captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc >> woodruff: good evening, i'm judy woodruff. on the newshour tonight, colorado mourns: a suspect is charged in the deaths of ten people in boulder, the country's second mass shooting in less than a week. then, on the border-- as more unaccompanied children and teenagers cross into the u.s., thousands of migrants sent back to mexico face dire circumstances. >> for a lot of people it's not an option to go back to central america, there was really good reason why they left in the first place. they have no clothes, no food, no transportation, money-- nothing. >> woodruff: and, getting the vaccine-- questions arise about a promising inoculation after reports of incomplete data regarding its efficacy.

all that and more on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: of everything, our u.s.-based customer service team is here to find a plan that fits you. to learn more, go to consumercellular.tv >> the john s. and james l. knight foundation. fostering informed and engaged communities. more at kf.org.

>> and with the ongoing support of these institutions: and individuals. >> 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 bloodbath in boulder has plunged a city into mourning, and propelled a nation into debating gun control again. those dual developments played out today, as police pursued their investigation. yamiche alcindor begins our coverage. >> alcindor: today in colorado,

shock and grief. >> my heart aches today and i think all of ours' does, as coloradans, as americans, for this senseless tragedy. >> alcindor: in boulder law enforcement have charged the alleged 21-year-old gunman in yesterday's supermarket attack with 10 counts of murder. today, police said he is in custody, but did not give a motive. >> we are committed with state, local, and federal authorities for a thorough investigation and will bring justice to eachf these families. >> there's a shooter! active shooter! >> alcindor: the rampage began monday afternoon, when an eyewitness said a gunman armed with a rifle started shooting in the parking lot before entering the store. hundreds of police officers descended on the store in riot gear, as shoppers scrambled for safety. >> we started running here and there was at least two shots fired at us as we were running. >> alcindor: police engaged in a shootout with the alleged gunman, before taking him from the supermarket, shirtless with blood running down his leg.

the victims ranged in age from 20 to 65. amonthem, 51-year-old police ficer eric talley, the first on the scene. today outside the boulder police station, his patrol car served as a makeshift memorial. the others killed are: denny strong, 20 neven stanisic, 23 rikki olds, 25 tralona bartkowiak, 49 suzanne fountain, 59 teri leiker, 51 kevin maney, 61 lynn murray, 62 jody waters, 65 yesterday's mass shooting is the latest of many in colorado in recent memory. in 1999, there was massacre at columbine high school. in 2012, a dozen people died in an attack on a movie theater in aurora. and in 2019, one student died in a shooting at a school in highlands ranch. it also comes a week after the attacks in atlanta that left 8

people dead. and it has prompted renewed calls for gun reform. in washington, the white house paid tribute by lowering flags to half staff. and president biden addressed the shooting. >> jill and i are devastated and feeling-- i just can't imagine how the families are feeling. the victims whose futures were stolen from them, from their families, from their loved ones. we can ban assault weapons and high capacity magazines in this country, once again. this is not and should not be a partisan issue. this is an american issue. it will save lives--american lives. and we have to act. >> alcindor: on capitol hill, the gun control debate played out in a senate judiciary hearing on gun violence. >> there may be some questions about what the motives were for the killer in boulder, but

there's no mystery about what needs to be done. >> every time there is a shooting we play this ridiculous theater where this committee gets together and proposes a bunch of laws that would do nothing to stop these murders! >> alcindor: later, senate majority leader chuck schumer pledged to hold a vote on a gun control bill passed by the house. but its prospects are uncertain in a narrowly divided senate. for the pbs newshour, i'm yamiche alcindor. >> woodruff: we get the latest from boulder with ben markus, who has been on the ground covering the shooting for colorado public radio. and he joins me now. ben markus, welcome to the "newshour." it is about 24 hours after all of this took place. what more are you learning about the shooter himself? >> reporter: so, i spent the better part of the day digging into his past. i can tell you that from people that used to hang out with him on the wrestling team at arvada

west high school, they talked about someone who was prone to anger, who could explode at a moment's notice, but could always be talked down and was otherwise a nice person. we have a police records from an arrest in 2017, late 2017, so he was still in high school. he walked across a classroom and punched another classmate in the head. he fell out of the chair, and he just kept punching him. he later told the officers he had been called a racial name of some sort. >> woodruff: and we know, and we just were reminded again in yamiche's report about the number of mass shootings and school shootings that have taken place in colorado in recent years. is that part of the conversation there now? >> reporter: it is. i think people define themselves to some degree by what mass shooting they experienced at what type. whether it is columbine,

the aurora theater shooting, and now this boulder supermarket shooting. i covered the aurora shooting, and the colleagues in the newsroom covered columbine. there is some soul searching to see if the metro area is a relatively safe place, compared to other cities, but we have the spasms of mass shooting violence that happens. despite gun control legislation that history has beenpassed at the state levels, which is fairly strict compared to other states, and measures in mental health. >> woodruff: no question that gun-control legislation has been looked at but not enough to address this. ben markus of public radio, we thank you. >> reporter: thank you for having me. >> woodruff: and we get reaction to the shooting from u.s. representive joe neguse of colorado.

he is a democrat who represents boulder, and he is there today. congressman neguse, thank you so much for joining us today. we're so sorry for your loss. tell us about the neighborhood where this happened, and how is the community reacting? >> well, thank you, judy. itas been a devastating 24 hours for our community here in boulder, for our state, and for our country. the loss of life here in boulder is just hard to fathom. it is unimaginable. and we are in mourning for the victims who tragically lost their lives yesterday in south boulder. and the 10people who lost their lives are friends and brothers and sisters and neighbors and colleagues and treasured community members here in boulder, every one of them. and our hearts and our prayers are with the families of those who lost

their loved ones last night, including the family of officer talley, who heroicly saved lives and died in the line of duty protecting our community. >> woodruff: congressman, you said in your statement that you recall being a high school student in colorado when the columbine high school shooting took place 21 years ago. the shooter of this incident yesterday in boulder was born that year, in 1999. what does that tell you about the cycle of violence in your state and around the country? >> it tells me, judy, that this crisis of gun violence is pervasive across our country and it has metastasized year after year, decade after decade. enough is enough. i grew up in colorado, and i was 14 when the tragedy of columbine happened 10

minutes from my high school, and now 21 years later -- to stand here 22 years later and mourn the 10 victims who lost in boulder last night while congress continues to dither on gun violence, coloradoans and americans are being murdered, year after year and day after day. i think the time for inaction is over. i think americans are tired of excuses. i think they want us to deliver to protect our communities. i have a 2-year-old daughter, and i want her to grow up in a country where she doesn't have to be scared to go to the grocery store or to go to school or to go to a movie theater or be in her community. it doesn't have to be this wy. we can change it. and i think we just have to muster the political will to do it. >> woodruff: and you say we have to muster the political will, and we heard president biden say it is a time for action, which is now, and he is

calling for common-sense legislation to address assault weapons, to do something about high capacity magazines. but is it realistic in this political climate that this kind of change can happen? >> judy, we have to try. we have to try. i appreciated the president's words today in terms of both, again, extending his condolences and the condolences of the first lady to my constituents and to the community here in boulder and to the families who grieved, and those we tragically lost last night, and i appreciated the clarity of his remarks with respect to gun violence reform legislation. as he said, these are common-sense reforms, and they're broadly supported by the american public, and we ought not forget that, and we shouldn't assume that our political institutions are impervious to the opinions of the public. so i'm going to continue to push for these sensible reforms that he articulated and i'm hopeful my colleagues will

as well. >> woodruff: congressman, what do you say to those who fiercely believe in gun rights, and who say when these kinds of things happen, that it is about the person who did them, that this was a troubled young man, apparently, 21 years old, and that it's not the guns, but it's the people who are committing these acts? >> i'd say we're learning more every hour about what happened yesterday and the tragic events unfolded. law enforcement is obviously in the very stages of their investigation. there is no question there will be multiple public policy solutions that i think local, state, and federal policy-makers will need to enact to address these types of senseless tragedies that are occurring in our community and communities across the country. but make no mistake, there is no question that gun violence and the availability of guns and weapons of war in our communities is creating an

environment in which i said, numbers of our community are senselessly dying. it does not have to be this way. we can change it. i believe that broadly speaking, the american people support the kind of reforms that president biden articulated earlier today. universal background checks perhaps being a great example, a bill that we passed just two weeks ago in the united states house of representatives, with bipartisan, republican and democrat, support. and m hopeful we can build on that and get something done. most of all, judy, i will tell you i'm spending my time trying to help our community heal. it is going to be a difficult set of days, weeks, and months ahead for the families who lost loved ones and for our entire community, and we'll certainly be there for the community as we heal together. >> woodruff: but you do believe the climate, the political climate, is there in congress to get a serious change in gun control policy? >> i do.

i do, judy. we can't aford not to act. we simply can't afford not to act. we've lost too many lives already. >> woodruff: congressman joe neguse of colorado, whose community was deeply struck by this terrible shooting last night. thank you, congressman. >> thank you, judy. >> woodruff: >> woodruff: in the day's other news, astrazeneca faced new questions about its covid-19 vaccine. the company had said its u.s. study found the shots are 79% effective overall. but now, federal regulators say the udy may include outdated information. meanwhile, texas announced all adults will be eligible for vaccination starting monday. it's the largest state to take that step.

a new wave of infections is sweeping over much of europe, and that's prompted germany to extend its lockdown measures by a month. today's announcement largely shut down the country through easter and beyond. it also brought warnings from the top infectious disease expert in the u.s., dr. anthony fauci. >> we generally are about three to four weeks behind the dynamics of the outbreak that we see in europe, so given that the europeans are surging back up, that that is very clear that this is a risk that we will be doing the same thing if we don't pull back and in other words we need to keep doing the public health measures that we talk about all the time. >> woodruff: france and italy are also seeing rising rates of infection. but spain is lifting restrictions on flights ahead of easter vacation. the biden administration has extended a special enrollment period for subsidized health coverage under obamacare.

it was set to end on may 15th, but will run through august 15th. also today, the u.s. senate moved to confirm dr. vivek murthy as surgeon general. the u.s. postal service unveiled a 10-year plan today to overhaul operations and cut costs. it calls for raising postage prices and slowing delivery for some first-class mail to five days, instead of three. postmaster general louis dejoy said it will help reduce $160 billion in projected losses over the next decade. in israel, voters faced their fourth national election in two years, and exit polls indicated no clear winner. the voting marked another referendum on prime minister benjamin netanyahu, who's also fighting corruption charges. some people cast ballots in airports and drive-thru's due to

covid protocols. it could be several days before final results are known. search teams in bangladesh have recovered at least 15 bodies after fire roared through a camp for rohingya muslims. it broke out monday and burned into the night, destroying thousands of shelters. u.n. officials said 560 people were injured, and 400 are still missing. >> our front-line staff in the camp reported horrific scenes of devastation, destruction, and despair. i was just in the phone with one of them, moments ago, and she just said, "imagine losing everything when you were forced from your home just three years ago, only to lose it all over again." >> woodruff: many of the rohingya fled to bangladesh to escape persecution in myanmar. back in this country, a jury is now in place in minneapolis, to

consider murder charges in the killing of george floyd. the last of three alternates was seated today, joining the 12 regular jurors. they will hear the case against derek chauvin, the former police officer accused in floyd's death last may. opening statements are set for monday. the chicago suburb of evanston, illinois, will be first in the nation to offer rerations to black citizens. the city council voted monday to distribute $10 million over the next 10 years. eligible households will receive $25,000 each. it's funded by a t on recreational marijuana and by prive donations. top economic policy officials talked up the u.s. recovery today. at a congressional hearing, federal reserve chair jerome powell said the economy is coming back faster than expected. treasury secretary janet yellen was equally upbeat. >> with passage of rescue plan

am confident that people will reach other side of pandemic with the foundations of their lives intact. and i believe they'll be met there by a growing economy. in fact, i think we may see a return to full employment next year. >> woodruff: republicans again raised concerns that the relief spending might ignite inflation, but powell said the fed can keep it under control. and, wall street was broadly lower as oil prices and bank stocks fell. the dow jones industrial average lost 308 points to close at 32,423. the nasdaq fell 149 points. the s&p 500 gave up 30. still to come on the newshour: the situation on the southern border grows increasingly dire for migrants. how the biden administration faces daunting challenges on multiple fronts. we remember the victims of the shootings in georgia. plus much more.

>> woodruff: on the border, the challenge of unaccompanied children continues. today the u.s. government announced it is opening an additional facility to house them, bringing the total number of beds to around 14,000. it is the latest move by the biden administration, as it grapples with this latest surge. amna nawaz is on the ground in texas with the story. >> nawaz: morning in texas' rio grande valley, the center of a growing migrant crisis, as the dramatic increase of unaccompanied minors, whom the biden administration says it won't turn away is leading to scenes like this--

overcrowded border facilities. children and teenagers in tight quarters. thousands being held longer than the 72-hour limit, before being transferred to shelters and family in the u.s. these images released today by customs and border protection after weeks of denying the press access to these facilities. as border crossings surge, most are sent right back to mexico. like these families, gathering for a moment of prayer ithe city of reynosa. this food, from a local church, will likely be their only meal for the day, so kids move to the front of line. this public park, a short walk from the bridge to the u.s., is now their temporary home. >> there's really good reason for that you don't hang out near the bridge, the bridge is where all the gangs hang out waiting for people getting sent back. >> nawaz: jennifer harbury is a volunteer advocate with a group called angry tias and abuelas. she tries to connect these families with social services and legal help. >> for a lot of people it's not an option to go back to central america, there was really good reason why they left in the

first place. they have nothing left they gave their lesson to the coyotes to get them across and were dumped back. they have no clothes, no food, no transportation, money-- nothing. >> nawaz: they pack into this gazebo at night, parents sleeping on top of kids to protect them. stories of child kidnappings by gangs are rampant. and there are young children everywhere, as young as seven and eight years old, some younger. many of their parents are surprised, they say, to find themselves among the tens of thousands expelled every month by.s. officials after trying to cross the border. under a trump-era pandemic rule, kept in place by president biden. how many have heard biden say the border is closed? not a single person had. in fact, many had heard that biden promised no deportations. that young children would be allowed in. they say mexican authorities have offered no help. though when we show up with cameras, they suddenly appear. within minutesf us arriving, police arrived, took pictures of us and everyone else, a lot of

concern about coordination between law enforcement and cartels. we've been advised by our local team not to spend very long here, but we do want to try and hear a few more of their stories. denis left honduras a month ago, after back to back hurricanes devastated his home at the end of 2020. he brought his five-year-old son denis jr. with him. he doesn't want to be identified for fear of the gangs. ada rosa fled honduras with her 14-year-old son axel, after his older brother was killed in front of them. she brought with her documentation to prove that her son was killed, his death certificate. she carried this with her to help make her case. axel tells us his biggest fear now, is being kidnapped. it's all too much for his mother, who saw the u.s. as a refuge. >> ( translated ): i thought they were going to protect me. instead they sent me back here.

>> nawaz: with no way to get home, and no chance of entering the u.s., we ask what they'll do next. their journey from here, many say, is in god's hands. border shelters like this, a short drive away, offer some safe haven. under pandemic rules, they have limited capacity. but they've been breaching that to meet the growing need. even here, violence follows these families. organizers say armed men have shown up, demanding to be let in. this city, and this state, are among the most dangerous in mexico. and vulnerable populations like migrants are prime targets. >> they understand how dangerous reynosa is and they don't know how to get out of here. they can lie down on top of their kids, and hope to keep them alive, which is not looking good. or they can send them alone across the bridge as unaccompanied minors. almost everybody there was asking me if i send my 10 year old across a little girl or my 12 year old boy, what happens.

so they're going through some really hard, hard soul searching right now they don't want their kids out of their sight, they love their kids, they're just in agony over this. >> nawaz: there are a lucky few an hour away, at a bus station in brownsville, texas. a handful of parents with young children have been released by border patrol, and are now making their way to meet up with family in other parts of the u.s. like sheny, from guatemala, and her four year old daughter, alyson. she crossed the river in a raft with about nine other families. they spent four days in border patrol custody before being released. >> ( translated ): they took our picture and our fingerprints. they didn't tell us anything at all. we thought they were going to send us back. because a young woman who was traveling with us had an eight year old child and they sent them back. >> nawaz: her documents cite only a "lack of space" as her reason for release. they're now heading to georgia to re-connect with h husband and eight-year-old daughter, who she hasn't seen in three years. >> ( translated ): it's really an emotional moment right now. i am going to see my older

daughter. it's very important for both of my daughters to be together now. >> nawaz: sheny's one of the fortunate ones. among most of the families and lawyers we talked to, the rules remain unclear about who is being turned back to mexico and who is being allowed to stay. administration is launching compaigns and ready ads trying to get the message out, don't come, the border is closed. but the reality here on the ground is less clear. we have met families who are being relieved into the u.s. we asked homeland security why they responded and they reiterated the border is closed, and most people are being turned back to mexico. but they say some agents can make exceptions based on humanitarian concerns or public health. >> woodruff: the shooting last night in boulder, colorado, is

renewing calls from some democrats to restrict gun access. to look at the proposals being made, along with a host of other issues on the biden administration's agenda, i'm joined by our yamiche alcindor and lisa desjardins. >> woodruff: so, hello to both of you. i'm going to start with you, yamiche, the president today did address this terrible shooting last night in boulder. we know he has seen this before as vice president. he was there during the shooting at sandy hook, during another mass shooting in orlando, certainly before that, as a united states senator. what is the white house saying? how are they responding to these latest atrocities? >> yamiche: well, president biden is responding to this latest shooting in boulder, colorado, by urging the passage of gun reform, something he has done over

and over throughout his career as a vice president and senator. it is unclear if any gun legislation can get through the house and the senate. that is the big question. that being said, the white house is throwing their support behind two bills that have already passed the house. one focused on increasing and approving back house checks, another on banning assault weaps, and jen psaki said president biden is open to action on this issue, and said there is a range of issues that can be thought of, and him going it alone in this executive order could be one of the ways he does this. the other thing to note is there are lawmakers who are pushing the president to establish a national gun violence director, and that would be someone they say who would be focused on trying to cut gun violence down by half by the end of the year at other times in this countryment and they're focusing on whether or not that position can be happening. but the white house right now is not making that commitment. instead they're saying gun reform is a priority but

not making actual commitments. it is still unclear exactly what the white house has to do, but they are saying something needs to be done. >> woodruff: and, lisa, we did hear earlier in the program some reaction from the congress, including the senate judiciary committee where a number of senators were speaking up. but at this point, what does it look like may be possible? what are expect with regard to what congress may realistically do? >> lisa: i spent the day speaking to dozen of u.s. senators. the house is out of washington, but the senate is in town. i have been at the u.s. capitol, unfortunately, for the day, after several of these shooting, going back to virginia tech, parkland, el paso, and the mood today was not the same kind of sharp heartache and emergency i felt following the other shootings. for some democrats, yes, they are pushing hard and want to see these votes

happen. in general, i felt a more numbness and not the urgency i think it would take to get the votes that any of these things need. let's talk about the house bills for universal background checks that yamiche was talking about. i spoke to a key senator, senator joe manchin of west virginia, the democrat, and he told me and other reporters he is a no on the house background check votes. that basically means they don't have a chance of passing. he still, perhaps, could work on his own more limited background check bill, and his former partner, pat toomey, told me he is trying to have conversations and discussions to try to find some kind of bipartisan path on gun reform. i asked him could it coalese this week, and he said no. and the farther we get from the path of events like this, the harder the path of gun reform gets. >> woodruff: i know you're going to continue to report on that.

meantime, lisa, the den administration has a number of other headaches, if you will, facing them in the congress. at this point we have, what, two democrats who are threatening to block the administration's own nominees for top administration positions. tell us what is going on there. >> lisa: this is an extraordinary development just in the past couple of hours. this is led by senate tammy duckworth of illinois, joined by hawaii. they are protesting the lack of aap i., asian american and islander representation among cabinet secretaries. only one member of his trade representative is asian-american. we talked to senator duckworth earlier today, and she expressed why she is saying she will not support any more biden nominees until she gets a guarantee of more diversity in the next opening spots. here is what she said.

>> to be told that, well, you have kamala harris -- and we're very proud of her, and you don't need anybody else, and that's insulting. at this point, they can call me and tell me what their proposal is. but until then, i'm a no vote on the floor on all non-diversity nominees. >> lisa: that's all nominees, including judicial nominees. she was speaking to other reporters. that audio was courtesy of the pool. >> woodruff: so, yamiche, the white house is seeing all of this. how worried are they about what this means for the nominees yet to come, and, frankly, for the rest of their agenda? >> yamiche: well, this is something that is definitely, you can tell, troubling to the white house. the white house is in some ways being mum. there are no statements released. no one wanted to go on the record with a comment just yet. but you're already seeing the effect of these two

senators banning together. the top pentagon advisor, this nominee was on thin ice, and now these two senators make it almost impossible for that nomination to go through. that's the white house agenda getting pushed back and getting stalled by this stance. and the biden administration, while they say they have a lot of diversity. they also understand this is something that is real and will impact their agenda. they're looking at infrastructure and wanting to pass $3 is billion billion wh of legislation to help with roads and bridges, and they may not be able to happen, and right now it is on nominees in the tight senate. and on immigration, president biden wants to be more humane and moral, but what he wants is an immigration bill, and that's going to be tough when he is having trouble with democratic senators, let alone g.o.p. senators. >> woodruff: yamiche reporting to what is purported to be a $3

trillion massive infrastructure jobs and education package, which we haven't seen yet, but a lot of reporting about it. and it is only two months in, barely two months into this administration. yamiche alcindor, lisa desjardins, thank you both. >> woodruff: as we reported earlier, astrazeneca is facing new questions today after a highly unusual reprimand from a board overseeing the company's clinical trials. just yesterd, astrazeneca announced its covid-19 vaccine was highly effective but today, it is scrambling to respond to allegations it used misleading data. nick schifrin reports. >> schifrin: astrazeneca is one of the world's most important covid vaccines: inexpensive, easy to administ, and the

primary vaccine not only for europe but also for the u.n.'s program for low- and middle-income countries. but the independent american panel of experts that oversees the company's trials accused the company, in a letter seen by the "new york times," of a selectively positive analysis of its own data. and the organization led by doctor anthony fauci, blamed the company, and acknowledged its actions would increase vaccine hesitancy. >> this is really what you'd call an unforced error. this is very likely a very good vaccine and this kind of thing does as you say, do nothing but really cast some doubt about the vaccines and may contribute to the hesitancy. it was not necessary. when you look at it, the data really are quite good but when they put it into the press release it wasn't completely accurate. >> schifrin: today astrazeneca acknowledged it had released an interim analysis of data from before february 17th, and would release a primary analysis of the most recent data, by thursday. to discuss i'm joined by dr.

jennifer nuzzo, an epidemiologist and senior scholar at johns hopkins center for health security. >> doctor, welcome to the "newshour." what did astrazeneca do wrong? and how unusual is this pushback? >> doctor: well, the whole situation is quite unusual, and i don't fully understand why this happened. essentially there is a difference interpretation of the data in just a few percentage points. and the d.s.m. b., the group from the n.i.h., who put out the letter, wanted a slightly lower range of numbers o be presented, and astrazeneca put in a slightly higher number. the difference is really marginal, and why they would have done this is que unclear. unfortunately, what it does then is raise questions about a vaccine that we don't need to have right now. we don't need to be having these questions that are not related to real issues of efficacy. it is just an unfortunate

situation in that it could increase people's hesitancy about receiving this vaccine. >> but this isn't the first time there have been questions about astrazeneca. the company had a dosing error during clinical trials that it didn't disclose initially. the company promised about three times what it delivered to europe. does all of this increase the hesitancy, and does the company have more questions to answer? >> doctor: i mean, it could. and that's really the worry here. to be clear, i don't think there is any reason in any of these stories to doubt the efficacy of this vaccine. however, the perhaps even perceived lack of full transparency or the perception that the company isn't disclosing everything it needs to will raise questions about the vaccine, at a time when we're deeply concerned about people's willingness to be vaccinated. it is unfortunate this has happened. it didn't need to happen. i think dr. fauci's assessment of it as being

an unforced error is a correct one. it is just unfortunate that the company had a setback last week where a number of european countries had wanted to pause the use of the vaccine for real legitimate concerns about safety. those have been resolved in the sense that european medicines agency has reviewed the data, and spoken in favor of it, and so has the w.h.o. it was thought that this press release they issued could help restore some confidence in a much-needed way for this vaccine, but now the stories today i think are only going to add some more question marks. >> how can the question marks be answered? i'm thinking about three very public world leaders who got astrazeneca in the last few days. one from south korea, boris johnson, and the highlands prime minister as well. what can be done to address the issues of hesitancy? >> doctor: i think nationally they have to do just that, continue to so support for the vaccine. we're going to wait the full review of the astrazeneca data in the

united states. and i think -- i'm guessing that the review will be quite favorable and that will be important. but the company needs to answer for what happened here. they said they would come back in 48 hours with new data. it is really unfortunate. we shouldn't have to wait 48 hours to understand why they released 79% in their press release yesterday, when the dsmb had advised them to look at a second set of data. they have questions to answers quite soon and completely. and they have to disclose as much information as possible to answer these questions. because in a gap of information, unfortunately people can fil that gap with the wrong information. >> and finally, the u.s. produces about a quarter of the world's covid vaccines, but so far has exported zero percent. the biden administration points out it is the leading investor of the covax program.

but do you believe that the u.s. government needs to do better in exporting vaccines around the world? >> doctor: i understand the national leaders' dilemma. their first responsility is to the people who elected them. and understand the pressure to get americans vaccinated as quickly as possible before we think about sharing vaccines wit rest of the world. but the pragmatic answer is that the united states is not going to be fully safe from covid-19 until all nations are protected. there is a deep discrepancy as to which countries have access to vaccines and how much, and it calls for countries to share what they have, particularly countries like the united states that have much more than many, many other countries. >> dr. jennifer nuzzo, thank you very much. >> doctor: thanks so much. >> woodruff: a second mass shooting in a week has shifted much of the attention to

colorado. but americans are still mourning eight people, including six asian women, who died in a series of attacks in georgia one week ago, as we continue to learn more about the victims. 49-year-old xiaojie tan immigrated to the u.s. from china and went on to own two spas in georgia. her daughter said that xiaoji worked every day, long hours, to give her family a better life. delaina ashley yuan gonzalez was a newly married mother of two-- a teenage son and baby daughter. delaina was 33 years old. yong ae yue, who was 63, was described by family as “kind hearted.” her son wrote that yong loved to introduce family and friends to her home-cooked korean meals and karaoke. 51-year-old hyun jung grant was a single mother to her two sons.

one son described hyun as playful and a young spirit. deoit native paul andre michels served in the army before moving to atlanta in 1995. the 54-year-old was a dedicated husband and brother, his family said. soon chung park moved to atlanta to be closer to friends. she was said to be fit and active. soon was 74 years old. suncha kim, who was 69 years old, immigrated to the u.s. from south korea. she was “pure hearted” and“ selfless,” her granddaughter said. daoyou feng was described as kind and quiet and had recently started working at young's asian massage, according to reports. she was 44 years old.

>> woodruff: during this pandemic, we've all been isolated more than usual. we've cut back on seeing friends, going to concerts and dining in at restaurants. but as john yang reports, for the residents of one town in washington state, it is an entirely different experience. >> yang: bill meursing's home has lots of room outside and inside, great for weekend visits from son jeff and grandkids. >> we go to the beach and get rocks and paint them. it's only a mile away from here. we have tea parties here with the grandchildren. >> it's an amazing community down there. awesome beaches, great places to go. >> yang: they live just about 20 miles from each other. jeff in vancouver, canada, with his wife and two daughters. bill and jeff's stepmother in point roberts, a small community on the tip of a peninsula just to the south. but these days, bill and his granddaughters might as well be

on opposite sides of the world. >> it tears me up not to be able to, you know, take them by the hand and go somewhere and buy an ice cream. >> yang: through a quirk of history and geography, the five- square miles that make up point roberts may be attached to canada, but it's in washington state, across an international border that, because of the pandemic, has been closed to non-essential travel for an entire year. >> the big cement monument is the border and the other side is canada, obviously our side as the usa. >> yang: brian calder, president of the point roberts chamber of commerce, showed us the beaches and bay that make the area so attractive as a weekend and summer getaway for canadians, who own three-quarters of the private homes. >> they'd be on the water out here even at this time of the year. people used the boats obviously every weekend, big time, like a hundred. and here nothing.

no boats, no people, nothing. >> yang: two other american communities, northwest angle, minnesota, and hyder, alaska, are also only accessible by land from canada. but theipopulations are much smaller than point roberts and canada doesn't require their resints to quarantine after entering the country for food or doctor's appointments. when point roberts residents leave, they have to drive directly to washington state, a 25 mile trip, without making any stops in canada. in a statement to the wshour, the canadian public health agency said it doesn't exempt point roberts residents from quarantining because they “have access to [the] necessities of life within their own community.” >> it feels almost like i've been punished, like i'm in jail. >> yang: gail kendall and her family have lived in point roberts for 22 years. >> you have to ask permission to leave.

it can't just be something i feel like is essential to my life. it has to be essential according to a government. >> yang: not only are point roberts residents prevented from leaving, canadians, whose spending is crucial to the local economy, are prevented from entering. the town's only grocery store, called the marketplace, has stayed open even though it's losing money. the few restaurants have reduced their hours. brian calder of the chamber of commerce. how much longer can you sustain this? >> if the marketplace closed, you'll have these people storming the border. we're already suffering healthwise. seniors are suffering unnecessarily and it's gone on far too long. >> it's been, i would almost say, a rude awakening for many of us. >> yang: lisa heidle moved cross-country from maine to point roberts two years ago, attracted by its natural beauty, slower pace of life, low crime rate. and now, a low incidence of covid-- so far just a single case. >> the border is a paradox.

it's keeping us safe. and it's keeping us locked in. >> yang: before the pandemic, pilates instructor marcia rosales sent her three-year-old son wren to daycare in vancouver because there isn't any in point roberts. now, she has to be a stay-at- home mom. >> i'm fatigued about the whole border situation. i'm fatigued about covid and just kind of, i guess, being in this space right now, because i was always a career woman, i was always driven, i had a successful career, and now i feel like i'm like, what am i going to do? >> yang: bill and jeff meursing feel that frustration on a very personal level. >> i think everybody during this pandemic has experienced loss in some sort of fashion. and this is ours. >> yang: but out of that loss, a new ritual. every couple of weeks, they each drive to a residential neighborhood on the canadian side that butts up against a

road on the american side. the divided family stands on their respective sides of the low barrier that marks the border. it's the only thing keeping the generations apart. have you thought about what you're going to do when the border finally opens up again? >> i want to cross that border with my family and get to enjoy and have them enjoy their grandparents again, be able to >> i think what we would enjoy here in the house is having the whole group, have some good laughs and look back at this whole thing and thank god it's over. >> yang: a day they hope comes sooner rather than later. for the pbs newshour, i'm john yang. >> woodruff: now, if you've not

already been told by your best friend, today is indeed national puppy day. this is shiloh, my six-and-a- half month old grand-puppy. and this is executive producer sara just's new puppy, archie. we caught them at one of very few quiet moments during their days. our pets are not only family members, they've been a constant for so many of us throughout the last year. and one english dog in particular, named max, not only saved his human from despair, but has been a joy online for tens of thousands of others during the pandemic. here's malcolm brabant. >> reporter: max's live streamed walks in the lake district are compelling viewing for his 200,000 followers online. max, a springer spaniel, uses his talent to spread therapy online. he's helped thousands of people improve their mental health.

after being rear ended by a truck 15 years ago, locksmith kerry irving endured excruciating back pain that left him depressed, too anxious to leave home, and even suicidal. then he encountered a certain springer spaniel who provided the key to happiness. >> six years of pain. six years of frustration. six years of being passed from hospital to specialist to physiotherapist to a different kind of drug and really the best kind of drug i had was sat beside me and his name was max. >> reporter: we were going to head up north to go and see max and kerry, but our dog picked up a very contagious bacteria. so we decided it was safer to stay away. that's why we're using the publicity video. the unconditional love that helped restore irving's mental equilibrium began to spread far and wide when covid struck. max's daily walks in one of england's finest national parks brought joy and more to his many followers.

>> he helps make people better. >> what do you want? they know you've got a sore paw and you're going to the vet's tomorrow. >> reporter: for evelyn webb, max has been a healer and stress reliever. she can suffer seizures when she gets a cough or cold. her mother hannah lives in constant fear that any temperature change could trigger another seizure. >> he's allowed breakfast. >> it's incredibly important to have a distraction, and it really helps her to, in a way, make her feel better. for her, max is an extension of her life, really >> how can max say? >> reporter: evelyn will eventually grow out of the condition. in the meantime her parents are grateful for max's calming line presence. >> it's not similar to epilepsy, where they are constant. so for her if she feels upset or she's not feeling very well,

then for her focus, for her to focus her mind is to watch the videos of max and just see him trundling along. and that makes her really, really happy. >> i think lockdown was hard for all of us, and we were all worried and concerned about our jobs, our future. we started doing live feeds on our daily walks because we've got the lake district here. >> some people are trapped in cities, tower blocks. some people are trapped where they shouldn't be trapped. and i think we gave that release to people th there was a sense of normality still out there. >> reporter: kerry and max have raised more than $350,000 for britain's biggest veterinary non profit, the p.d.s.a. this and max's qualities as therapy dog have earned him the p.d.s.'s order of merit, an >> there are no words. proudness does not come close to what we feel about how our little dog is the biggest heart

has helped so many right across the world. >> here you goif someone has left sticks on this bench for max, thank you very much. he now has them and his tail's wagging. >> reporter: have you ever met him? what was he like? >> furry and soft. >> reporter: by way of thanks, evevlyn has helped raise money for a statue of max to be erected in the lake district. >> and if i could have 12 more years with him, i would do it again. >> reporter: in his golden years, one man and his dog can bask in the knowledge that max has an outstanding legacy. for the pbs newshour, i'm malcolm brabant. >> woodruff: and a quick post- script: the brabant family dog "loki" you saw has recovered from infection. and for the many of you who asked after malcolm's wife and son who contracted covid-19 late last year, they are now healthy

and well. and stay with pbs this evening-- you will not want to miss a new season of "beyond the canvas." amna nawaz is your guide to the best of our arts stories and profiles, with plenty of behind the scenes access and updates. join us at 9:30 p.m. on your local station or online. and that's the newshour for tonight. i'm judy woodruff. join us online and again here tomorrow evening. 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:

>> 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 >> 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 acce.wgbh.org

♪ hello, everyone. welcome to "amanpour & company." here's what's coming up. >> there are a number of areas where we are fundamentally at odds. >> after tense talks with china, america's top diplomat heads to europe. ambassador bill taylor joins me on president biden's most urgent foreign policy challenges. and -- >> we should just be concerned about getting as many people vaccinated as quickly as we possibly can. >> as normality edges closer and closer, are our minds ready to resume regular life again? clinical psychologist christine runyon tells us how to manage brain fog. >> the hate of asians and asian americans is as old as american history from the time that the