judy: 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 americ there was really good reason why they left in the first place. >> they have no clothes, no food, no transportation, money, nothing. judy: 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.

judy: 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. yamiche: 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. yamiche: 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 each of these families. >> there's a shooter! active shooter! yamiche: 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. yamiche: 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

22 65. -- from 20 to 65. among them, 51-year-old police officer 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 mahoney, 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 a 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. president biden: 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 ba partisan issue. this is an american issue. it will save lives, american lives. and we have to act. >> thoughts and prayers are not enough. yamiche: on capitol hill, the gun control debate played out in a senate judiciary hearing on gun violence. >> there maybe some question 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. yamiche: 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. judy: we get the latest from boulder with ben maus, who has been on the ground covering the shooting for colorado and he joins me now. public radio. and he joins me now. welcome to the newshour. it's been about 24 hours after all this took place. what more are you learning about the shooter himself? ben: we spent the better part of the day digging into his past. i can tell you from people who used to hang out with him on the wrestling team in high school, they talked about someone who

was prone to anger, who could explode at a moments notice. but he could always be talked down. he was otherwise a nic person. we got police records from an arrest in late 2017. he walked across a classroom, punched another classmate in the head. he fell out of the chair and then he just kept punching him. he later told officers that he had been called a racial name of some sort. judy: we were reminded in that report about the number of mass shootings, school shootings that have taken place in colorado in recent years. is that part of the conversation there now? ben: it is. i think people define themselves to some degree by what mass shooting they experienced at what time, whether it's columbine, the aurora theater shooting, and now this boulder

supermarket shooting. i covered the aurora theater shooting, my colleagues here in the newsroom covered columbine. you think of the denver area as it relatively safe place compared to others, yet we do have this spasm of mash shooting violence that happens in and around suburbs. despite gun-control legislation that's been passed at the state level, it's been fairly strict compared to what other states have done. we need investments in mental health. judy: no question, gun control legislation has been looked at, but not enough to address this. ben markus, we thank you. ben: thanks for having me. judy: we get reaction to the shooting from u.s. representative joe neguse, of colorado. he's a democrat who represents

boulder and is there today. congressman, thank you so much for joining us today. we are so sorry for your loss. tell us about the neighborhood where this happened, and how is the community reacting? >> thank you, judy. it has been a devastating 24 hours for community here in boulder, for our state and our countr the loss-of-life here in boulder is hard to fathom. it's unimaginable, and we are in mourning for the victims who tragically lost their lives yesterday and the 10 people 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. our hearts and prayers are with the families of those who lost their loved ones last night,

including the family of officer talley, who heroically saved lives and died in the line of duty, protecting our community. judy: you said in your statement that you recalled 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? rep. neguse: it tells me that this crisis of gun violence is pervasive across our country and it has metastasized, year after year, decade after decade. and enough is enough. as you mentioned, the tragedy of columbine happen 10 minutes from mahaska. and now, 21 years later, to

stand here 22 years later and mourn the 10 victims we lost in boulder last night, while congress continues to dither on gun violence reform legislation. coloradans and americans are being murdered, year after year, day after day. the time for inaction is over. i think americans are tired of excuses and they want us to deliver to protect our communities. i have a two-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. it doesn't have to be this way. we can change it, and we just have to muster the political will to do it. judy: you say we have to muster the political will, and we heard president biden say the time for action is now. 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 thikind of change can happen? rep. neguse: judy, we have to try. we have to try. i appreciated the president's words today. he extended his condolences and those of the first lady to my community and the families of those bereaved. i appreciated the clarity of his remarks with respect to gun violence reform legislation. as he said, these are commonsense reforms. they are supported by the public and we should not forget that. we shouldn't assume that our political institutions are impervious to the opinions of the public. i'm going to continue to push for these sensible reforms that he articulated and i'm hopeful that my colleagues will as well. judy: congressman, what do you

say to those who fiercely believe in gun rights and who say when these kind of things happen, it's 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 the people who are committing these sacks. rep. neguse: i'd say we are learni more every hour about what happened yesterday, the trag events that unfolded. law enforcement obviously is in the early stages of their investigation. there is no questn that there will be multiple policy solutions that 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. ma 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, as i said, members of our community are

senselessly dying. and it does not have to be this way. we can change it, and i believe that broadly speaking, the american people support the kind of reforms that president biden articulated earlier today. universal background checks. a bill that we passed just two weeks ago in house of representatives with bipartisan support. i'm hopeful we can build on that and get something done. but most of all, judy, i would tell you that were trying to help our community heal. it's going to be a difficult set of days, weeks, and months ahead for our entire community and we're certainly going to be there for the community as we pull together. judy: what you do believe the political climate is there and congress to get serious change in gun control policy? rep. neguse: i do. i do, judy. we can afford not to act.

simply can't afford not to act. we've lost too many lives already. judy: congressman neguse, thank you. rep. neguse: thank you, judy. vanessa: we will return to judy woodruff and the full program after the latest headlines. an update to our top story on that colorado shooting. in an interview with our jeffrey brown, former congresswoman gabby gifford said gun laws must be changed. giffords herself was shot in 2011 outside of a grocery store in arizona. she was left with brain damage which impairs her ability to process language. >> i'm sad.

enough is enough. enough is enough. background checks, now. >> so you think we can stop it? >> yes, yes, yes. vanessa: astra-zeneca 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 study 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, that has 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 united states and dr. anthony fauci. dr. 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. vanessa: france and italy are also seeing rising rates of infection. however, spain has lifted restrictions on flights ahead of the easter vacation. the biden administration has extended a special enrollment period for coverage under obamacare. it was set to end on may 15 but now will run through august 15. and the u.s. senate confirmed a 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 5 days, instead of 3.

postmaster general louis dejoy said it will help reduce $160 billion in projected losses over the next decade. however house speaker nancy , pelosi said congress will act to pvent any service cuts. in israel, voters faced their fourth national election in 2 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 frontline staff reported

horrific devastation, disruption, and despair. i was just on the phone with a woman who'd just said, imagine losing everything when you were forced from your home just three years ago, only to lose it all over again. >> and a jury is now in place to 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 reparations 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 tax on recreational marijuana and by private 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 the passage of the rescue plan, i am confident that people will reach the other side of this 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. quick still to come, the situation on the southern border grows increasingly dire for migrants. and the biden ministration faces daunting challenges on multiple fronts. we remember the victims of the shootings in georgia. plus, much more.

>> on the southern 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. >> 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 in the 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. >> you don't hang out near the bridge. the ridgeshere all the gangs hang out, waiting for people to get sent back. >> 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 life savings to the coyotes to get them across and were dumped back. they have no clothes, no food, no transportation, money, nothing. >> 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 u.s. officials after trying to cross the border. under a trump-era pandemic rule, kept in place by president biden. >> has anyone actually heard biden say the border is closed? not a single person had. in fact, many had heard that biden promised no deportations. and 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. amna: within minutes of us arriving, police arrived, took pictures of us and everyone else. there is a lot of concern about coordination between law enforcement and cartels.

tensions are a little high. 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 he brought his 2020. 5-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. >> i thought they were going to protect me. instead ey sent me back here. >> 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. so they -- 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.

>> 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. they 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, allison. she crossed the river in a raft with about nine other families. they spent four days in border patrol custody before being released. >> they took our picre 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. >> her documents cite only a "lack of space" as her reason for release. they're now heading to georgia to re-connect with her husband and eight-year-old daughter, who she hasn't seen in three years. >> 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. >> 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. >> the biden administration is launching social media campaigns and radio ads to try to get the mess it's out, don't come, the border is closed. but the reality here is less clear. we have met families who have been released to the u.s.. authorities respond the border is close, most people are being turned back to mexico, but some exceptions are made for manitarian concerns or public health. judy: 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. hello to both of you. 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, and during another mass shooting in orlando and before that as a united states senator. how is the white house responding to these latest atrocities? >> president biden is responding to the lady shooting in boulder, colorado, by again urging the passage of gun reform. something he has done over and over again route his career as vice president and as a sinner. it's still unclear whether some gun legislation can get to the house and the senate.

that being said, the white house is throwing its support behind two bills that have already passed the house, one focused on increasing and improving background checks, another on banning -- a range of issues can be thought of and him going it alone in this executive order could be one of the ways that he does this. the other thing to notice that there are lawmakers that are pushing the president to establish a gun violence director. that would be some when they say would be focused on trying to cut violence by half i the end of the year in the country. they are focusing on whether or not that position can happen, but the white house right now is not making that commitment. instead they are saying gun reform is a priority, but not actually making that a commitment. so it's unclear what they are going to do, but they are still

saying that something needs to be done. judy: lisa, we heard some of the reaction from congress earlier in the program, including at a senate judiciary committee where a number of senators were speaking up. at this point, what does it look like may be possible? what are the expectations with regard to what congress might realistically do? >> spent the day speaking to dozens of u.s. senators. the house is out of washington, but the senate is in town. going back to virginia tech, newtown, hartland, el paso, and the mood today was not the same kind of sharp heartache and urgency that i felt following those other shootings. for some democrats, it is there. they are pushing hard. in general, i felt a numbness and not the urgency that i think it would take to get the votes. talking about the house bills

for universal background checks. i spoke to senator joe mansion from west virginia, the democrat. he told me and other reporters that he is a no on those house background check votes. that basically means i don't have a chance of passing. he still perhaps could work on his own more limited background check bill and his former partner in that, senator pat toomey, tell me he is trying to have conversations and discussions to try and find some kind of bipartisan path on gun reform. i ask him if that could coalesce this week, and he said no, it won't happen this week. so it is a long path and the farther we get from events like this, the harder the past two gun reform gets. judy: i know you will continue to report on that. in the meantime, the biden administration has a number of other headaches facing them in congress. at this point we have two democrats who are threatening to

block the administration's own nominee for top administration positions. tell us what is going on there. >> this is an extraordinary development just in the past couple of hours. it's led by senator tammy duckworth, protesting the lack of aapi representation among cabinet secretary's. president biden does not have any aapi cabinet secretary's, and only the trade representative is asian american. we talked to senator duckworth earlier today and she expressed why she is saying she will not support anymore biden nominees until she gets a guarantee of more diversity in the next opening slots. here is what she said. >> to be told that, "well you have kamala harris, we're very proud of her, you don't need anybody else," is insulting.

at this point, they can, call me and tell me what the proposal is. but until then, i am a no vote on the floor on all non-diversity nominees. >> she was speaking and not audio was courtesy of the pool. judy: so the white house is seeing all this, how worried are they about what this means for the nominees yet to come and frankly for the rest of their agenda? yamiche: this is something tha definitely you can tell is troubling to the white house. there have been no statements released, no sources have wanted to go on the record with the comment just yet. that being said, you're always -- already seeing the effect of the sinners banding together on this. -- of these senators banding together on this. now these two senators make it

almost impossible for that nomination to go through so that's white house agenda already getting stalled by this stance. another thing to note is that the biden administration, while they say they have a lot of diversity, they understand this is real and it will impact their agenda. they're wanting to pass $3 billion worth of legislation action to help with roads and bridges, and that may not be able to happen. also on immigration, president biden has big challenge on his hands. he wants to be more humane and moral, but what he wants is an immigration bill, and that will be tough when he's having trouble with democratic senators, let alone gop senators. judy: and is reported to be a $3 trillion, massive infrastructure jobs and education package which we haven't seen yet but they are

reporting about it. and it's barely two months into this administration. thank you both. judy: 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 yesterday, 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. nick: astrazeneca is one of the world's most important covid vaccines inexpensive, easy to , administer, 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. dr. fauci: 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 theyut it into the press release, it wasn't completely accurate. nick: today astrazeneca acknowledged it had released an interim analysis of data from before february 17thand 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. welcome to the newshour.

what did astrazeneca do wrong, and how unusual is this pushback? dr. nuzzo: the whole situation is quite unusual, and i don't really understand how this happened. usually there is a ms. serpent -- misinterpretation of the data in just a few percentage points. the group that put out the letter one at a slightly lower range of numbers to be presented, and astrazeneca -- the difference is marginal, so why they would have done this is quite unclear. unfortunately, what it does is raise question about a vaccine that we don't need to have right now. we don't need these questions that are not related to real issues of safety or efficacy. it's an unfortunate situation that could increase peoples hesitancy about receiving this vaccine. nick: but this isn't the first time there have been questions

about astrazeneca. there was a dosing error during clinical trials that it didn't disclose initially. the company promised three times before was delivered to your. does the company have more questions to answer? dr. nuzzo: it could, and that is the worry here. i don't think there's any reason in any of these stories to doubt the safety and efficacy of this vaccine. however, if the perceived lack of full transparency or the perception that the company isn't disclosing everything it needs will unnecessarily raise questions about the vaccine at a time when we are deeply concerned about peoples willingness to be vaccinated. it's unfortunate this happen. it didn't need to happen, and i think dr. valdez assessment of it being an error was correct. e company had a setback last week when a number of countries

wanted to pause the use of the vaccine for legitimate concerns about safety. those have been resolved in the sense that the european medicines agency has reviewed the data and also the who. it was thought that the press release they issued could restore some confidence in a much-needed way for the vaccine. but the stories today will only add more question marks, which is quite unfortunate. nick: how can those questions be answered? i'm thinking of three public world leaders who got astrazeneca in the last few days. boris johnson, and last week thailand's prime minister as well. what can be done to address the issues of hesitancy? dr. nuzzo: we will await the full review of the astrazeneca data in the united states, and i'm guessing the review will be quite favorable. 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's really unfortunate, shouldn't have to wait 48 hours to understand why they released 79% of their press release yestday when they were advised to look at a different set of data. they have some questions to answer quite soon and quite completely. it's really important for them to disclose as much information as possible and just answer these questions. in a gap of information, unfortunately, people can fill that gap with the wrong information. nick: the u.s. produces about a quarter of the world's covid-19 vaccines, but so far has exported 0%. the biden administration points out it is the latest -- leading advancer -- leading investor in the covax, but do you think the u.s. needs to do better? dr. nuzzo: i understand the dilemma.

the first responsibility is to the people who elect them. and to focus on that before they think about sharing vaccines with the rest of the world. but the pragmatic answer is that the united states will not be fully safe from covid-19 until all countries are protected. when we have a situation like now when there are discrepancies in which countries have access to the vaccines and how much, it really does call for countries to share some of what they have, particularly countries like the united states, that have much more than many, many other countries. nick: dr., thank you so much. judy: a second mass shooting in a week is shifting much of the attention to colorado. but americans are still mourning eight people, including six asian american women, who were murdered in georgia.

we take this moment to remember their lives. 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. detroit 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. ♪ judy: during this pandemic,

we've all been isolated more than usual. we've cut back on seeing friends, going to ncerts and dining in at restaurants. but as john yang reports, for the residents of one town in washington state, it is an entirely different experince. john: ills home has lots of room outside and inside. great for weaken visits from -- weekend visits from his son and grandkids. >> we have tea parties with the grandchildren. >> they live 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. 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 take them by the hand and go

in by them ice cream. john: the five square miles that make up point roberts may be attached to canada, but it's in washington state come 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. the other side is canada. obviously our side is the usa. john: ryan calder is chairman of the point roberts chamber of commerce. it's an attractive we can get away for canadians who own three quarters of the private homes. >> even at this time of year, every weekend, big time, and here, nothing. no boats, no people, nothing. john: two other american communities are also only

accessible by land from canada. but their populations are much smaller than point roberts, and canada doesn't require their residents to quarantine after entering the country for food or doctors appointments. in point roberts residents leave, they have to drive straight to washington state, a 25 mile trip, without making any stops in canada. in a statement to the newshour, 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 a been punished, like i'm in jail. john: gail and her family have lived in point roberts for 22 years. >> you have to ask them permission to leave. it has to be essential according to the government. john: not only are the residents prevented from leaving,

canadians, who spending is crucial to the local economy, or prevented from entering. the town's only grocery store has stayed open, even though it is losing money. the few restaurants have reduced their hours. >> how much longer can you sustain this? >> if the marketplace close, you will have these people storming the border. we are already suffering healthwise. seniors are suffering unnecessarily, and it has gone on far too long. >> i would almost say it's been a rude awakening for many of us. >> lisa moved cross country from maine to point roberts two years ago, attracted by its natural beauty, slower pace of life, low crime rate, and low incidence of covid. so for, just a single case. >> the border is a paradox. it's keeping us safe, and it's keeping us locked in.

>> pilates instructor marsha sent her son to daycare in canada because there isn't any in point roberts p we now she has to be a stay-at-home mom. >> i'm fatigued about the whole situation. just being in this space right now, because i was always a career woman. i was always driven. i had a successful career. now i feel like, what am i going to do? >> everybody during this pandemic has experienced loss in some sort of fashion. this is ours. john: but out of that loss, a new ritual. every couple of weeks, they each drive into a residential neighborhood on the canadian side that what's up to a road on the american side. the divided family stance on their respective sides of the

barrier that marks the border. bill and his wife will soon get their second vaccine shot. then the border will be the only thing keeping the generations apart. have you thought about what you will do when the border finally opens up again? >> i want to cross that border with my family and get to enjoy, have them enjoy their grandparents again. >> will have a good laugh and look back at this whole thing and say, thank god it's over. john: a day they hope comes sooner rather than later. for the pbs, i'm john yang. ♪ judy: if you've not already been told by your best friend, today is national puppy day. this is shiloh, my 6.5-month-old

grand puppy. and this is executive producer sarah's new puppy. he caught them at one of their few quiet moments during their day. our pets are not only family members, they have become a constant for so many of us throughout this last year. 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. >> max's live-streamed walks are compelling viewing for his 2000 followers online. >> max, a springer spaniel, has helped thousands of people improve their mental health. >> after being rear-ended by a truck 15 years ago, this locksmith injured 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 a physiotherapist, and really, the best kind of drug i have sat beside me, and his name is max. >> our dog picked up of contagious bacteria, so we decided it was safer to stay way. the unconditional love that helped preserve his equilibrium, he walks in the finest national parks. >> he helps make people better.

>> you're going to the vet tomorrow. >> max has been a healer and stress reliever. her mother lives in constant fear that any temperature change could trigger another seizure. >> it's incredibly important to have the distraction and it really helps her to make her feel better. for her, max is an extension of her life, really. >> evelyn will eventually grow out of the condition. in the meantime, parents are grateful for max's calming online presence. >> for her, if she feels upset or she's not feeling well, a focus for her and for her mind is to watch videos of max and you see him trundling along, and

it makes her very happy. >> i think lockdown was hard for all of us. we were all concerned about our jobs, our future. we started doing live feeds on our daily walks because we've got the lake district here, and some people are trapped in cities, tower blocks, some people are trapped where they shouldn't be trapped. i think we gave that release to people that there's a sense of normality still out there. >> they have raised more than 350,000 dollars for the pds a. this and max's qualities as a therapy dog have earned him the order of merit. >> proud does not come close to what we feel about our little dog. he has helped so many.

>> someone left this on the bench for max. he now has them, and his tail is wagging. by way of thanks, evelyn has helped raise money for a statue of max to be erected. >> in his golden years, one man and his dog can bask in the knowledge that max has an outstanding legacy. judy: such a beautiful story. a quick postscript, the family dog loki that you saw in the piece has recovered now from that infection. for those who ask about malcolm's wife and son who contracted covid-19 late last year, they are now healthy and well. stay with pbs this evening, you will not want to miss a new

season of beyond the canvas. the best of our arts stories and profiles with plenty of behind the scenes access and updates. you can join us at 9:30 p.m. with your local station or online. 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 we will see you soon. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy.]

>> pati narrates: my travels in the baja peninsula have d memorable firsts. excits four-wheeling. swimming with whale sharks. new food experiences. woah! mmm. i'm dying. and today, two more firsts for me. i've never seen them, like, in their habitat! sea urchins right from the beach. and deep sea fishing. first of all, you have to teach me how to fish 'cause i'm clueless. we're in los cabos, one of the greatest fishg destinations in mexico. i'm very antsy, i don't know if fishing is for me. in my kitchen, i'm a little better with the whole patience thing. risotto is all about timing. i'm making a velvety, creamy, sweet and spicy butternut squash risotto. and inspired by that fishing adventure, a tender flounder covered with a crunchy guajillo,