captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc >> woodruff: good evening, i'm judy woodruff. on the newshour tonight, the biden agenda-- the president moves up an already ambitious vaccine timetable as a senate rule change could open a path for his infrastructure plan. then, corporate backlash-- more and more major businesses speak out against georgia's controversial new voting law. and, a deadly insurgency-- brutal attacks and killings by islamist militants displace thousands, causing widespread terror in mozambique. >> this area has been assigned by the government of mozambique to host families fleeing attacks by armed groups in the north of the country.

behind me you can see the families unloading the few belongings they still have left. >> woodruff: all that and more on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: our u.s.-based customer service reps can help you choose a plan based on how much you use your phone, nothing more, nothing less. 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: today president biden once again moved up his vaccination goals, shortening the timeline for all americans to be eligible to get a shot. our yamiche alcindor and lisa desjardins are here with the latest. hello to both of you. yamiche, to you first, tell us more about what the president is

saying about moving up this vaccination timetable. >> reporter: well, president biden laid out a really ambitious timetable and talked about the fact he feels like we're heading in the right direction and that there are enough people getting vaccinations and that there are people that still need to be vaccinated but that we should not be letting up. at the white house today he had a message that said, yes, we're doing well, but also you have to do your patriotic duty and continue to social distaps and wash your hands. here's a little bit of what he had to say. >> now's not the time to let down. now's not the time to celebrate. it's time to do what we do best as a country, do our duty, our jobs, taking care of one another. and we can and will do this, but we can't let up now. >> reporter: there is president biden laying this out, saying this is essentially a wartime effort, that people need to be looking at vaccinations as

being not only good for the country but also good for their neighbors and good for themselves. i want to lay out a little bit about what the president said in terms of a timeline as well as the goals he says his administration has already reached. all eligible adults will be made eligible to get the vaccine by april 19th. now that had been proved up from may 1 which is when we thought all american adults were going to be made eligible for the vaccine. also, the number of americans vaccinated to date since president biden has taken office is 150 million. now, let's remember, the goal is 200 million before april 30th, that's when he hits the 100 day mark in his administration. also, he said, 75% of all americans over the age of 65, that's that critical group of seniors most at risk of really having complications with the virus, tey've gotten at least one dose of the vaccine, but he said over and over again, if you're a senior who hasn't gotten the vaccine, you should really go out and get it and tell your neighbors to do that. again, he couched it as a

patriotic duty saying you have to do this for your country. >> woodruff: interesting. separately, lisa, there was news from the senate last night giving democrats some hope that the filibuster rule, there may be a way to get around it. tell us about that. >> reporter: that's right. this is news from perhaps the most important person in the senate these days, the senate parliamentarian who has told democrats, in fact, there is an open door to the way around the filibuster to using this door more often. let's remind people, this is called budget reconciliation, and what that means is it's a process triggered by the budget resolution in which you need just 50 senate votes, not 60, in order to pass legislation. now, it's generally been limited to just one time per each budget year because it is docketed the budget, but democrats had an idea -- what if we can amend a budget and then can we use budget reconciliation for that amended budget, so mtiple bites of that apple each year?

and i am told by sources familiar, in fact the senate majority leader chuck schumer announced the senate parliamentarian told him, yes, in fact, amending the budget process is just as good, and they can try to use reconciliation again. so what does all this mean for legislation and for democrats? what can they do? i want to spell this out, looking at a graphic. before this, democrats were thinking of having one reconciliation bill this fiscal year, 202 is, and another in 222. so for this year, they had slotted in and already passed as we know the covid relief bill, the american rescue plan. the thinking is the infrastructure and climate change bill could be the one they would use reconciliation, the 50-vote margin for with the next budget year that starts in october. what this really means is they get two more chances -- look at this, two more reconciliation bills that would only need a 50-vote margin in the senate. of course, democrats have 50

votes. they have not decided if they will use reconciliation for any other issues, but there is a lot on the table, all of it, however, has to meet other limitations, it has to have a budgetary effect, but this is a very big deal for democrats limited by the filibuster, a possible way around it. >> woodruff: lisa desjardins making the complicated seem clear. and back to you, yamiche. so what does this mean for president biden, for his agenda, for the bills that he wants congress to pass? >> reporter: well, i can tell you for president biden and maybe for our viewers, it means that lisa might be explaining to people more and more what reconciliation means because the biden administration is looking at the reconciliation, this decision on reconciliation saying that means we can get more bills passed. so right now as lisa laid out, with infrastructure and climate being the next big thing, that means they could also go for immigration. that's, of course, a big issue democrats and republicans have wanted to pass legislation on. this means that the president could do it alone with only his

party. of course, he still has to have -- he still has to have democrats who are progressives as well as democrats who are moderate agree, but the idea that even if the president says he wants to reach out to republicans, that means that he might not need them for the next bills. on infrastructure in particular, why would he have to go through reconciliation? we heard republicans talk so long during his predecessor about infrastructure. it's because president biden want to pay for his plan with a big hike in the corporate tax rate, from 21 to 28. that means republicans are saying you're trying to undo our 22017 tax cuts and that the not something we can get on board with. that's why you're hearing republicans say we don't want to be a part of the infrastructure bill, and democrats are saying they are expanding the infrastructure deal because they're dealing with arab equity and home health and so many other things. but reconciliation means we might be much more conversations on the wonky term reconciliation. >> woodruff: it's okay for the two of you top use it. we welcome that.

but, lisa, pick up on what yamiche is saying. what are you hearing from the hill about the corporate tax increase proposal? >> reporter: well, it's been a remarkable news week considering both the house and senate are outside washington for the most part. there has been very important news on this infrastructure and other plan. senator joe matchen of west virginia made it known he's not in favor of raising the tax rate to 28% and mark warner, astronaut as someone who might go along with the biden team more often, says he's not going to tell reporters what he thinks but that he does have concerns about the biden plan in general. so this is a 50/50 senate majority, they need every senate democrat and there are two that have concerns. so this is going to be a long slog to get this very large bill across the finish line. >> woodruff: long slog, and we thank the two of you for making it all so much clearer.

yamiche alcindor, lisa desjardins, thank you. >> thanks, judy. >> woodruff: in the day's other news, california announced it will lift all its covid-19 restrictions june 15th if hospitalizations remain low and there's sufficient vaccine supply. but its mask mandate will remain in effect. meanwhile, indiana ended its statewide mask order, although businesses can still require customers to wear them. and a rare sight in arlington, texas last night. a sellout crowd packed in to watch the texas rangers home opener; the largest in-person audience for a major league baseball game since the pandemic began. in the derek chauvin trial, much of today's questioning centered around the crisis intervention training he had received.

the prosecution asked a minneapolis police lieutenant, who teaches use of force techniques, whether chauvin used proper tactics when kneeling on george floyd's neck for more than nine minutes. >> we dot train leg neck restraints with the officers in service and as far as my knowledge we never have. >> say for example, the subject was under control and handcuffed would this be authorized? >> i would say no. >> woodruff: another minneapolis police officer confirmed that chauvin had c.p.r. certification. the department's policy required him to begin administering aid to floyd before paramedics arrived, which he didn't do. a navy medic shot two u.s. sailors at a military facility in frederick, maryland today, before fleeing to nearby fort detrick army base where he was assigned. the suspect was later shot and killed by base police. the two people he shot remain in

critical condition. the gunman's motive is still unclear. the u.s. and iran began indirect talks today to discuss possible u.s. re-entry into the 2015 iran nuclear deal. in vienna, u.s. and iranian envoys held closed-door meetings alongside officials from five nations still signed on to the deal. former president trump pulled the u.s. out of the agreement in 2018, and re-imposed sanctions on tehran. at least 100 civilians have been killed in border clashes in ethiopia's north and eastern regions since friday. local officials blamed the bloodshed on somali regional forces. all this comes as ethiopia prepares to hold national elections in june. in israel, prime minister benjamin netanyahu has been tasked with forming a new government, even as he personally faces corruption charges. israel's president reuven rivlin

made the announcement today in jerusalem, and addressed concerns about netanyahu being on trial. >> ( translated ): i know very well the position held by many, that the president should not give the role to a candidate that is facing criminal charges, but according to the law and the decision of the courts, a prime minister can continue in his role even when he is facing charges. that's the decision of the supreme court after it was asked to rule on the matter. >> woodruff: today's move comes after israel had its fourth inconclusive election in two years. netanyahu now has up to six weeks to form a governing coalition. back in this country, arkansas has become the first state in the nation to ban gender- affirming medical treatment for transgender youth. republican governor asa hutchinson vetoed the bill yesterday. but today, the state's republican-controlled house and senate voted to override his veto. on wall street today, stocks fell from record levels.

the dow jones industrial average lost 97 points to close at 33,430. the nasdaq fell seven points, and the s&p 500 shed four. florida democratic representative alcee hastings has died of pancreatic cancer. he began his career as a civil rights lawyer, and was florida's first black federal judge, before being impeached and removed for accepting bribes. hastings was elected to 15 terms in congress, and became the longest-serving member of florida's congressional delegation. alcee hastings was 84 years old. and, the baylor men's basketball team has won their first-ever national championship. they ended gonzaga's undefeated season, beating them in an 86 to 70 blowout that sent baylor's campus into a frenzy. we'll talk to the coach of the women's n.c.a.a. championship team, stanford, later in the program. still to come on the newshour:

more businesses in georgia speak out against the controversial new voting law. several pro football players of color claim they were penalized in the n.f.l. concussion settlement how turning to the performing arts can help ease political divides. plus much more. >> woodruff: delta. coca-cola. and major league baseball. these are just some of the dozens of companies speaking out against new voting legislation in georgia and other states. georgia's law signed late last month imposes new i.d. requirements for mail in ballots, limits the number of ballot drop boxes and more clearly defines time for early

voting. supporters say it ensures voting security and transparency. but voting rights advocates say the law will disproportionately affect voters of color. that led 72-black c.e.o.s to write a full-page ad in the "new york times" urging corporate executives to oppose the law. two of the signers of that letter join me now: roger ferguson, c.e.o. of t.i.a.a. and former vice chair of the federal reserve. roger ferguson, thank you so much for joining us. let me just start by asking, why did you sign this letter? >> i have a strong point of view as to i think the other signers that voting is a funmental right. we know that millions have died or sacrificed their lives to ensure that the right of americans to vote, and i thought it was corporate for corporate leaders to speak up at this moment as i lacked at that legislation. >> woodruff: so when the governor of georgia brian kemp and the backers of this law say

that it's fair, that it's designed to make voting more accessible to people, what is your -- how to you answer that? >> well, answer it by looking at some of the issues that you raised early on. as an example, in terms of the number of drop boxes. in the city of atlanta, the number odrop boxes based on a calculation under the law might drop from a 40 to only 8. many of the drop boxes, in fac all of them, would be put behind doors in office buildings that would be closed during the evenings and other times when working folks may wanto go in and drop off their ballot. as you observed at the very beginning, there are new restriction on absentee ballots, for example, and the days available to request an absentee ballot have been reduced quite significantly. so i looked at that and s.a.t., hmm, this feels to me as though maybe the intention was good, but i am a little concerned that the effect, particularly on african-americans and others,

might be disproportionate and might be negative, might discourage individuals from voting whose forefathers fought really hard for the right to vote. >> woodruff: did you agree with the decision by major league baseball to pull the all-star game out of georgia? >> look, i believe major league baseball made a decision based on their own analysis of what was good for the sport and, you know, what their fans and others may have wanted and, as far as i can tell, it's a direct result of the law itself. so, you know, we're not going to agree or disagree. it's not as relevant as the fact that they decided to do it based on their interpretation to have the law. >> woodruff: i'm asking because just this afternoon president biden was asked about some of this, in fact he was asked whether the masters golf tournament should pull out of georgia. he said it's up to the masters. also he said he's glad these corporations are taking a look at these decisions, but he also says he knows these are tough decisions because they involve people who depend on these

corporations and these events for their livelihood. >> i agree, they are tough decisions, and the issue is, ultimately, whether or not the law is the right law at this time and at this ace in america, you know, whether or not the risks to the franchise for hundreds of thousands or maybe more georgians is worth the effort. and, so, i think these are clearly tough decisions. no one wants to be confronted this way, but as far as i can tell, it's all the result of a law that many of us looked at and have serious, serious concerns and reservations about. >> woodruff: what do you want to have a happen? are you talking to corporate leaders in other states that are looking at laws similarly, imposing new restrictions around voting? >> i'm not personally doing that, but i think what's happened, and this shows an example of it, you know, the national debate and discussion about, you know, access to the ballot and what makes for a safe and secure elections has risen to the top, and, importantly, we

see as often occurs at moments of stress and uncertainty in america that corporate leaders are now stepping forward and expressing a point of view based on their analysis, based on the advice they're getting from counsel, based on what they're hearing from their own clients, customers and employees. so i think we're in a very important time here in america's history where corporations are, again, finding their voice and speaking out in favor of fundamental rights, constitutional rights or the right to the ballot. >> what do you make, roger ferguson, for example, of the comment by senate republican leader mitch mcconnell, he was responding to what major league baseball has done and what this letter and what other corporations are saying who have been critical, like delta and coca-cola. he says this is a coordinated campaign by powerful and wealthy people to mislead and pully the american people. he said it's based on a big lie. >> my view is that this is basically a number of

individuals who are concerned about the present and future of america, who are trying very hard to raise an important question, which is, you know, with the state of electoral politics, doesn't make sense to try to have the broadest possible access to the ballot, given the history of this country, doesn't make sense to try to have the broadest possible access to the ballot. judy, you should recognize that among the 35 leading industrial economies, the united states ranks roughly 30 -- 30th in terms of voter participation. you know, that can't be a position that we're proud of. i presume that we really want to see, given the history of america, from beginning to this day, you know, as many native-born and na naturalized american citizens exercising their franchise as possible, and i think that's what this debate is really about. >> woodruff: so when, for example, the former governor of

south carolina, she's the former ambassador to the united nations, nikki haley said, as she tid this week, she said big corporations are the new liberal mob in what they're calling on -- calling on in criticizing this law. >> i don't think this is a liberal versus conservatives question. you know, you pointed out that i was a vice chairman of the federal reserve. i was proud to have been appointed by both democrats and republicans and to have worked well across the various political spectrums of the united states. i don't think thiss a liberal versus conservatives question. this is an american question. this is a question where, you know, i know of no one on either side of the aisle, liberal or conservatives, who thinks, well, gee, the goal of america should be to reduce the number of people who exercise their franchise. we should have a representative democracy where, you know, smaller and smaller numbers of people come to the ballot -- so

i think it's not fair to middle of the road corporate leaders such as myself and the other signers to suggest that this is liberal versus conservative. this is people standing up for hard-fought constitutional rights and making sure they get protected as fully as possible. >> woodruff: one other subject i want to raise with you and that is president biden's call to raise the corporate tax rate from 21% to 28%. what is your view of that? >> my view of that is that there will be an active debate around that question. we've known for a while that the biden administration has called for and congress approved a $1.9 trillion support package, and they're talking about more trillions to support infrastructure around other things, and, you know, over time all that has to be paid for. so i think it's important for congress and the president to come to a point of view of how we're going to manage this load in terms of debt being built. so, you know, i look forward to

seeing in the fullness of time exactly how congress and the administration resolve this very very important question. >> woodruff: do you think it's a good idea? >> i think in some places it may well be. we have to be very very careful. we already have for some a very high corporate tax rate. part of the question is what is the so-called effective tax rate. so an issue may well be, okay, if they're going to raise the rate, what are the deductions corporations are going to be allowed to have? so i think it's a complicated story, not simply around the headline number or the rate, but how does the law allow corporations to deal with various expenses they have when they're not appropriately written off. >> woodruff: roger ferguson, c.e.o. of tiaa, the financial services corporation and, also, of course, former vice chair of the federal reserve. thank you very much. >> judy, thank you so much for giving me this chance to talk with you.

>> woodruff: for years, islamist militants have terrorized cabo delgado province in the southeastern african nation of mozambique, killing and displacing thousands of people. last month, the u.s. government designated them as isis affiliates, and sent special forces to help train mozambique's marines. and just this week, they attacked a town called palma which hosts international oil and gas companies, killing dozens; isis claimed responsibility. before that, special correspondent neha wadekar and her team were among the first to access the region and speak to survivors. they have this report. >> ( translated ): i saw this happening. killing. the men told us, "sit there and watch someone be beheaded.

>> reporter: this is 10-year-old maria antumane. both of her parents were killed in the attack she witnessed. she managed to escape, into th forest. as she fled, her foot got caught in a hunting snare. she lay trapped, and terrified, for hours. >> ( translated ): i was trapped from 6:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. i was screaming and crying. and people came to open the trap. and when they opened it, they removed it, and saw the wound. >> reporter: maria was rescued and taken south to a hospital in pemba, the capital city in cabo delgado province that is like a last frontier between safety and the fighting in the north. there, she recovered from her wounds and malaria. her aunt also escaped that day, and says the attackers are known locally as al shabaab, an arabic phrase which means the youth. what started as a local insurgency of disenfranchised young people has evolved into what the u.s. government now says is the islamic state. >> ( translated ): al shabab came in at 3:00 p.m., and at 11:00 p.m. they started burning

houses down, there in bilibiza. i saw them kill people with knives. one of them used a chainsaw on someone's neck. >> reporter: it took days for maria's aunt to reach safety in metuge, where improvised centers have been rapidly set up for those fleeing attacks. at the time of our visit, more than 10,000 people occupied the centers, although they had enough water and sanitation facilities to serve only a few hundred, and as the violence has escalated recently, the number of people in need of this safe haven has exploded. conditions here are declining. there's little access to food, shelter, or medical care. >> ( translated ): life is hard here. when food comes, some get it, some don't. >> reporter: unicef, the united nations children's fund, says in addition to the violence, one of its greatest concerns is the transmission of water-borne diseases, especially cholera,

which is rapidly spreading through the area. metuge seems to be the epicenter, accounting for more than half of all new cases. isabel periera, a nutrition specialist at unicef, says that despite their best efforts, the capacity of humanitarian organizations to care for internally displaced people, or i.d.p.s, is stretched to the limit. >> one of the biggest challenges is that, you know, with especially the districts that they have high number of i.d.p.s, you know, we are overwhelmed. the health facilities, they are totally overwhelmed. there's no possibility, no capacity for them to respond as they should. >> reporter: during one of our visits, we followed a group of displaced families being moved to a new resettlement location. these are among the first 57 families who have moved to this location from a temporary accommodation center approximately 50 kilometers away. this area has been assigned by the government of mozambique to

host families fleeing attacks by armed groups in the north of the country. behind me you can see the families unloading the few belongings they still have left. over the next few months they will rebuild their lives here as they wait to see when, and if, they can return home. here, we met 33 year old balamade abadre, who fled into the forest with his elderly parents, his wife and his young children after armed groups attacked his village. when we met abadre, he had already been living in metuge for seven months. >> ( translated ): the authorities registered us. they said, 'we are taking you to another place but we will build you the house and you will stay in these new houses.' >> reporter: the building materials arrived. abadre and the other men labored in the sweltering heat, dragging the poles and thatch that would become their new homes. abadre has been told that this arrangement is only temporary, but the creation of these semi- permanent settlements indicates that his family's stay may last

months, if not years. >> ( translated ): i don't want to be here, but the government said, 'come stay here and wait until the war is over. and when the war ends you can go back home." and what i want to say is that i'm crying out to go back home. >> reporter: some escaping violence in the north have fled by boat, rather than on foot. they sail from the mainland coastal towns to a string of small islands along mozambique's coastline. ibo island was once a sparkling eco-tourism destination. but in 2019, cyclone kenneth ripped through the region, reducing ibo's hotels and colonial-era buildings to rubble. just a year later, armed groups tried to seize control of the islands. from one of ibo's forts, issa tarmamade, the island's district administrator, like most mozambicans, says he is angry and bewildered by the needless suffering. >> ( translated ): it doesn't make sense. they don't have religion, these insurgents, or terrorists.

the religions forbid you from killing people, and they kill. the religions forbid you from decapitating, and they decapitate. they don't follow any prophet. because no prophet had this attitude that they have. >> reporter: after reaching the islands, many displaced families travel onwards by boat until they reach the safety and security of the capital city, pemba. when they land on the beaches, aid workers and locals try to offer help. 55 year old muanaicha momad has lived her whole life on this beach. she is hosting 47 family members in a one bedroom shack; many children sent alone by their parents as violence escalates across the region. >> ( translated ): when i get something like a bag of rice, i only make it in the morning. during that time, i don't make lunch because if i make lunch, the kids eat late, and at night they don't sleep. >> reporter: for ten-year-old maria, who fled the attack on her village after her parents were killed, this conflict has forever changed her life. while recovering at the hospital

in pemba she had no hope of ever seeing anyone in her family again. unbeknownst to her, her aunt, ana maria biche, had fled their village and was staying at the displacement center when seone told her that her niece, maria, may have survived the attack. biche saved up enough money to travel to the hospital. miraculously, the two were reunited. today, they live together in metuge. with both maria's parents dead, biche is the only family maria has left who can care for her. >> ( translated ): some days i remember my mother, father, and all the people. all of them i remember. >> reporter: the trauma maria has endured is now being inflicted on tens of thousands of more people who are displaced after last week's attack in palma. the bloody attack means two things: that the battle for control of resource-rich northern mozambique is heating up, and that too many more

children will end up like maria; orphaned and traumatized. for the pbs newshour, i'm neha wadekar in pemba, mozambique. >> woodruff: for a number of former n.f.l. players, the hard ts extend beyond the field. the league has settled claims related to concussions and brain injuries, but there are questions now as to whether race was used unfairly to determine who got the money. john yang has the story. >> this is the year we went to the super bowl. >> yang: kevin henry lov football and the eight years he spent as a pittsburgh steelers defensive lineman. >> i love the toughness of the game, the roughness, you know, the fame, the glory, everything that goes along with all the accolades. >> yang: but it also meant at

least 10 concussions during games, more in practice. now, 20 years after retirement, it means headaches, depression, mood swings and memory loss. he's unable to hold a full-time job and struggles with the tasks of daily life. >> my body won't let me do the types of things that i want to do. my mind won't let me focus. >> yang: his wife pamela helps him with the physical pain, but can only watch the mental toll. >> you can't tell just by seeing us on the street. you know, i mean, we look big, strong, healthy, you know, you can't see inside of our brain, though. >> this guy is a very sweet guy. he has a very big heart, not easily tempered. w it's easy to change. his mind is not what it used to be. it is not. it's it's just sad to see somebody that you love basically just falling apart. >> yang: kevin, you hear pamela talk about how she saw you

change. were you aware of the changes in yourself as it was going on? >> i know i'm not myself. i know where i can be, i know what i could be, and i just need some help. >> yang: in 2013, the national football league agreed to a landmark settlement to compensate former players who suffered brain injuries. when henry applied and took a neurological exam, he was rejected. in a lawsuit, henry said it was because the raw exam results were adjusted to account for race-- a practice called “race- norming.” scientists say race-norming was intended primarily to prevent healthy african americans and members of other socially disadvantaged racial and ethnic groups fm being mistakenly classified as having brain disorders because of those social factors.

it was relatively commonplace for decades, but now is increasingly being re-examined. based on psychological research, scientists say, it establishes a lower cognitive baseline for blacks than for whites. as a consequence, to qualify for compensation, black players have to perform worse on cognitive tests than white players. >> essentially they're asked to go through either a white door or a black door. >> yang: cy smith, henry's attorney, says the n.f.l. is using race-norming to limit how much money it has to pay out. >> you could take two players who take a battery of tests on the same day. they could have grown up in the same town. they could be the same age. they could have gone to the same high school and college and played the same number of years. and they could get the same scores on those tests that same day. but the black player wouldn't get benefits and the white player would. >> yang: henry wants the n.f.l. to release demographic information about the players who have gotten benefits.

>> there should be at least 70% of those guys should be black. it's is a 70% league, right, black league? let's see the percentages. >> yang: while the n.f.l. turned down an interview request, in court filings, the league said use of race-based adjustments “" discretionary.” but the guidebook for clinicians evaluating players for settlement benefits says “use of the full demographic correction is recommended.” and the league has appealed awards to black players that haven't used race-norming. what's more, dr. daniel kantor, a neurologist who evaluated players for settlement claims from 2017 to 2019, said that scores that did not factor in race had little chance of approval. >> why shouldn't it be more about who these players are in terms of what schools they went to, how they did in school, what other subjects they studied, how they did on standardized testing? those are other things that we can take into account.

the difference here is that the n.f.l. is saying, well, if you do, we're going to reject that claim. here we have a prime example of a system that was racist and we should all be standing up and saying, enough is enough. >> yang: kantor says he left the program out of frustration. last month, federal judge anita brody ordered the attorneys who negotiated the original settlement to meet with the court “to address the concerns relating to the race-norming issue.” attorney christopher seeger, who negotiated the settlement for players, told the court he would work to “ensure the elimination of demographic norms that adjust for race.” lawyers for henry and other black players want to be part of the talks, too, saying seeger“ has not and cannot adequately represent their interests.” attorney cy smith. >> you need to have black players be given a seat at the table. that, we think, is a fatal flaw in the way that thisediation that's been ordered is undergoing.

>> yang: there's no timetable for the judge to rule on the requests. kevin henry and his wife say this is about more than just money. >> it's heartbreaking, you know, and like i say, you can make decisions in the in a boardroom, but you're not living in a household with these players. i just want fairness. i just want them to be treated fairly, that's all. >> out of sight, out of mind, that's the sentiment that i feel. i just want my i want my dignity back, man. i feel like i feel like that's been taken away from me. >> yang: as together, they struggle daily with the painful legacy of the game henry still loves so much. for the pbs newshour, i'm john yang. >> woodruff: the nets are down

and the champions named. in a trying year, the annual college basketball tournaments offered a welcome feeling of the familiar. the baylor unversity men won their first title. and as amna nawaz reports, it was the women of stanford who scored the big win. >> nawaz: stanford's win over arizona on sunday came down to the final seconds of the game, and a single point, with a final score of 54 to 53. >> stanford is your national champion. >> nawaz: it marked the team's first n.c.a.a. championship title in nearly 30 years, further cementing coach tara vanderveer's place in sports history, now the most winning coach in women's college basketball. but, it also capped a difficult season, during the pandemic. covid restrictions in their home county of santa clara forced the team to live on the road for weeks. and just before the men's and women's n.c.a.a. tournaments kicked off in march, a long list of deep disparities came to

light, from less reliable covid tests for female players, to an embarrassingly sparse fitness room compared to the men's facilities. >> this is our weight room. let me show you all the men's weight room. >> nawaz: the n.c.a.a. apologized and upgraded the women's workout room, but didn't escape national outrage, including from coach vanderveer. in a statement she called the differences “evidence of blatant sexism.” and coach tara vanderveer joins me now. coach, welcome to the newshour. and firstly and most importantly, congratulations. how are you doing today? >> thank you very much, i'm doing great. you know, you just i kind of woke up and you have to remind yourself, you know, we're national champions and it feels great. >> nawaz: well, let's talk about that championship, because before this, you have won national titles before, right? two of them, but the last one was a while ago. 29 years ago. this win after this particular year, especially in the pandemic and everything you've been through. what does this win mean?

>> you know, it might have an asterisk by it because of the championship was a little bit different. it was in a bubble and everything. but in some ways i think it was it was the hardest championship, know, to maintain, you know, your health, number one, with all the issues that are going on and the challenges of that. for this particular team to be out of northern california for, you know, ten weeks about, i think the hardest thing, honestly, was not going home for christmas. how we survived that and stuck together i think is a real testament to the resilience, of the determination, the passion of the young people on our team, and i'm very proud of them. >> reporter: when it came to the tournament, of course, a whole another conversation was sparked after some deep disparities between the men's and women's tournament were just revealed for all to see. there's sort of this idea that there's been a per vives sense

of less than for the women and you yourself says this looks like blatant sexism, this is evidence of that. but you also call this moment a watershed moment. what hadou you mean by that? >> i hope this is not going to get swept under the rug. we're living in a time where we're really evaluating everything. we're evaluating, you know, how police work with communities, we're looking at, you know, all the different vipers, not just the covid virus, but the virus of racism, the virus of sexism and how that is pervasive in our world, and basketball is just a microcosm of our society, but to serve -- you know, to dumb it down, to serve hot dogs to the girls and steak to the boys, you know, my parents would not do that, and, hopefully, you know, other families, you know, people have to look and say, you know, this is not right.

>> reporter: the ncaa, of course, has been reported did apologize and under pressure opened their books and tried to explain why the budgets for the two tournaments are different. they basically said the men bring in net income more than women. what did you make about this response. is this about the money? >> i don't think it should be all about the money. on the conference level, you know, football does bring in more money than any other sport. you know, in terms of the tradition that they've had, the head start that they've had in being competitive and being on television and the promotion that they get every day and, you know, whether it's on podcast or, you know, in the newspaper, so but what women's basketball, what's kind of interesting, actual, is with social media, women and women's sports are the ones that are being fouled by more people, and i think that, you know, looking to the

feature, you have to evaluate what you're doing and, yes, they do bring in more money, the television contract can bigger, but does that justify what they have been doing. >> reporter: cove, i've got to ask you, you are the most winning coach in the history of women's basketball. so i'm curious, in all the games, in the terms when you almost won it but you didn't, what kept you going year after year? >> one of my favorite coaches was a coach pete newell who won an olympic gold medal, an he coached at cal, actually. but, you know, he's just like the game is over coached. and i thought, i want to do a good job teaching the game of basketball and i get pleasure from watching the improvement of my players. but it is fun when you do have a team that is at this level and you win it and you know, it is motivang. and i hope that it motivates our players to work hard in the off season and become the best players they can be. >> nawaz: coach tara vanderveer, thank you so much for your time.

congratulations again to yound your team. >> thank you very much. my pleasure. >> woodruff: in a moment marked by deep political and cultural divides, a program looks to the drama to harness tricks of the stage to step into the shoes of others. jeffrey brown has the story for our arts and culture series, canvas. >> brown: two recent college graduates: myiah smith of georgetown university in washinon d.c., founded by jesuits but ecumenically and culturally liberal. michael ¡mikey' pozo of patrick henry college, a small conservative christian school about an hour away in purcellville, virginia. different backgrounds and college experiences, brought

together in an unusual program“" in your shoes.” >> me as a christian, there are some things that i believe, that it's very hard for me to get out there. but i was able to speak freely in that context. >> there are so many ways that we could identify how we are different from other people. but what in your shoes project was about was despite those differences, how could we discover a commonality. >> brown: the project, in pre- covid times done in person, uses tools of performance to push people of differing views to not just listen to one another, but to speak the words of the¡ other'. >> things may go haywire in the world, but you be that spark, you be the joy for others. >> you're not really your brain, you're not really your body, you're not really your heart, you are all of those things, there's just i don't know, so much here, so much there! >> brown: students pair off, are given a ¡prompt' or topic,

record their conversation. next, they ¡swap' words-- here, amira ali of georgetown and anna allen of patrick henry. >> i also love freedom. and it depends how you define freedom but i feel like we may be losing that. >> i did have a thought about the whole cancel culture. i find it so destructive. >> brown: derek goldman, head of georgetown's performing arts department, calls it ¡performing one another'. >> i think it works because what we see happening are the deeper, harder conversations that many of the students feel are not happening in their lives, they feel like they're in these kinds of bubbles with people who agree with them and feel the same way they do, and then they're at odds with a whole t of other people.

>> brown: “in your shoes” is the brainchild of goldman and daniel brumberg, director of georgetown's “democracy and governance” masters program. it's a creative effort to address increasing political and other divisions within the country. in 2018 they partnered with patrick henry college, an institution founded in 2000 to offer a rigorous liberal arts education with a biblical worldview. its motto: “for christ and for liberty.” the school has had notable success placing graduates in conservative political and legal circles, including in the trump administration and as supreme court clerks. georgetown students often bring different values to the table, including on issues of sex and sexuality, and the role of religion in public life. >> i remember stepping foot onto thcampus and the first thing that they were sharing with their campus culture was the slogan "ring by spring" and

students often date and then marry. and it's very, very different from georgetown. >> brown: corey grewell is a literature professor at patrick henry who leads the project there. >> there's some tension, right? because there's an implicit idea of both students having a sort of idea, kind of ¡according to what you think, i'm in the wrong here'. but to their credit, the students have not tried to impose that on each other. and i think that those conversations lay the groundwork for some of the political differences that they encounter later on. when i go into the voting booth to pull the lever for someone who makes policy, i'm not, we're not going to vote for the same guy, but that doesn't negate my respect for you as a human being. >> brown: prompts such as ¡the idea of home' or ¡what i love' bring commonalities as well as differences. politics usually remains just below the surface, but not always. a recent meeting, held via zoom,

took place after the events of january 6th. here, nicole albanese of georgetown speaks the words of her partner, daniel cochrane of patrick henry. >> why do you go and storm the u.s. capitol, or damage property, or do any of those violent acts? you do it because you believe your voice is not heard. >> brown: cochrane, speaking the words of albanese, said this. >> it's such a big country, its identity has definitely shifted and changed. so i think some people don't really have as clear an idea of how it has changed. >> brown: ijeoma njaka works on equity and inclusivity issues at georgetown. >> so for me, that was the one of the more affirming moments about this work and about its power, that folks were feeling like actually this is the moment when i want to make sure that i'm talking to somebody, to other folks who i know are going to hear me and understand me and where i can learn something else and where i can try to better

understand what might be other perspectives about this. >> brown: out of it all came a sense of respect, if not always agreement; and some new friendships, including that of myiah smith and mikey pozo, who both found something that was missing previously. >> you talk all the time to people, i mean, we have tik tok and instagram, we can record videos and listen back to it. but very rarely do people share word for word the things that you have shared. >> as i'm walking through spaces where people are imposing bias or making assumptions about who i am-- because we all do it, we can't escape that-- what's different is now i've had the opportunity to practice and grapple and build language and habit to appropriately conrse with those people. >> brown: mikey, what was it like for you to say myiah's words? >> it was beautiful. it added color, like beautiful being able to capture someone's words and it coming from your own mouth. you can really say ¡this is what she says', ¡this is what he

believes in' and i'm going to repeat it to her, respond it to him, and i'm going to do the best that i can do it justice. i could say the person who is a liberal, i can still take care, i can still have love for. and i cherish that person. >> brown: how much difference can one small program make to a larger divisive political culture? georgetown's derek goldman: >> i think these are really powerful skill sets if people are going to go on and be bridge builders in whatever fields that they may be in. >> brown: myiah smith is now working with “teach for americ”" in baltimore. mikey pozzo, a musician and writer, has his own bakery business in his hometown of ashburn, virginia. small steps, in your shoes. for the pbs newshour, i'm jeffrey brown. >> woodruff: and the young will teach us. fascinating report. thank you, jeffrey brown. and on the "newshour" online,

we explore on the newshour online, we explore what the world learned about leadership during the pandemic. what qualities helped some world leaders maintain the public's trust, and ultimately hold back the spread of the virus? all that and more at: pbs.org/newshour. 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

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need to hear to make sense of it all. now more than ever, how different do you think life is going to be? we seek answers to the tough questions. >> the united states is still not testing per capita -- >> woodruff: and get you information you can trust. you should expect nothing less. we are -- >> we are. the "pbs newshour." >> woodruff: week nights on pbs. captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org [upbeat intro ]

- hello everyone, and welcome to amanpour and company. tonight we're bringing you a superstar musical special. here's who's coming up. ♪ whether you're a brother or whether you're a mother ♪ ♪ you're stayin' alive, stayin' alive ♪ ♪ feel the city breakin' and everybody shakin' ♪ ♪ and we're stayin' alive, stayin' alive ♪ - the bee gees' last sviving member barry gibb joins me. we discussed their legacy and reinventing their classics, then.. ♪ thank you, thank you ♪ ♪ oh, you make me thank you, thank you for your love ♪ - grammy nominated artist jon batiste speaks to our michel martin about music and activism and his latest album "we are," and.. ♪ to everything turn, turn, turn ♪ ♪ there is a seon turn, turn, turn ♪