbs newshour, i'm nick schifrin. >> woodruff: the trial of former minneapolis police officer derek chauvin is set to begin soon. chauvin is accused of murder in last may's killing of george floyd-- a death that set off nationwide unrest. as special correspondent fred de sam lazaro reports, the city has

been bracing for what's to come. >> reporter: downtown minneapolis has become a fortress of barbed wire, concrete barriers, and boarded windows. as derek chauvin's trial approaches, the city will soon see a dramatic increase in law enforcement, including about 2,000 national guard troops. it's all aimed at preventing a repeat of last spring, when the unrest following george floyd's killing led to hundreds of millions of dollars in property damage. many people in minneapolis will tell you this city is exhausted, after riots and destruction, a spike in violent crime, the pandemic, and winter. and counity groups point to fortification around the court complex, like this as evidence there's been very little progress in improving relations between law enforcement and the community. especially communities of color. miski noor is an activist with a group called the black visions

collective. >> folks right here, right now, don't have housing, right? folks right here, right now don't have access to fresh clean water or food. i would have spent that money in a way that actually meets people's needs and cares for them, so that they can make different choices about their lives and have more agency to do that. and so i think that would go a long way to creating safety, then putting a guy with a gun in frt of a building. >> reporter: mayor jacob frey says the city is ting to strike a delicate balance. >> we, right now, need to operate through an abundance of precaution. we have several priorities that are going into this very difficult and traumatizing time for our city. the first is safety. we need to make sure that our residents are safe, our small and local businesses are safe, our commercial corridors are safe. and to those that seek to cause destruction and chaos in our city, we want to be very clear: you'll be arrested. to those that look to peacefully protest, however, they will be protected. >> reporter: back in june, frey faced a large group of protesters, including miski noor, who pressed him to commit to defunding and abolishing the city's police department, a

movement that gained traction here after floyd's death. when frey said he wouldn't, demonstrators jeered. >> my position has not changed a lick. i believe that we need safety beyond policing. i believe that we need to decriminalize addiction, that we need mental health responders. and i recognize that we also need law enforcement and police. >> reporter: the city council did cut about 4% from the police department's budget, allocating that money to prevention initiatives. minneapolis police chief medaria arradondo declined our request for an interview. for now, all eyes are on the courthouse, where a jury will decide whether former minneapolis police officer derek chauvin is guilty of second degree murder and manslaughter. state prosecutors will likely focus on the video showing chauvin kneeling on george floyd's neck for about nine minutes. but despite the now-infamous footage, law professor ted sampsell jones says a conviction

isn't guaranteed. >> if you get one kind of outlier juror, someone who's a bit of a contrarian or someone who just views the case much differently than the rest of us do, that can be enough to prevent a conviction. there are a lot of people in this country who are just deeply sympathetic with police officers. >> reporter: jones says chauvin's attorneys will likely argue other things might have actually caused floyd's death, like a medical incident before police arrived. they'll also point to autopsy results showing multiple substances in his body. but prosecutors will likely note the autopsy also ruled floyd's death a homicide. even with a conviction, some in the twin cities aren't sure it would have a meaningful long-term impact. >> the very nature of a trial narrows down the issue to a focus that may not deal with any kind of systemic change at all. >> reporter: local history professor bill green says he is hopeful, but says he's seen this play out before in a city that's

long had tense police/community relations. >> periodically there have been efforts on the part of city leaders to try to launch reform efforts, but that would oftentimes be short-lived because of the political and economic realities of running a government and the inability to sustain pressure from a community that is beset by all kinds of other issues beyond just policing. and what that does is let the steam out so that the momentum that-- that began during a period of protest, began to subside, would begin to subside. and i fear that that may be what's going on now. chauvin's three co-defendants, former officers charged with aiding and abetting murder and manslaughter, are scheduled to go to trial in august.

for the pbs newshour, i'm fred de sam lazaro in minneapolis. >> woodruff: fred's reporting is a partnership with the under-told stories project at the university of st. thomas in minnesota. that is "new york times" comnist david brooks, and jonathan capehart, columnist for the "washington post." >> hello to both of you on this friday night. so let's start out by talking about what's on the senate floor. whether there's any action underway or not. according to our lisa desjardins. but jonathan, what do you make of the arguments for this big

$1.9 trillion bill on each side and what do you think is going to happen? >> capehart: judy if i knew what was going to happen i would be a billionaire. look, i think president biden, as much as he wanted to be bipartisan in that he wanted to work with republicans which he do meet with ten senate republicans early on, first meeting in the oval office to talk about this bill, least forging ahead and has been forming ahead as if he won't get any republican votes. and that is indeed the case. there's a solid wall of opposition to the $1.9 trillion coached relief bill. however that's the least of his problems. i think lisa pointed this out in her report earlier. there's rift within the democratic caucus. namely west virginia senator joe irina manchin. apparently there was a deal struck $300 a month through

september for the unemployed and senator manchin came in and said, i like a republican proposal, through mid july to august. that's sent everything in disarray, last i read, last i saw. so the short answer to your question judy, is i don't know where things are going to go. but we do know that senate majority leader chuck schumer wants this done so does the white house by march 14th, which is when the unemployment benefits run out, they expire. >> woodruff: so shuler david you know what's going to happen. either way what do you make of these arguments? >> brooks: yes, i know exactly what's going to happen. you talked to janet yellen earlier about inequality. the best thing thecountry could do to reduce a inequality is about have a white hot economy. you get a white hot economy.

i think this is the time to go big and go fast and this is the time the democrats are on the right course. i think some of the reforms that manchin have brought in seem very sensible to me. you don't want to have benefits run out in the middle of the summer when congress is likely to not are in session. extending to september oor october when they could renew when necessary is a smart one so i don't know what senator manchin is thinking on that front. >> woodruff: something else this week several governors announced jonathan that they are lifting their mask mandates. and president biden when asked about that said it sounded to him like neanderthal thinking. he has gotten a lot of blow-back since then. smart thing to say? what do you think jonathan? >> capehart: judy, i'm going to leave aside the president's comments. a lot of people are upset he used the term neanderthal.

some said it was pejorative. i get where they're coming from. we have bigger issues to deal with and i don't want to hear noise from far right or conservation, complaining about the president's language, when they completely ignored not to hear see or read any of the tweets from the previous president. a pandemic here in the united states we were within reach of getting it under control. hospitalizations, infections, deaths were on the down-slope and we have seen over the last few days at least that the levels of infections have stopped going down. you take, on top of that, texas and mississippi deciding that they're just going to give up, no more masks, open up completely, i think what a lot of scientists are looking at is the possibility of more -- an upswing in reinfections, right when we were on the path, and it looked like we were on a very good path, to having a summer,

late summer certainly fall where we could start -- we could be back to what we used to think of as normal. i wish that the governor of texas and the governor of mississippi would spend more time thinking and looking at the science, and what the science says should be done which would then make it possible for those states to open up, safely, more quickly than they're going to now, and by doing all of that, you get people back to work, you get economies moving again and you get back to normal. >> woodruff: david, thoughts on all this? >> brooks: you know i took one of those 23 and me genetic tests, a while ago and they said i had above average neernts neal blood. i do not understand getting rid of masks. there is no cost to masks.

this is not a scientific issue not a public policy issue, just an issue, we turn everything into a culture war issue. people take place pro, or antimask. people who think we are in the big middle of a culture war and they're on their side and that seems to me sad and irresponsible. >> woodruff: just a couple of minutes left but david i'm going to start with you on this. voting rights, number of states, that have republican controlled legislatures, moving to cut back voter access while you have the democrats in the congress moving to do just the opposite, making voting easier. what do you make of all this, what do you think is at stake here? >> brooks: you know i saw a chart today of black voter registrations over the years, in 1970, it was higher than whites.

then you had the poll taxes, the and it collapses and goes down and stays very low until the 1940s, until the civil rights act. now we reach a point where black is higher than white registration. we have closed one gap. i would ask the legislators, are we going to go backwards? political power when african americans nd white people? it seems atrocious to me we didn't think about that. >> woodruff: and jonathan. the stakes here. >> capehart: the stakes are enormous and it's incredible we're having this conversation. because on sunday judy it will be exactly to the day and date 56 years since blooy sunday, where 600 black men women and children march across the edmond

peddis bridge, and as a result of what happened the horror that the nation watched that night, a week later president johnson went to congress and said voting rights are a fundamental right and african americans cannot fully enjoy the freedoms that come with america until that happens, five months later, the voting rights act of 1965 was passed. what we're watching now, from georgia to north carolina, to the arguments that took place in the supreme court, this week about laws in arizona, a concerted effort by republicans to roll back the access to the franchise. americans should -- it should be easy for americans to vote. and i think that a lot of these voting restrictions are in search of a problem that does not exist. and so to that swing, that david was talking about in terms of african american voter registration and participation, to my mind it is all an effort

by republicans to keep african americans from voting because by and large they vote democratic. but what they're doing is that they are harming the country by preventing people from being able to participate fully. >> woodruff: crucially important and we will continue to talk about it and watch it. so i'm going to break with our usual format a little bit right now jonathan and say thank you. >> capehart: thank you, judy. >> woodruff: because david there is one other thing i do want to raise with you tonight. there is some reporting about the project you have conceived and undertaken with the as pen, called weave. aspen has paid you for tis work and aspen has received payment from facebook. at the same time, media critics

have said you have written favorably about facebook about in your new york times column. given this is news, we want to you have an opportunities to explain it. >> brooks: first we did totally disclose it. after the election of donald trump it shows social fragmentation, there are people solving this problem local organizers called weavers, why pancho in texas that work with people who have been paralyzed, about in firms of southwest audiences, watch and tell the ory and hopefully inspire a generation to be active in community life. some people have legitimately said you can't be a journalist and a nonprofit leader at the

same time. roles are conflicting. this is a legitimate concern i have thought of from day one. three things. the times was complete reply informed, how i was going to get companied by aspen. second, the aspen institute is comptely transport about who the donors are. we have released the donors. third, since i started weave in 2018, i haven't meaningfully written about someone who has supported us, i've mentioned mark zuckerberg in passing, and it hasn't affected my journalism. 74th, do i understand the concerns and i understand the concerns and i want to be beyond question. and so we're going to make some changes and we're still working them out. we're going to make some changes so the people who have been critics are satisfied. and that's my goal in the next week or in the next few days,

and so i hope we can resolve these issues. but we have been full disclosure and it hasn't affected my journalism but we are going to make some changes. >> woodruff: we are all, as always, very glad to have you as one of our most important contributors on the newshour. we want to thank you david for putting that on the record and i just want to say on behalf of newshour that facebook has been a funder of our projects in the past and as we always have we'll continue the policy of disclosing with any organizations we cover. but david thank you again. >> bros: thank you for the opportunity, >> woodruff: please stay with us as we take a moment, each week, to remember five remarkable lives lost during this pandemic. but first, take a moment to hear from your local pbs station.

and now to a deeply american story. showcasing one of the country's great vocal artists. the film ma rainey's black bottom available this encore look is part of our arts and culture series, "canvas." >> if they want to call me mother of the blues, that's all right with me, don't hurt none. >> reporter: "ma rainey's black bottom" is about music and race, sorrow and survival. set on a hot summer day in chicago 1927, in a small recording studio, it doesn't travel far in either time or space, yet somehow speaks to something much larger of the country's deep pain. >> so much about america is unresolved, and so much of this film is about that which is unresolved, inside the

characters, insidef america. and so the chance that these intrinsically american stories, these intrinsically african- american stories are going to be shared all over the world is a great thing. it's also a chance to celebrate and honor three great american artists, all now gone, beginning with playwright august wilson. >> reporter: the play, "ma rainey's black bottom," first produced on broadway in 1984, is part of wilson's epic cycle of ten plays, each set in a different decade of the 20th century, each set around some aspect of black american life. wilson died in 2005 at age 60. four years earlier, he spoke with the late gwen ifill on the newshour. >> i am a black american playwright. i couldn't be anytng else. i make my art out of black american culture. it's all cut out of the same cloth, or so you will. that's who i am and that's who i write about. >> white folks don't understand about the blues. they hear it come out, but they

don't know how it got there. >> reporter: one hallmark of wilson's plays: the power and poetry of his language. in the film version of "ma rainey," viola davis plays the title character. >> the blues help you get out of bed in the morning. you get up, you ain't alone. there's something else in the world, something been added by that song. >> it encapsulates exploitation, liberation of the music, violation of the spirit, what the blues does to the human condition, all in this one speech. and when you have a thrilling actress like viola davis do it, it becomes-- you surrender to it. and then you pull back and go, oh my god, the world, the universe just expanded while she was talking.

>> reporter: the real woman on whom the story is based, gertrude "ma" rainey, also expanded the universe of american music. called the mother of the blues, she performed with the likes of louis armstrong, mentored a young bessie smith. she worked for years in chicago, but spent much of her life in the south. her columbus, georgia home is now a museum. she was a businesswoman and star. >> she put on shows. i think there were like-- we see just a hint of it-- sometimes the shows she put on there would be 50 performers. ( laughing ) so she was, like-- she was the southern black ziegfeld, if you will, in terms of genre, and very successful. >> reporter: the film is set around one of her chicago recording sessions. in the mid-'20s, she recorded nearly 100 songs and had numerous hits. whites controlled the business, but ma controlled the music.

>> we'll be able to go when madam says we're ready, and that's the way it go around here. >> there's jim crow laws, there's lynching going on, but in the south, she's her own entrepreneur. she learned. she owns two theaters. she toured around. in the north, she has to deal with the white power structure in order to do what she does. >> reporter: finally, the most recent loss: chadwick boseman, who died last of colon cancer at age 43. as a yng actor, he played icons of american life: including jackie robinson, james brown, and in 2017, thurgood marshall. when i talked with him at the time, he told me of his approach to acting the "silences" as well as the words. >> that's actually just as hard, if not harder, than having the huge speech at the end, or the closing statements. >> reporter: it was just two years ago that he achieved international stardom as the black panther, commanding his world-- and the screen. >> what is you? i don't see your name in lights.

>> reporter: in "ma rainey's black bottom," his final role, boseman plays levee, a young horn player with a deeply scarred past in the south. >> i got talent. if my daddy knowed i'd turn out like this he'd named me gabriel. i'm gonna get me a band and make records. i done give mr. sturdevant some of my songs, and he say he gonna let me record 'em when i get my band together. i just gotta finish this last song. i got style. >> everyone got style. style ain't nothing but keeping the same idea from beginning to end. everybody got it. >> everybody can't play like i do. >> brown: what made him a great actor? what is it that makes somebody stand out like that? >> he was deeply dedicated to his craft. i think he was totally in touch with who he was as a human being. i think there was a grace to him that was phenomenal. because it's a character who is bright and charming and arrogant and foolish and has a vision of what music should sound like in the future. and at the same time, he's deeply scarred by these things he witnessed when he was a young

boy. and then with chadwick, you have this extraordinarily charismatic actor who is also a deeply complicated actor. and so he brought all of that to make this character sing with the pain and possibility. >> reporter: lost greats, a renewed classic. "ma rainey's black bottom" is the second in a planned ten-part film project capturing the richness of august wilson's work. for the pbs newshour, i'm jeffrey brown. more than 520,000 people in this country have died from covid-19.

we take a moment now to remember five remarkable individuals lost to this disease. matthew hines was a loving husband, father and grandfather who left the world better than he found it, as his son put it. born in hartford, connecticut, he served in the air force during the cold war, and while stationed in england met his wife, margaret. they were inseparable, family told us, and built a life together in bloomfield, connecticut, raising their children. matthew had a calming presence, his son said, and wanted to serve, whether in local politics, town planning, or at the veterans hall. matthew hines was 81 years old. with a trademark toothpick and signature beanie, tony hall had a knack for remembering names. he grew up in oak harbour, washington, but lost touch with

his family and spent many years in state hospitals. nearly two decades ago, he found a new family at “people first,” an organization that helps people with disabilities. he worked part-time at mcdonalds while advocating for others like him to achieve their best in life. a close friend said he was always first to offer help and a smile to anyone who needed it. tony hall was 58. veronica gutierrez was a patient, kind-hearted, selfless person who loved to draw, her sister told us. the youngest of four children, she had worked at k.f.c. for the past three years in lovington, new mexico, but was looking for a new job. her sister said she was her best friend, and that she had loved working as a teacher's aide for children with special needs. veronica gutierrez was 29 years old.

james wong was a kind man who cared deeply for others, his sister shared. he came to california from china at age six, and loved to read. in college, he began suffering from mental health issues, and spent a year on the streets before reconnecting with his family. he channeled his experience into a career as a social worker in los angeles. his sister said he wanted to help people who were suffering, in part because he remembered the people who were kind to him when he needed it. james wong was 45 years old. zarina rose was a mother and a nurse who put others before herself, her husband said. originally from the philippines, she moved to the u.s. at age 20, working in las vegas casinos while earning her degree as a registered nurse and raising three children. despite chronic migraines, her husband told us, she would put

her own pain aside to care for her patients in retirement homes. he called her “my superhero." she contracted covid-19 while pregnant, and died from it shortly after giving birth. her son, kenzo, is now doing well. zarina rose was 42 years old. and we thank all the family members who shared these stories with us. our hearts go out to you, as they do to everyone who's lost a loved one in this pandemic. and that is the newshour for tonight. i'm judy woodruff. great weekend, thank you, and good night. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> fidelity wealth management. >> consumer cellular. >> johnson & johnson.

>> bnsf railway.

hello, everyone. welcome to "amanpour company." here is what is coming up. >> we don't know what to expect. we are still traumatized and terrified after the events of january 6th. >> the u.s. capitol on high aler we talk to congresswoman ilhan omar about security and delivering on the legislation that voters want. plus -- from matilda to mrs. doubtfire actor mara wilson looks back at the ugly treatment she faced as a young and famous female star. then -- there is good news out there. there is a covid-19 vaccine. yay! the bad news is as black folks it's hard to trust what's going on. >> setting the record straight