captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc >> woodruff: good evening, i'm judy woodruff. on the newshour tonight... >> this historic legislation is about rebuilding the backbone of this country. >> woodruff: law of the land-- one year after the coronavirus outbreak was declared a pandemic, president biden signs the historic economic stimulus bill, with checks arriving for some americans as early as this weekend. then, debating the details-- we get perspectives on the massive aid package from republican senate leader mitch mcconnell and democratic senator chris coons. and, fallout-- japan reflects on the fukushima disaster on its 10th anniversary, and the many questions that still remain. >> ( translated ): the

government still hasn't decommissioned the nuclear power plant, and yet they claim everything's okay, and tell us we can return here. what if another disaster strikes? >> woodruff: all that and more on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> we'd be closer to the twins. >> change in plans. >> at fidelity, changing plans is always part of the plan.

>> the kendeda fund. committed to advancing restorative justice and meaningful work through investments in transformative leaders and ideas. more at kendedafund.org. >> carnegie corporation of new york. supporting innovations in education, democratic engagement, and the advancement of international peace and security. at carnegie.org. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions: and individuals. >> 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: it was one year ago today the world health organization declared covid-19 a global pandemic, upending life as we then knew it to be. the last twelve months have been marked by unimaginable loss-- topping 530,000 deaths in the united states, alone. that's more than one death every minute since this pandemic began. the economic toll has also been immense. this week congress passed a $1.9 trillion covid relief bill with a party-line vote. this afternoon, president biden signed the into law. >> this historic legislation is about rebuilding the impact bone of this -- backbone of this country and giving the people of this country, middle class people, working folks people who built this country a fighting chance. that's what the essence is. >> >> woodruff: president ben will also mark the pandemic anniversary tonight in his first

primetime speech from the white house. our yamiche alcindor joins us from there. first we want to delve into the new covid relief law. we get two laws starting with the senate's top republican, senator mitch mcconnell of kiir. minority leader mitch mcconnell thank you very much for joining us. the bill president biden signed today, you said it's the worst piece of legislation you've seen pass in your time in the senate and yet it helps working class americans, there is support in it, for the unemployed, there is support for health care workers, and for schools. and the polls are showing 70% of americans like it. why are they wrong? >> well, look. i'm not surprised athat the american public's can initial reaction to this before they know what's in it would be positive. i mean the thought of many americans getting a $1400 check why would they not like that? but let's look at the history of the pandemic, which really

started about a year ago. we passed five bills last year judy, five of them. the biggest one being the c.a.r.e.s. act. on a bipartisan basis. not a single one of them got more than eight votes in opposition. but just two months ago, passed one of those five, $900 billion, it's not even out the door yet and yet the new administration wants to go back as if nothing has happened in the last year, and do another bill that the president will sign today, the size of the bill we did a year ago, at the height of the epidemic. so i understand why the american people's initial response to this is positive. what they do not know is, how much of the bill has nothing to do with the pandemic. less than 1% of it deals with vaccinations. only about 9% of it deals with health care. all the rest of it is unrelated

to the problem it's designed to address. >> woodruff: senator, the administration has been candid to say the bill is about the economy. they point out tens of millions of americans are still unemployed. they say that this bill would take something like 13 million americans lift them out of poverty, reduce child poverty in half. are you saying you oppose those things? >> what i'm saying is, the economy is about to come roaring back. what the administration is trying to do here judy is to get in front othe parade so they can take credit for what's already happening based upon what we have already done. the economy is just going to have a fabulous year. it has nothing to do with this massive democratic wish-list of items that their various constituencies warrant. >> woodruff: well, the

administration senator says they are aware of the projections about the economy but they still believe that these are necessary to help people who are the most in need in this country. and when it comes to the debt we know you mentioned future generations paying for this. under president trump, the debt was something like added to something like $e $8 trillion almost. so you're not saying that is mething that's only okay. under a republican president, are you? >> no, i'm not saying that. i'm saying that last year, it was clearly justified, based upon the pandemic. otherwise, it wouldn't have been passed overwhelmingly on a bipartisan basis. but what they're tryi to do this year, it's no worthy, haven't received a single republican vote in the house or senate. you got to ask yourself why, why, because this year is not last year. the economy is on the way back. this is going to be a great year for the american people.

new jobs are going to lift people out of poverty. and so it just simply did not fit, judy, the condition we find ourselves in, in march of 2021 which is not the condition we found ourselves in, in march of 2020. >> woodruff: senator, another piece of legislation, important piece of legislation heading towards the senate has to do with election reform, with creating a national standard for voting. it advocates the -- the advocates people who are for this says it was necessitied by what -- necessitated, in a way that would pmarily affect voters of color. what is your -- at this point, what is your view of this? >> well, it's another bill that passed with not a single republican vote. and the reason for it is, even though it's styled as somewhat

related to what they call voter suppression, what i read the states are doing is restoring some of the voting practices that existed before the pandemic. in other words, simply eliminating some of the emergency provisions that were there during the pandemic. this is an outrageous, one-party takeover of the way we conduct elections in this country. are and there will be overwhelming total republican opopposition to it in the senate just like there was in the house. where and senator, that raises the question of the rule known as the filibuster. it is something you changed the rule around in 2017 when it came to the supreme court confirmation for neil g goresuc. may the i'm to come. >> if house is not in the personnel business and the

legislative calendar. the executive calendar for most of the history of the country was operated as a simple majority. then the democrats started filibustering nominations which was never done before and we did go back and forth on that over the last 20 years but now we're back to where we were at the beginning of bush 43's administration, the executive calendar done with a simple majority. that's not been the case for legislation. the alleviate filibuster has been there for a very long time. our democratic friends in the minority last year used it frequently to stop things that we might have wanted to do. but now they're threatening to blow the place up and turn the senate into the house so they can get their way with presumably 50 democrats voting yes and the vice president being in the chair. there is considerable reluctance on the other side to do that because people remember when they were in the minority. and what the senate filibuster

does is one of two things. either really bad ideas don't pass at all, or you sit down and reach a bipartisan agreement. and that's why senator manchin and senator sinema said they would not participate in turning the senate into the house. >> woodruff: senator, one more quick question, in our new poll with marist and npr, it turns out that republican men and people who supported president -- former president trump remain the most against getting a covid vaccine. what would be your message to them? >> with regard to a vaccine as soon as i was eligible i took it. i've encouraged everybody in my tstate to take it. and this shouldn't be a partisan issue. either mask-wearing or getting the vaccination. getting the vaccination is important. i would encourage everyone to do that, without exception.

they're proven safe. and necessary. if we're going to get this pandemic in the rearview mirror. >> woodruff: senate minority leader mitch mcconnell. thank you very much, we appreciate it. >> thank you judy. and for a democrat's view now senator chris coons of delaware joins me. senator welcome back to the newshour. i don't know if you were able to hear but the minority leader was just making the case that the covid relief bill signed today by president biden is squandering money that five bills passed last year, that there's $900 billion in the pipeline. in essence that this is way more than what's needed. >> well, i'd encourage anybody who's interested in that debate to go and ask the american people. this bill is overwhelmingly popular. it's got the support of more than 70% of the american people and the majority of republicans, not in the capital, not in the senate, but a majority of republican voters around the

country recognize that the pandemic and the recession are continuing to harm american families. so sending $1400 checks out to something like 100 million americans, funding a continuing expansions of our vaccination program that has already under president biden put shots in arms of a quarter of all americans. safely reopening schools getting kids back to school, while vaccinating teachers and paraprofessionals and providing another round of unemployment insurance support and investment in small businesses to keep them afloat or help them reopen with a particular focus on restaurants, that's some of the many good things in this bill. it's popular. our president has led us to this point and i think it's going to lead to a strong recovery coming out of this pandemic later this year. >> woodruff: senator, the minority leader also makes the point, he says, that this comes at the wrong time to be spending all this money. because he says the forecasts

are that the economy is just about to come roaring back. in other words this is going to happen on its own and congress didn't need to do this. ftc. >> well, judy that was exactly the same argument that the minority leader was making six months ago. there was a determined effort by a number of senators to finally force that 900 billion dollar bill that the president signed right at the end of december. this has been a long hard slog. as president biden will make clear in his first national address after his inauguration, later this evening, he has relent lessly focused on helping us recover from this pandemic. the pandemic was far more than it needed to be. but president biden is doing a strong job of leading us out of it. i think saying that the american people should simply wait around

and hope the economy is going to recover, that our country will make it out of the pandemic, without making more bold investments i our schools and hospitals and families is just the wrong thing at this time. i was proud to vote for this bill and i think it's essential for us getting moving forward. >> woodruff: senator, we heard president biden say on a number of occasions he hoped there would be bipartisan support for this legislation. but not a single republican is voting for it. how discouraging is that for the president? you know him very well. >> well, judy, joe biden is someone who didn't just run for office on bringing us togeher as a country and on working across the aisle with republicans in the congress. it's part of who he is. it's part of how he served as a senator for delaware for 36 years. it's part of what delaware asks of its elected leaders. and i know that joe biden will continue trying to work across

the aisle reaching out his hd. the very first meeting that he hosted in the oval office with members of the senate was with ten republicans and two of the younger republicans newer in their service in the senate said to me afterwards, they were impressed and surprised at how well he knew the numbers, how well he knew their proposal. it was supposed to be an hour meeting and the president himself was the one who extended it himself to a second hour even in the week of the impeachment trial. the president had over a bipartisan group of four senators to talk about our infrastructure and how we could make progress on that. it's part of who joe biden has always been and how he hopes to bring us together. but frankly the support that this bill is so supported by the american people on a strong bipartisan basis i any shows that he is making progress on things that are a priority for the american people, even if on this first big bill he wasn't able to get any republicans to come across the aisle and join him in the capitol. >> woodruff: senator, finally

very quickly because i know you talk to republicans probably more than most other democrats do. do you get the sense that there will be republicansupport for the infrastructure bill, or for the bill with regard to racial justice coming along? >> i literally had a conversation on the floor of the senate this afternoon. on one of the most senior and central republicans for infrastructure. who was asking me whether i think there will be time for us to work together on some bipartisan initiatives around infrastructure. and i'm optimistic that there will be. i spoke with another republican last night about a bipartisan effort that senator schumer is leading to pull together a bill to confront china and to make our country more competitive, investing in manufacturing and in research and on on-shoring supply chains. there are a number of initiatives judy where i think it is possible for us to make prong on a bipartisan basis and

i'm going to be engaged in those. it's what joe biden wants, it's what the american people expect and i think it is something that will make us stronger on the american stage if we are able to move forward with bipartly sedan legislation amongst a wide group of areas. >> woodruff: senator chris coons of delaware we thank you. >> thank you judy. >> woodruff: in the day's other news, the u.s. house of representatives opened a drive for the first major gun control measures in 20 years. democrats passed bills calling for background checks on all gun sales and an expanded, 10-day review period. similar bills died in the senate when republicans had control, but democratic majority leader chuck schumer vowed today to hold votes. >> the legislative graveyard is over. hr 8 will be on the floor of the

senate and we will see where everybody stands. no more thoughts and prayers. a vote is what we need. a vote. not thoughts and prayers. >> woodruff: the senate is split 50-50 between the two parties, and the gun control bills would need 60 votes to pass. the people of japan marked 10 years today since an earthquake and tsunami triggered a nuclear plant meltdown in fukushima. the country fell silent at mid- afternoon, marking the moment the earthquake struck and honoring more than 20,000 people who died. we'll look at what's happened since, later in the program. in myanmar, activists say 12 more protesters against the military coup were shot dead today. six died in my'ang, where people crouched in the street and then ran as security forces opened fire.

killings were also reported in four other cities. mainland china's ceremonial legislature has endorsed a move to tighten control over hong kong, again. e measure approved today lets the central government name more of the territory's lawmakers the vote in the national people's congress was 2,895 to zero. leaders insisted it is in the best interests of all concerned. >> ( translated ): the session has made the decision to improve hong kong's election which is greatly supported by all the delegates. this illustrates the firm determination of the people, including those of hong kong, to safeguard national sovereignty, security and the constitutional order of hong kong >> woodruff: beijing has steadily reined in hong kong's freedoms in a bid to suppress calls for greater autonomy. the heir to the british throne, prince william, denied today that the royals harbor racist views. he answered a shouted question

at a public event, and said, "we are very much not a racist family." the allegation came from his brother harry and sister-in-law meghan, who is bi-racial. back in this country, the former police officer accused in george floyd's death is now charged with third-degree murder again. a judge in minneapolis reinstated the charge against derek chauvin today. that's in addition to second- degree murder and manslaughter. the ruling came as jury selection continued. new york's democratic governor andrew cuomo faced mounting pressure to resign today, over alleged sexual misconduct. a bipartisan majority of state lawmakers called for cuomo to quit after an aide reportedly accused him of groping her. new york city mayor bill de blasio joined in the demand. >> the last report and the fact that we can talk about how many people are bringing through - bringing forward accusations.

that it's not one, it's not two, it's not three, it's not four, it's not five, it's six women who have come forward, it's deeply troubling. it is disgusting to me and he can no longer serve as governor. >> woodruff: cuomo denied the latest misconduct claim and has refused to step down. he is also under fire over impeachment investigation into the governor. mississippi's republican governor signed a ban today on mississippi's republican governor signed a ban today on transgender athletes joining female sports teams. the bill takes effect july 1st, pending legal challenges. more than 20 states are considering similar legislation. in economic news, new claims for unemployment benefits fell to 712,000 last week, in a sign that layoffs are easing. that news, and the covid relief package, boosted wall street. the dow jones industrial average gained 188 points to close at a

new record, 32,485. the nasdaq jumped nearly 330 points, 2.5 %, and, the s&p 500 added 40, for another record close. still to come on the newshour: the many ways american life has changed over the last 12 months. japan reflects on the fukushima disaster on its 10th anniversary. and much more. >> woodruff: it was one year ago when the world health organization declared the covid crisis a pandemic. this was the week shutdowns rapidly escalated, large public gatherings began coming to an end and the country faced the

prospect of a very different time ahead. amna nawaz is here with personal recollections of how life in the u.s. was transformed, and the challenges of this past year. >> covid-19 can be characterized as a pandemic. >> nawaz: in the year since that ominous announcement, on march 11th, 2020, life in america has changed drastically. the u.s. has seen more than 525,000 deaths from covid-19 and upwards of 29 million confirmed cases. there've been lockdowns. school closures. an economic collapse. inequality has gotten worse. our hospitals have been overwhelmed. it has been a year of pain, disruption and incredible stress. in recent weeks, we've spoken to more than a dozen americans. >> nawaz: a frontline nurse... a single mother... a public health official... and many more who

were sick, or even lost someone to coronavirus. they shared with us their memories and their stories of pandemic life over the last 12 months... what was the day everything changed? >> so i'm at work. and i remember i had a little bit of a cough and i'm messing with the other supervisors and i'm just like, oh, my gosh, you guys, what if i have covid what if i'm like i was i was totally joking about this. that night i had had a very strange sensation when i was going to sleep. i couldn't breathe, but i got a sensation that i was about to and it was so bad it felt like my lungs actually locked up. and i came off of the bed. i was on my hands and knees on the floor, holding onto my bed, just trying to regain my breath. that scared me. and at that point, that's when i said, ok, you know what? i don't know what this is, but i got to go. and that was on the 16th of march was when i drove myself to the hospital and they said, we

need to admit you right away, like right now, because not only do you have covid, but you actually have severe pneumonia and it's killing you. >> there was one particular day where it was towards the end of the day after doing a 12 hour shift. and because of the volume, we had to open up yet another intensive care unit and after climbing the stairs to the sixth floor, my legs just could not go anymore. and i came home, did not remember the drive. i know that i was in my house and i was afraid to close my eyes that night. i did not want to die alone in my house. that's what i kept saying because i live alone. i said, please, god, don't let me die alone here. >> on the day my father passed away, that day marked the 300,000th death of a american death from covid, it was also the first day that a covid

vaccine was administered here in the united states. my siblings and i, we remember that moment very well, seeing the image of her receiving the vaccine and of course, on the headline, the banner headline saying that the u.s. was a target of reaching the 300,000 deaths that day. and, you know, perhaps my father was the 300,000th death that day, but it was just such a momentous day and certainly darker for some people. >> her life was cut short at 28. i said adeline, mom's here, open your eyes. and she would open her eyes and i said, “adeline do you know who i am?” and she said, “yes.” and then her eyes would go down and i had to ask her a number of times to open her eyes. and it was extremely difficult. i mean, she was trying so hard to do that. i knew that my husband wanted to see her as well. so i didn't want to, like, utilize all the time by me just staying in there.

so just before we left, i said“" adeline, can you open your eyes and give me a kiss?” and she leaned forward and she gave me a kiss on the mouth. and i just had this feeling this awful feeling that i would never do this again. >> i have an uncle who passed away from covid and he showed up to the emergency department and was really sick and they didn't test him for it. and so thinking about how that has actually affected my family and the fact that i, even as a physician, have to be sure, it always kind of have to worry that my family is not going to get the best care is just so upsetting because who knows if my uncle had been tested when he first came to the emergency department, if he would ha survived. the thing that i worry about a lot with my black patients, with my with my latinx patients, with my poor patients is, do they have that same security when their family members go into the medical system? and i don't think they do.

>> and it's not covid doesn't affect everyone the same. and i'm really angry at those people who just don't care, they don't care about other people who are insensitive about people. it doesn't matter that my parents were ill, that they had issues or like i have issues and we're still human. we still have a life to live. me a lot because this shouldn't have happened, my parents should not have been. a victims of covid he shouldn't have. >> the single most frustrating thing about this pandemic has been the level to which it has been politicized. this is unlike anything we have ever seen before. and so having to really justify the science behind public health recommendations over and over and over to really smart elected officials because they were hearing from the community tha“" oh, i can't wear a mask, i can't breathe when i have a mask on,” which we all know is not

true, is that was so frustrating for us to have to do that. but, but really, it was just another example of politicians kind of co-opting the public health response to this pandemic. >> i think the thing that i anticipated the least, actually, was just how we would normalize all the death, how we would normalize like all the kids, like stuck at home and essential workers just going into these workplaces over and over, like just-- that it could get so bad and seem so normal. that sense of like everything falling apart at every level all around you. and yet you have to live. you have to survive. you just have to keep putting one foot in front of the other you know, just all of those things-- the normalcy of the weirdness was the thing that without living throu it, i don't think i could have ever understood. >> woodruff: just heartbreaking to hear, all of this. it's been a year that has touched all of us and we are so grateful to be able to reflect on it. and you can hear much more of

these stories and others, you can hear much more of these stories and others on our podcast with amna, "america interrupted; the longest year." listen wherever you get your podcasts. >> woodruff: we look now at president biden's address to the nation. our yamiche alcindor is at the ite house with the latest. so hello yamiche. you've learned a little more about this bill that the president signed this afternoon. and what he's going to say about it tonight. and how he's going to talk about where we go from here. >> that's right. the president is going to be making a series of big announcements tonight as he has his first prime time address to the nation to mark the one year anniversary of covid lock downs in the united states. the first big thing that he's going to be talking about is putting the nation on a path

towards closer to normal by july 4th. it doesn't mean we're going to have big concerts but he's going to be talking about small indoor gatherings and making things a little more normal before the pandemic hit. he's also going to be using federal authority to direct all states to make all american adults eligible for the vaccine by may 1st. doesn't mean that all americans will be able to get a vaccine by may 1st but all will be eligible to get one. the administration will say that he hopes to have enough vaccines to vac necessitate -- vaccinate all americans by that point. to that point he will be announcing that 4,000 active duty troops will be deployed to support vaccination efforts. the president will be also saying, there is a new government wind, that is something problematic and touting the new law that he signed today that $1.9 trillion

covid relief. >> woodruff: and yamiche you were telling us this is a part of a big push they are making on vaccine distribution. what is the latest on that. >> that's right. there is a big bipartisan push afoot to really convince americans that these vaccines are normal and are safe for them to take. today there are a mber of presidents who put out a public service announcement. we heard from president obama, president bush, president carter and president clinton. here is what they have to say. >> so we urge you to get vaccinated when it is available to you. >> so roll up your sleeve and do your part. >> this is our shot. >> now it's up to you! >> despite that push what we're seeing is a number of americans saying that they are stilt very hesitant to get this vaccine. today we released a new poll from pbs newshour, nfr an the maris poll. 30% of all americans say they will not choose to be vaccinated. of that number 25% of black americans said they would not

get the vaccine and 49% of republican men said they will not choose to get the vaccine. that being said, 37% of people have said they have gotten the vaccine or plan to. we have seen hesitancy among black americans, but also gop men. as we see the fishes ladies and american presidents with their message. >> woodruff: no question, i did ask the senate minority leader mitch mcconnell about the large number of republican men reluctant to get the vaccine and he made a point in saying he believes in the vaccine and believes everyone should have it. but finally yamiche i want to ask you about immigration. we know there is an increasingly large number of immigrants coming, attempting to come across the southern border including a large number of unaccompanied children. what is the biden administration saying about that today? >> that's right. the numbers at the border are

spiking. this is another issue, really a dual challenge that the president's having to contend with as he did with the coronavirus pandemic. they don't want to call it a crisis but a huan challenge. we see a large number of unaccompanied miles an hour coming inta the united states and being held in facilities that are not meant for children. they are being held in jail like facilities, held past the number of days the law says they should be held in those facilities. law enforcement officers went down to the border and scrambled to get a plan in place but this is a logistics and planning problem here, the president is going to be talking about that later on in the week. >> woodruff: all right, yamiche alcindor at the white house. thank you very much. >> thank you. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> woodruff: now to japan, and another solemn anniversary: it's

a decade since a magnitude 9.0 earthquake off japan triggered a 130-foot high tsunami that crashed ashore at more than 500 miles per hour. it killed thousands and triggered a nuclear disaster at a plant in fukushima. in a moment, nick schifrin looks at that nuclear explosion in detail. but first, special correspondent grace lee reports that those events are still fresh in the minds of the japanese, as they prepare for the next quake. >> reporter: this is what coming home looks like, 10 years on from the great east japan earthquake. >> reporter: hisae unuma remembers being evacuated from her home in fukushima when disaster struck on march 11, 2011. >> ( translated ): i'm almost 70 years old now. i don't think it's possible for me to rebuild my life here. >> reporter: a magnitude 9.1 earthquake, followed by a tsunami and a nuclear meltdown.

more than 20,000 people were killed or reported missing, hundreds of thousands more lost their homes. and to this day, parts of several towns near the nuclear plant remain uninhabitable. the meltdown caused radioactive damage, second only to the chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster. >> ( translated ): the government still hasn't decommissioned the nuclear power plant, and yet they claim everything's okay, and tell us we can return here. what if another disaster strikes? >> reporter: that disaster may not be far off in the future for the most populous city on earth, just 160 miles away. tokyo is due for an earthquake of the century. >> ( translated ): it could happen at any moment, but there's about a 70% possibility of it happening in the next 30 years. and the government is preparing on the premise that it will happen. >> reporter: tokyo's metropolitan government calls it "tokyo x-day." a comic on its website

illustrates a magnitude 7 earthquake hitting the city, and ends with a bleak message: it's not ¡if,' but ¡when'. >> ( translated ): we've been discussing it with other non- profits and have even held drills, but we are yet to have a clear plan for that specific situation. >> reporter: maki saito is a disaster risk reduction advisor at japan platform, a non-profit that specializes in emergency aid. when the earthquake hit fukushima 10 years ago, the organization dispatched a team there within three hours. >> ( translated ): we're still dealing with the aftermath of that earthquake, we estimate the region will need our help for the next 30 years. >> reporter: if an earthquake like this were to strike tokyo, a government estimate predicts the death toll could go as high as 230,000. a sobering warning came just four weeks ago, when another 7.1 magnitude quake shook fukushima. >> ( translated ): if a tsunami

were to hit tokyo, the damage would be quite serious, since the city is on low ground. but the tall buildings will allow people to evacuate. >> reporter: preparations to minimize damages in the event of a disaster are underway. tokyo's buildings are famously shake-proof, and 3,000 evacuation sites are sprinkled across the city. the government holds regular drills, as do schools across japan. >> reporter: but the big question remains: is tokyo ready for ¡x-day'? >> ( translated ): no, i don't think we are ready. what's crucial is to make sure people have as much information as possible for every scenario. >> reporter: major international events like the olympics have been cause for concern too, as in about two weeks time the tokyo olympic torch relay will start in fukushima, as a symbol of the region's recovery since 2011. like the games themselves, the relay had to be rescheduled due to the coronavirus pandemic-- a reminder that even best laid

plans may not pan out. different torches were lit today, candles across tokyo, and at 2:46 p.m., the exact time the earthquake struck, a moment of silence... ...to remember the lost and all the pain suffered since. for the pbs newshour, i'm grace lee in tokyo. >> schifrin: now, we turn to thomas bass, the author of seven books, currently working on a book about nuclear exclusion zones, including fukushima. he's a professor of english and journalism at the state university of new york in albany. thomas bass welcome to the newshour. we just heard from a resident from fukushima who pointed out that the government claims it's safe but she doesn't feel safe. there will be olympic matches held in fukushima city this year. do you believe it's safe? >> well, you know, it still is a nuclear exclusion zone so it actually is a zone that excludes people from living in it.

so certainly those areas are not safe to return to. and other areas are contaminated with nuclear particles and not safe to return to. you just saw a woman who's facing a village that's been completely devastated and is no longer habitable, has no stores, no services, even if it were considered quote unquote safe to return to one couldn't return to it. >> schifrin: jaan's government has long acknowledged some of its early mistakes and politically the party in charge paid very dearly for those splaiks. and it pointed out today it set a level of acceptable toxicity in the area and the iaea has accepted that level. do you believe that argument? >> well, i certainly do not. the government raised the so-called allowable level of contamination 20-fold. they raised the plowable level to that that is usually limited for full time workers in nuclear

factories. so it was only by raising the so-called level of toxicity that they were able to claim that the area was safe. >> schifrin: and let's zoom out a little bit for the whole country. japan has kept off line nearly 30 he reactors, rewrote the rules, much like the u.s. rewrote its rules after the three mile island accident. do you believe the japanese government did enough? >> first of all they shut down all 54 of their nuclear reactors and only a handful have been given reopening instructions. there was just a reaction a few weeks ago. so japan has geological problems that are far greater than most of the united states and its nuclear reactors. so the japanese government can claim that it's played its

reactors safe and toughened up the reactors but the simple issue is japan should not have ever built nuclear reactors along the shores. >> schifrin: japan dhadged it's a problem and trying its best to manage the risks inside fukushima which are still there. do you believe they are managing the risks well enough? >> no, i certainly do not. the reactors are still uncovered. there has not been a concrete sarcophagus birth over them as was the case with chernobyl. they are massively hot, groundwater flowing through the reactors that have not been controlled. the plan to decommission them stretches out 40 years, because it requires technology that is not yet been invented and technology that is not yet been proven to work. so in terms of managing the

disaster, i would not give the japanese government high marks on that front. >> schifrin: thomas bass, thank you very much. >> thank you, thank you for having me. ♪ ♪ ♪♪ >> woodruff: and we'll be back shortly with reflections from teenagers on how their lives changed during the pandemic and what they're looking forward to once it's over. but first, take a moment to hear from your local pbs station. it's a chance to offer your support, which helps keep programs like ours on the air. >> woodruff: for those staying with us, we return now to our series on the arts in mexico, a country that in recent years, has become one of the centers of the art world. this piece, filmed before the pandemic, is an encore presentation that aired as part of our ongoing coverage of art and culture, "canvas."

>> brown: it's called "zona maco," and it's become latin america's biggest annual art fair. throngs of art lovers, packing a sprawling conference center on the northwest edge of mexico city. major galleries from the u.s., europe and south america, as well as mexico, showing art of all kinds. >> i always thought it would work, but i never thought it would become as big as it is now. >> brown: zelika garcia founded zona maco 18 years ago, and has seen it grow to 200-plus exhibitors showing some 800 artists-- international in scope, but now the center of a thriving local scene. >> i think an art fair has to rely on their local collectors first. and we grow with the local market. if the local market had not started buying more, the fair would still be 70 galleries >> brown: over five days, the fair attracted some 72,000

visitors. >> i think we are a good part of mexico. >> brown: mexico has been a cosmopolitan art center for at least a century. just think of the famous murals of diego rivera and others. but today, signs of its place as a contemporary art hub are all around, with new museums whose spectacular architecture has changed the skyline of this ancient capital. an annual "art week" in february that's grown up around zona maco and features smaller fairs like seven-year-old "material," which takes place in an old jai alai arena and attracts a decidedly younger crowd. indeed, younger artists from the u.s. and elsewhere are flocking to mexico city these days, attracted by the lower costs and hip vibe. and galleries like "house of gaga" in the leafy condesa

neighborhood exhibit both local and international art stars, like american artist laura owens, who painted the space with a mural of local colors and imagery. gallery co-founder fernando mesta: >> she thought of every inch of the architecture plan. she did her research and she thought of the context. i mean, young mexican artists love to see this stuff. >> brown: so it's an american artist, but making a mexican... >> well, making sothing specific for here, yeah. >> brown: like others we talked to, mesta is well aware this is a mexico different from the one the rest of the world typically sees. >> i feel like a responsibility over it, because i think always like some of the best news about mexico are related to culture, you know, like our filmmakers, our artists, our institutions, our traveling shows. and when people come here, they're fascinated to see how relevant culture is in mexico, how rich culture is in mexico. >> brown: but the other side of life in mexico-- the poverty,

the violence and the horror of drug cartel murders and disappearances-- all that is never far away, and many artists are addressing it directly. we watched luz maria sanchez she'd joined a group of women in thnorthern state of sinaloa in search of remains of loved ones who'd disappeared amid drug violence. her art piece, an eight-channel recording, presented the sounds-- footsteps, chatter, picks and shovels working the dirt-- to take us right there. this is art that aims for social impact. >> how do you build empathy? that was one of my main questions. first of all, hothey survive within this context of extreme violence, because their loved ones are taken away, and we don't know if they're dead or alive. >> brown: it's very real for them. >> it's very real. but second, how you make all

their groups of citizens in mexico to understand and maybe have some empathy with them. >> brown: and there's nothing >> brown: today, saánchez is also a college professor, and she sees her students tackling serious issues in their work: violence, pollution, freedom of speech. >> they are putting together these kinds of exhibitions and they're always very critical about their surroundings. >> brown: trying to address the social issues through the art. >> because that's their reality, yes, yes. >> brown: art does stir passions here, including recent protests at the famed palacio de bellas artes, which hosted an exhibition on revolutionary hero emiliano zapata. some of the wos were documentary, some reverential. but many were angered by a painting that showed a naked zapata in a pink sombrero and high heels. art and gay rights advocates defended the work. ultimately, the museum installed a wall text saying zapata's family disagreed with the depiction.

people we spoke with also worry budget cuts by the adnistration of president andres manuel lopez obrador will have negative consequences for cultural life he, where government support has traditionally been strong. but at the influential university museum of contemporary art, chief curator cuauhtemoc medina says global trends in art are firmly embedded here. >> i mean, you just need to go 30 years ago and this was really a clique sector that only a few people were interested in. now, i would say that this is a space that people in general people are asking the questions they need to ask about their lives and their times. >> brown: not only that, says medina, but the world has changed, and today places like mexico city are at the forefront of contemporary art and culture. >> i would say the french and new yorkers are parochial and

they don't know it. ( laughs ) >> brown: they just think that they are the center. >> they used to think that they were the center. they haven't noticed that they are not any longer, and that this center has vanished. >> brown: for now, organizers of the zona maco art fair have tentatively set a date in late april for next year's exhibition-- hoping to keep the momentum going for this new global art center. for the pbs newshour, i'm jeffrey brown in mexico city. >> woodruff: for teenagers, this year of quarantine and remote school forced an unprecedented experiment at scale in learning and coping. we asked our nwork of student journalists to reflect on how their worlds changed and what they're looking forward to once the pandemic is over. here is a sample.

>> it's been a year. >> covid-19, the virus that changed everything for everyone. >> it's very overwhelming in this time, just to like exist. >> i think the pandemic affected me the most mainly through sports, because there was a solid eight months where we just had no sports, no hope. >> i hate being in the house, and i hate my car just sitting outside. my car being lonely, man. it wants to go skirt skirt. >> i mean, the first thing i'd love to do again is like go to a movie theater. i've not been to a movie theatre in probably over a year. >> the pandemic has also made me a lot more of a humble person, more empathetic, i'd say. >> last year, i didn't really take care of myself mentally or physically. now i work out every morning and eat healthier. >> i became more closer with my brother and i've had to make new friends in the neighborhood because others live in other parts of the town, but some live

right around the corner from me. >> i feel that i'm a very different person than i was a year ago. i also feel that i'm nicer and more compassionate and some lessons i've learned through all that time are to not judge people based on what i know, because i really don't know what they're going through. >> i also lost a great family friend due to covid named juan, back in october. juan was my grandmother's best friend. my favorite times with him were when he took me and my grandmother to shop and go to parks. >> if i learned anything, i learned that life is too short to be wasting time and putting your energy towards the wrong things. >> i began to learn how to manage my schedule better, and most importantly, i began to learn how to self-motivate myself and see each day as a new opportunity. >> i didn't really know what i wanted to do until this year. i'm either going to be a special education teacher or a nurse, and i think it'd be great to be a nurse because seeing everything that's happening right now and being able to help people and give them vaccines

and just be there for people in times of need, i feel like it'd be a great job. >> i feel like i'm a lot smarter than i was a year ago, not in terms of academics, but just in terms of the way the world works and how scary and how just upside down it can turn. >> one year later, i started thinking positively. >> when the pandemic is over i can't wait to live a normal life. >> i just want to go to a concert. >> i can't wait to just go outside and feel good. >> i cannot wait until this pandemic is over and everyone in this whole wide world is safe. >> woodruff: such wise and special young people. thank you, each and every one of you! and that's the newshour for d that's the newshour for tonight. i'm judy woodruff. join us tonight our special coverage of president biden's

first presidential address to the nation at 8:00 p.m. eastern. for all of us at the pbs newshour, thank you, please stay safe, and see you soon. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: we offer a variety of no- contract wireless plans for people who use their phone a little, a lot, or anything in between. to learn more, go to consumercellular.tv >> the ford foundation. working with visionaries on the frontlines of social change worldwide.

>> 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. captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org

hello, everyone, and welcome to “amanpour & company.” here is wh is coming up. >> this is a critical moment in our country's history. >> finally out of the gate, the massive stimus that promises to alleviate the pain for millions of americans. i asked the pentagon's john kirby about president biden's first win at home and what to expect from the admiration's maiden trip abroad. plus, the next frontier. i speak to our own walter isaacson about his thrilling tale of scientific discovery in "the code breaker" and how it shifts the balance of power from viruses to humans. then -- >> this is a way for them to hold on to power. if voters are not going to choose them, they are going to choose their voters. >> michel martin speaks to new or