captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc >> woodruff: good evening, i'm judy woodruff. on the newshour tonight, on pause-- injections of the johnson and johnson covid vaccine are halted across much of the country following several cases of blood clots. then, minnesota on edge-- another night of unrest follows the police killing of daunte wright as lawyers launch their defense of former officer derek chauvin in the george floyd murder case. and, going solar-- a small florida community aims for energy independence by harnessing the power of the sun. >> it just makes sense to do it the right way, to live in an environment that is clean and sustainable. that's just good for us health- wise so if we're also helping in climate change, we're all winning.

>> 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: on this day with several big news developments, including the aftermath of another police killing in minnesota and president biden's announcement of when u.s. troops will leave afghanistan, we begin with the covid story: a number of vaccination centers have begun suspending the use of the johnson and johnson vaccine

aftefederal health officials recommended the move. the c.d.c. and the f.d.a. said today they are reviewing extremely rare and severe blood clots in six women. that's out of nearly seven million people who've received the vaccine in the u.s. dr. ann schuchat is the principal deputy director of the c.d.c. and she joins unow. for the record, johnson and johnson is a newshour funder. dr. schuchat, welcome to the "newshour." what can you tell us about the blood clots and how dangerous they are? >> doctor: thank you, judy. we're taking this very seriously. as you said, almost seven million doses of the j & j vaccine have been administered in the united states. and right now we have six reports of serious blood clots, including one fatality, unfortunately. there is an unusual pattern to the blood clots, in the there is a

very low platelet count, in addition to the clotting event. and that unusual pattern tipped us off that we really needed to take this seriously. we recommended a pause for three reasons: because we wanted to give the health care community time to learn how to recognize, diagnose, and manage this condition. because if you treat this condition with the usual treatment for clotting, it can get worse. so that was a critical reason to get the word out. the second one was to urge more reporting, so we could get a better understanding of the pattern and whether this is limited to women, certain ages, or just how frequent it is. and then the third reason for the pause was to give time for our advisory committee on a new practices, a group of independent scientific experts to renew the data carefully and give us their advice. and that meeting will be happening tomorrow.

>> woodruff: dr. schuchat, is it certain there are only -- not only, but there are six women and not more women who have developed these clots? >> doctor: we don't know that yet. we are actively urging reporting both by clinicians and by patients or their families by the vaccine adverse event reporting system, vares, and we want to understand if there are additional cases or possible cases, and it takes time to review the records and so forth. these are a rare set of symptoms, not the usual kind of blood clots or strokes that people see, and is unusual enough at we really want to get to the bottom of it. >> woodruff: and i'm asking about the number because sometimes the reporting may be delayed, and six out of seven million is such a small number. i think people want to be

reassured that it is that small. >> doctor: yeah, that's right. this is an extremely rare event that we're tracking right now. but because the usual treatment for people presenting with this rare event is different than what clinicians might think of, we wanted to talk a pause and give time for clicians to get up to speed on this. in fact, we'll be doing a call for a broad group of clinicians on thursday to try to help them learn how to recognize, manage, and respond. but, you're right, this is extremely rare right now, based on what we know. and we have to learn more, but i just want to say how important it is to the c.d.c., the f.d.a., and the federal government for us to take vaccine safety seriously. we know that we are vaccinating on average of three million people a day. mostly with the moderna and pfizer vaccines, and those vaccines are proving to be very safe and

effective, and we haven't seen this problem of the low platelet count and the blood clots with those other two vaccines, but with the j & j vaccine, we want to keep our eye on it and have this pause while we take time to learn about whether there are more cases, and whether they really are linked to the vaccine. >> woodruff: we know there was investigation, there was a lengthy process before the f.d.a. approved the j & j vaccine for emergency authorized use. why wast this discovered then? >> doctor: there are a couple of things to say. first off, when we have retrospectively looked back at the clinical trials, there was one episode of an event that looks a lot like this, actually in a man. at the time, a single episode, it is very difficult to understand what that might be. but, of course, we've been actively monitoring the safety as te vaccines get

given out more broadly. as you can imagine, when you have an event that might be as rare as one in a million, that may not show up in a cinical trial even as large athe trials were before the f.d.a. authorization. that's why we take very seriously monitoring safety, as well as effectiveness, after vaccines go into large-scale use because you really can't detect something very rare in vaccine trials, even with 50,000 or 60,000 patients. >> woodruff: and finally, how long do you think this pause may last? and what's the effect on e availability of vaccines overall to americans? >> doctor: well, the good news is that there is supply of the pfizer and moderna vaccines, and we expect not to see a challenge with supply in the short-term future based on this. in fact, we're expecting 28 million doses of those

other two vaccines for this next week. i can't say exactly how long the pause will go on. i can say we're working very quickly to get as much information as we can, and we're holding that first advisory committee on immunization practices emergency meeting tomorrow. we'll know more after that. and i commit we're going to get back and update the american public about this as we know more. >> woodruff: i know everybody is paying very close attention. dr. ann schuchat, who is the principle deputy director of the c.d.c. doctor, thank you very much. >> doctor: my pleasure, judy. >> woodruff: the death of george floyd and the trial of former police officer derek chauvin has kept the state of minnesota in the national spotlight. now the death of daunte wright near minneapolis, has led to new protests and re-opened long- standing questions over policing and race.

special correspondent fred de sam lazaro has our report. and a warning: viewers may find some images disturbing. >> reporter: with calls for accountability growing louder in the minneapolis suburb, the police officer who fatally shot 20-year-old daunte wright resigned today. >> i'm hoping this wl help bring some calm to the communit although ultimately, >> reporter: the officer was identified as kim potter, a 26- year veteran of the brooklyn center police force. the city's police chief, tim gannon, who also resigned today, described the killing at a traffic stop on sunday as “an accidental discharge,” and said the officer had meant to draw her taser. >> reporter: the father of daunte wright, aubrey wright, said in an interview today he rejects that explanation. >> i lost my son. he's never coming back. i n't accept that. a mistake? that doesn't even sound right. >> reporter: cries for justice are reverberating across the

community reeling after nights of protests. >> i prayed for mr. wright's mom because i know what she's going through because i lost my son. he was murdered so i know exactly her pain and what she's going through. >> i'm concerned, i'm scared. we don't know what's about to occur. a life has been taken. >> say his name! >> daunte wright! >> reporter: frustration over the city's handling was felt at a vigil for wright last night, marked by emotional moments. hundreds then took to the streets for a new round of protests outside the police station. lines of officers in riot gear kept watch as anger built through the night, hours past curfew. >> you just killed daunte wright. if i make a mistake are you all going to kill me too? >> reporter: looters broke into and vandalized a dollar tree nearby, while others set off fireworks outside.

police began firing flash bang grenades and tear gas to disperse them. the minnesota state patrol said about 40 people were arrested. as the cleanup continues here in brooklyn center, some residents and business owners bracing for perhaps another night of unrest. many also have an eye on downtown minneapolis, about 10 miles away, where the murder trial of derek chauvin entered its 12th day of testimony, the death of george floyd at the hands of police continues gripping the nation. >> your honor the state of minnesota rests. >> reporter: today, prosecutors for the state of minnesota wrapped up its case. and chauvin's attorney, eric nelson, kicked off the defense highlighting an incident involving mr. floyd and law enforcement on may 6, 2019, about a year before he died. nelson called rered paramedic michelle moseng, who treated floyd on that day. >> were you able to learn that mr. floyd had consumed some

narcotics that day? >> yes. he had told me that he had been taking multiple like every 20 minutes, and i don't remember if it was oxy or percocet but it was an opioid based. >> reporter: retired minneapolis police officer scott creighton, who arrested mr. floyd in the 2019 incident, also took the stand. >> did you see the passenger do anything physically with his hands? >> yes, he turned away from me toward the driver seat continually as i was giving him commands to see his hands. >> reporter: but throughout the day, the prosecution took several opportunities to cross examine. >> you were interacting with mr. floyd correct? >> yes. >> and while you were interacting with mr. floyd, he didn't collapse on the ground correct? >> no. >> and mr. floyd didn't drop dead while you were interacting with him, correct? >> no.

>> reporter: the defense broht minneapolis park police officer peter chang to the stand. chang was the fifth officer to arrive on scene may 25, 2020, the day mr. floyd died. >> did you notice any changes in the area? >> yeah, there was a crowd and yes the crowd was becoming more loud and aggressive, a lot of yelling across the street. >> did that cause you any concern? >> concerned for the officers safety, yes. >> reporter: hoping to sow doubt about chauvin's culpability, the defense honed in on their arguments that a hostile crowd distracted officers and that health factors, like a pre- existing condition or drug use, led to floyd's death. for the pbs newshour, i'm fred de sam lazaro. >> woodruff: yamiche alcindor gets reaction now from two people directly involved in both of these cases. >> alcindor: judy, the killings of daunte wright and george floyd continue to reverberate not only in minnesota, but around the country when it comes to policing, use of force and

race. our two guests are personally involved with all of this. philonise floyd is george floyd's younger brother and took the witness stand yesterday. benjamin crump is an attorney representing the floyd family and daunte wright's mother. >> yamiche: thank you both so much for being here. i want to start with you, philonise, you took the stand yesterday. what has that experience been like for you and what has be the hardest part of the last 24 hours? >> just taking the stand, it was pretty much like a relief to me because the narrative was already painted that they wanted to say that my brother was this, he was that. and he was the one that was tortured to death on camera. he was the one that i had to see over and over get murdered on camera. so when i had the opportunity to be able to speak about my brother, the things that he shared with us, how he would interact with my mom, it was a blessing, especially

when i think about how he used to pick her up, when she became handicapped, and he used to dance with her, and they used to let al green play "love and happiness." it made me melt when i watched them because it was so unique watching them dance, and things like that, the interactions that they had. and for the last 24 hours, i have just been kind of excited, but at the same time, i've been down because i think about what is going on with daunte and his family, how they're grieving. and i wouldn't want that on any other family. that's why i stand and i support them now. >> yamiche: you talk about daunte right now, and i want to ask you about him in a minute. but convicting officers is very, very rare in this country. what do you make of how the trial has gone? and how confident are you in this system of justice? >> you know, i'm confident in what we see, what the world witnessed. the world seen my

brother's life extinguished in front of all. and i am co confident that these officers will be convicted because you have too many protestors all around the world marching nationwide, and everybody is yelling "i can't breathe" over and over again because people want to see change. they want to see justice because what happened in that video was wrong. and these police officers, they have to be held accountable or this will continue to happen over and over again. and you will see mr. crump everywhere all across the world trying to help these families grieve and get through this process that we shouldn't have to. >> yamiche: and, ben, you've been all across the world representing different families. what do you make of the cases presented by the prosecution and the defense, and how much faith do you have that the system this time may deliver justice for your clients? >> well, i believe keith elisson, the first

african-american attorney general in the state of minsminnesota, that has a track record as a champion in civil rights, he and his prosecutors are making a very compelling case that derek chauvin should be held criminally liable for the killing of george floyd. but despite what i may think, george floyd's optimism and his faith is representative for me. so i do believe in my heart that based on this video that has been seen 50 million times on the internet alone, that in my heart, we're going to get a conviction. but america has broken my heart in the past. >> yamiche: there are a lot of people who are feeling heartbroken. philonise, i want to ask you, castile was killed

before your brother in minnesota, now we have daunteright killed during thirs trial for this officer. what do you make of this latest killing of daunte, and how is it making you possibly relive your own trauma? >> oh, man, it was terrible. i woke up in the morning to find out that a young african-american child had passed away. he was still a kid. you know, he didn't come from a broken family. he had a mom. he had a dad. he had everything that you can imagine, that a lot of kids grow up in the african-american community that we don't have. and just to see how their mom was grieving, it was devastating watching her. it was devastating watching the a.e.. she really showed what these families are going through because a lot of these people that you meet, they don't know how to process this

information. they don't know how to talk about what is going on. and she was just outspoken, and she was just letting you know who he was, and he still should be here. just like his name is daunte wright, he should be right here, right now, like his last name. and unfortunately, we have to go through this trauma, and the world is going through this traumatic stage again, but we have to stand with daunte and his family. >> yamiche: and, ben crump, i want to come to you. you're representing the family of daunte wright, his mother, and what can you tell us about that case, whether or not the officer is going to be charged? and what do you make of the fact that this is happening during this trial? >> i believe that the police officer will be charged with some level of manslaughter when they look at all of the evidence, the fact that she was a 26-year police veteran, and she was training people on that

day. and there are a lot of suspicions. and they're looking into whether or not they even should have been stopping people for expired license tags because the d.m.v. had been shut down and backlogged since the covid-19 pandemic. so there was a directive sent out, don't be stopping peopleor having expired tags because it may be they haven't been able to get an appointment with the d.m.v. and so i say that i have to say that even for minor traffic events, people end up dead in some of the most unusual, bizarre ways. think about george floyd, philonise's brother, a counterfeit bill, that is

a misdemeanor. he could have been given a ticket. they had the discretion to do that. but when it is black people in america, they always engage in doing the most, the most infuriating manner, to use excessive force against us. i just see george, over the $20, and i think about the sergeant and virginia, who put his hands out the window, being very reasonable, and i think about daunte, this young man who was probably not making the best decision. but he didn't put them in harm's way. he was trying to get away on a traffic citation and they shoot and kill him right in the midst of the derek chauvin trial regarding george floyd's killing, which i believe is the seminal civil rights case and policing in america's history, that you would have a police

officer kill an unarmed young man within 10 miles from where the courthouse is. >> yamiche: ben crump, sticking with you, we talked about black people and policing for a long, long type. what is the disconnect here? >> it is about implicit bias. they don't give marginalized minorities the benefit of consideration and professionalism when they pull us. and that's why you see them doing the most, versus trying to use their discretion to de-escalate matters. they de-escalated just fine on january 6th, 2021, when the white nationalists stormed the capitol. it is not that they can't de-escalate, i believe it is implicit bias training that they don't respect black people in america enough to make sure we get the benefit of our constitutional rights.

>> yamiche: well, thank you so much, philonise floyd. i'm so sorry for your loss. thank you for joining us. benjamin crump, attorney, thank you so much for being here. >> thank you. >> thank you, yamiche. >> woodruff: president biden plans to announce tomorrow that all 2,500 u.s. troops in afghanistan will leave by september 11th. the newshour confirmed the decision today. it's four months later than the previous deadline. top republicans immediately criticized the move. senate minority leader mitch mcconnell called it "a grave mistake." here with some background on the decision is amna nawaz. >> nawaz: that's right, judy. that senior administration official confirmed today that president biden does plan to begin wihdrawing the u.s. troops from afghanistan beginning next

month with an eye to having all u.s. troops out by september 11th of this year. now, the biden administration, we should point out, essentially inherited a drawndown plan from the previous administration. the trump administration had negotiated that deal with the taliban over the last year. and they basically said we will stop attacking u.s. troops and cut ties with kuwait. in exchange, the u.s. will have everyone out by may 1st. president biden said last month that would be a tough deadline to meet. there is anywhere from 2500 to 3500 troops on the ground. the number fluctuates, but that's why the biden administration was working on their own exit plan. the white house will have more details from president biden by tomorrow, but we now, judy, have a date. 20 years after the attacks that led the u.s. to launch this war in the first place, $2 trillion later, more than 2,000 u.s. troops dead, over

100,000 afghan civilians dead, and the u.s. says they will be done fighting this fall. judy? >> woodruff: amna nawaz, we will wait for the president's announcement tomorrow. thank you. >> woodruff: in other news, iran >> nawaz: that's right, judy. i wanted to elaborate on the point you made earlier on the response we have gotten from u.s. lawmakers. it has been rather mixed. lisa desjardins was reporting on this. some u.s. lawmakers, like mitch mcconnell, have been very critical, calling it an ab dictation of american leadership. and chuck schumer says he wants to have a few more details before moving forward. but most support for this plan has come from folks like tim kaine, who is basically saying it is time, time for the u.s. to leave. that was an argument laid

out a white house official providing some background on the plan, which basically said the goal in afghanistan was two-fold: one, deliver justice for 9/11, and, two, disrupt the terror networks there. today osama bin laden is dead, and the terror networks there, most experts agree, that threat, at least the threat to the u.s., is minimal. we should point out that the threat has not gone away because the taliban have been nothing if not resurgent in recent years, particularly since the drawdown of peak u.s. forces in 2011. take a look at this map. the taliban control more territory across afghanistan than at any other point in recent history. and that is why the u.s. is negotiating its exit with them and not with afghan president ashram gani. so they are poised to once again take over. when the last u.s. troops leave, they're essentially handing the keys right over to the same forces

they have been fighting r the last 20 years. >> woodruff: 20 years later. and we'll be watching for the announcement tomorrow. amna nawaz, thank you. >> woodruff: in other news, iran warned it will begin enriching uranium to 60% purity, the highest level yet, but still short of weapons-grade. the announcement follows an attack that damaged the natanz nuclear facility; an attack that tehran blames on israel. the iranian foreign minister insisted today that his government won't be deterred. >> ( translated ): i assure you that natanz will definitely, in the near future, progress with more advanced centrifuges and if israel thought they can prevent iran and the iranian people from pursuing the lifting of the u.s. sanctions, they've played a very bad gamble. >> woodruff: the warning came hours before informal talks in vienna on the u.s. rejoining the

iran nuclear accord. the holy month of ramadan began today in much of the muslim world, amid surging covid cases and restrictions. in saudi arabia, limited numbers of worshippers were allowed inside the grand mosque in mecca for a socially distanced walk around the kaaba shrine. egypt banned some traditional events, while indonesiopened mosques under strict protocols. back in this country, a slain u.s. capitol police officer, william "billy" evans, was honored by the nation's leaders. the 18-year veteran died this month when a car rammed him outside the capitol. today, family members, fellow officers lawmakers and president biden gathered in the capitol rotunda. the president spoke directly to evans' widow and two young children. >> you're going to make it. by holding each other together, most importantly by holding

logan and abigail as tightly as you can. because as long as you have them, you got billy, as long as you have them. >> woodruff: following the ceremony, evans lay in honor for the remainder of the afternoon. there are new appeals tonight for the united states to cut greenhouse gas emissions. more than 300 businesses, including apple, google and coca-cola, are urging reductions of 50% from 2005 levels, by the year 2030. dozens of european lawmakers, executives and union leaders made a similar appeal today. president biden is nominating the first person of color to lead the u.s. census bureau. robert santos is mexican- american and currently runs the american statistical association. the census bureau is now working on data from the 2020 count that will be used in redrawing congressional districts.

and, on wall street, tech stocks were up, but other sectors fell. the dow jones industrial average lost 68 points to close at 33,677. the nasdaq rose 146 points, and the s&p 500 added 13, for a new record close. still to come on the newshour: tensions rise as russia mobilizes troops along its border with ukraine. a small florida community works toward energy independence with a massive array of solar panels. a new biography underlines the influence of former first lady nancy reagan. plus much more.

>> woodruff: after months of simmering conflict, thousands of russian troops have massed on the border of ukraine. it's the largest buildup of troops since the russian annexation of crimea in 2014. amna nawaz is back now with that. >> nawaz: russia-backed separatists have been fighting against ukrainian forces since 2014. but this year ukraine says russia has gathered nearly 80,000 troops at its border. russia has deployed troops in russian-annexed crimea in the south, and along the border with ukraine's donbas region in the east. the russian government says it's a reaction to what it claimed are nato plans to push troops closer to russia's borders. during a meeting with his ukrainian counterpart today secretary of state antony blinken voiced his support. >> the united stands firmly behind the sovereignty and territorial integrity of ukraine. and i'm here to reaffirm that with the foreign minister today. and that's particularly important at a time when we're

seeing, unfortunately, russia take very provocative actions when it comes to ukraine. >> nawaz: president biden also spoke today with russian president vladimir putin to press that message. joining me now to discuss what all of this means is former u.s. ambassador to ukraine bill taylor. >> nawaz: ambassador taylor, welcome back to the "newshour," and thank you for making the time. let me start with your understanding of what is driving this escalation, and in particular russia's framing of it? >> this is a hard question to answer because no one can get inside the head of mr. putin. no one understands his motivations. he surprised the world when he invaded his neighbor in 2014. it is hard to say. it is clearly not what they put out in terms of nato pushing towards the russian border. that is just ludicrous. there may be some concern on mr. putin's part that his popularity, his support among russians is declining, and he needs

som way to boost that. he also may be trying to put pressure on ukraine, and that is clearly happening. ukraine is standing up to it, as you have indicated. he may also be trying to put some pressure on the new biden administration. just to put them to a test early on. but, as i say, it is hard to s. there is nothing that would have prompted this from the ukrainian side. >> nawaz: in trying to unpack, again, why we're at this moment, i want to ask you about what we've been seeing inside ukraine. has there been actions from the president that could have provoked putin to take this kind of action? >> president valipski has been pushing back against russian-oriented ukrainians, and particularly russian-oriented oligarchs, and he has pushed back and closed down some russian tv stations, three tv

stations, that broadcast disinformation from the kremlin. so he has pushed back, and the other thing he has done his intent to move towards nato, towards the european union, and, indeed, towards nato membership. this is troubling, undoubtedly, for the russians, but this is the sovereign right of a country to make its decisions. >> nawaz: let me ask you about the u.s. approach to all of this because for years ukrainhas unwavering support from the u.s. when it comes to the conflict with russia. that shifted dring the trump administration, did those four years help lead to this moment? >> that's a very good question. it shifted to some degree over the past four years, but only at the very top of the u.s. administration. it was only the very top of the trump administration where there was any question about the support for ukraine. the state department and the defense department and the national security council and the congress, as you've indicated on a bipartisan basis, they continued to support

ukraine, and it was just this weird dichotomy between most of the government and the very top. so, yes, that did confuse people, and that could have left some question in people's minds whether it was in ukraine or in russia as to how firmly the united states would support. i think the new administration has made it clear that they, as you just indicated, unwaveringly support ukraine sovereignty. >> nawaz: we heard secretary blinken say that the u.s. stands with ukraine, and president biden reiterated that in his call with president putin, but in your view, how su far should that support extend? should u.s. troops put their lives on the line for this conflict? >> i don't think the ukrainians are interested in having u.s. combat forces on their territory. i'm sure that the indications of support from the united states in terms of naval forces, which are moving towards the black sea, in terms of

overflight, to be able to identify the kinds of movements that the russians are undertaking right now, and the other thing we should be doing, and moving forward, is coornating with our european allies for those increased sanctions if the russians know that more severe sanctions are already cooked, are already worked out between the americans and the europeans, that could also act as a deterrent. it is deterring military action that we need to do. it is not with u.s. combats forces. it is with diplomacy. it is with security assistance, and it is with economic threats. >> nawaz: bill taylor, former u.s. ambassador to ukraine, ambassador taylor, thank you for joining us. >> thanks for having me. >> woodruff: florida may be called the sunshine state, but it is no stranger to the damaging impacts of climate change. miles o'brien profiles a

community trying to take advantage of all tt sunshine, billed as the country's first solar-powered town. it's the latest report in our ongoing coverage about climate change and its consequences. and part of a major journalism collaborative called "covering climate now." >> reporter: it's first light, and one of the largest solar arrays in the sunshine state is starting another 150 megawatt day. >> we spent eight years working to make this happen. >> reporter: developer syd kitson showed me the crown jewel of his sustainable town that could signal the dawn of a new era in the fight against the climate change crisis. >> it's 700,000 panels on about 800 acres of land. so it is a very large solar field. that's more than enough to power our city at full build out. >> reporter: it's called babcock ranch, the first solar powered town in the country. so, you know, when you look out here, is this our future? >> it is the future.

it's a piece of the puzzle and it's a good piece of the puzzle. >> reporter: the puzzle pieces are falling into place 25 miles north of fort myers at what was a huge cattle ranch. here, kitson and partners are developing a master plan community of nearly 20,000 homes with a population of 50,000. so far about 2300 are here in 900 homes and it already feels like a town, with a main street, a green with a bandshell, shops and offices, nearly all the amenities are planned. it will all eventually connected by autonomous electric shuttles. for now, golf carts and electric scooters are the preferred means of mobility. >> we want them to stay here to be comfortable here, to have the shopping, to have the entertainment that they want. i want to be able to work here and obviously live their lives here. >> reporter: kitson has been a developer for more than 35 years.

before that, he was a lineman for the green bay packers and dallas cowboys in the '80s. now he hopes to write a new playbook for developers to go on offense against the climate emergency. >> when people hear the word developer, it has a certain connotation that might not necessarily be all that positive. it just makes sense to do it the right way to live in an environment that is clean and sustainable. that's just good for us health wise. so if we are also helping in climate change, we're all winning. >> reporter: the utility that built and operates the solar arrays, florida power & light, agrees. it was one of the company's first big forays into solar power. >> it's really our showcase working with babcock ranch to highlight all the things that we're doing in one spot. >> reporter: matt valle is f.p.l.'s vice president of development. since the installation of these arrays at babcock ranch in 2016, the company has gone big on solar power. statewide it has installed about

11 million solar panels generating nearly 9% of what it puts into the grid. the big driver is economics. solar panels are now 80% cheaper than they were a decade ag >> every time we make a forecast for what we think solar is going to be in a few years, when we get to that point in time, the actual cost of solar is much lower than we were forecasting. it's the only thing in our generation plan going forward for the next 10 years. >> reporter: f.p.l. has built 10 megawatts of lithium battery storage here, but it's not nearly enough to power babcock ranch through the night: a natural gas plant fills the gap. grid-level energy storage ideas remain in their infancy. but some babcock ranch residents aren't willing to wait for that. they have solar panels on the roof and tesla battery walls in the garage. >> so that at any one time we're getting electricity, either from the batteries, from the roof

itself or the solar panels we have up there or from the grid >> reporter: tom and lisa hall have lived here for a year. >> i've heard people say we're living in the city of the future, but we're living here already. everybody moves here are really pioneers. people feel a certain sense of their they're taking part in a real experiment and they're part of it. and they love being part of it. >> reporter: syd kitson's definition of sustainability extends far beyond renewable energy. he has worked hard to ensure babcock ranch has sustainable demographics, a mix of incomes and ages. and that's why one of the one of the first things he built was this charter school, with a project-based learning curriculum. >> i walk into these rooms and think, man, these guys are going to be world changers. they truly are. >> reporter: shannon treece is the principal. the school filled up almost instantly and has lured many families with school age kids to babcock ranch.

>> we want to breed that innovation mindset, that growth mindset that you're never you're never done learning. and if we're going to solve big world problems, you've got to have a skill set to do that. >> reporter: you're growing sustainable humans, essentially, right? >> i hope so. that's the goal. >> reporter: but is this idea an interesting one off, or something that can be replicated? >> i think the jury's still out on babcock ranch. >> reporter: ellen dunham jones is a professor of archecture at the georgia institute of technology. her research is focused on retrofitting existing suburbs to make them more sustainable. she says babcock ranch is a shining example of so-called“ new urbanist” design principles, but... >> it's not dealing enough with really the big the bigger challenges that we have to deal with, it's doing good things but i want to see the lessons learned from that that we can really apply to. i think this just much bigger challenge, which is all the existing places.

>> reporter: and that is happening. she says many developers are transforming dead shopping malls and office parks in the suburbs into more pedestrian-friendly town centers. it's a back to the future approach to development, which syd kitson has embraced. the old babcock ranch property was 90,000 acres. but his development will sit on only a fifth of it. he sold the rest back to the state to be set aside. and in some cases brought the land back to its natural state. this wetland had been drained for agriculture. >> you look at this beautiful wetland now, knowing that just literally a couple of years ago, it was dry, arid and not good for anything. now it's flourishing. >> reporter: a developer who has created some swampland in florida-- go figure. the land here is 30 feet above sea level. in the state with the most to lose as the climate changes,

babcock ranch is sitting pretty indeed. for the pbs newshour, i'm miles o'brien in babcock ranch, florida. >> woodruff: an actress-turned- first lady. during her more than 50 year marriage, nancy reagan was also the most trusted adviser to her husband, president ronald reagan. "washington post" columnist karen tumulty is out with a new book about her influence, called "the triumph of nancy reagan." i spoke with karen yesterday. karen tumulty, welcome to the newshour. you paint such a vivid portrait of nancy reagan, the reader almost feels as if we are living alongside her. give us a sense of the research, the work that went into this book. >> i've been working on this book for four and a half years. and, you know, i started out

thinking i'd be writing about a first lady, about a marriage, you know, obviously a love story. but the deeper i got into the research, the more i realized that that nancy reagan is actually a different window into the entire reagan presidency and actually an entire hinge point in our history. was, you spend a good amount of time telling us about her family, her mother, her relationship with her stepfather. how did all that shape who she became? >> nancy reagan was born anne frances robbins and the product of a failed marriage between an ambitious actress and a not very successful car salesman. her parents essentially split up as soon as she was born and her mother, as soon as she was out of diapers, decides that she is going to continue to pursue her acting career and her busy social life and essentially

abandons nancy reagan to live with relatives for the next six years. and that really casts a shadow on her spirit that i think lasts for the rest of her life. she is perpetually weary, perpetually anxious, perpetually convinced that no matter how successful she is, no matter how good things are, that life is just a trap door and everything could disappear in an instant and certainly two months after her husband's inauguration, all of that seems to be confirmed when she almost loses him to a would-be assassin's bullet. >> woodruff: and you write about their relationship, of course, that's through the entire book, a love story for the ages, but also complicated in that she was a take no prisoners, not just a supporter of his, she was, she paid attention to every single

aspect of his life to make sure it was it was successful. >> this really was a partnership and i think a partnership without which he would never become governor of california or president. she loves him. she believes in his greatness, but she also is fully aware of his vulnerabilities and his weaknesses. and she has skills that he doesn't. i mean, she's shrewder about people, i think she's warier, she essentially has a, you know, a better, more fine tuned radar than he does about the people arnd him, who is serving their own interests and their own agendas versus who is there for him. >> woodruff: as we look back on it, where did she make the most difference? >> she would say, oh, i'm just i don't i don't deal with policy. i just deal with people. well, of course. i mean, judy, anybody who's been

in washington five minutes knows that people issues areolicy issues. and i open the book on something george shultz told me about, which is a moment where she arranges a little dinner for four, the two couples. and the whole purpose of the dinner is to get george shultz away from her husband's hard line hawkish advisers and give him an opportunity to speak to ronald reagan directly. anit is at that moment, shultz told me that he began to realize that for all of ronald reagan's anti-communist rhetoric, despite the fact that he was presiding over the biggest peacetime military buildup in history, this is a guy who actually wants to reach out to the soviet union. and certainly nancy reagan believed that this should be her husband's place in history as a as a peacemaker and not a warmonger. >> woodruff: and of course,

that's exactly what went on to happen at the time, we didn't realize it, but she was very, very active behind the scenes. >> what people don't realize about ronald reagan is that as affable, as amiable as he was, as gifted as he was with connecting with the american people, that he was actually a solitary figure, that given his druthers, he'd have been out pounding fence posts on his ranch and it is really nancy reagan, who builds and cultivates the network around her husband. she was an incredibly valuable ally to those among her husband's advisers who recognized her power, who could who could get her on board a policy or a position. and people who were not on her good side tended not to last for very long. >> woodruff: she's hardly a feminist, she doesn't want anything to do with feminism,

but through her power, i think you called it intimate power, she ends up having enormous influence, it's a different kind of woman's influence, if you will. >> her power is the fact that she is quite literally the only person in the world to whom ronald reagan is truly close. and starting in sacramento, she begins to get much more sophisticated about her own influence, her own power and really her own role in his success. >> woodruff: remarkable book about nancy reagan, "the triumph of nancy reagan." karen tumulty, thank you so much. >> thank you, judy. >> woodruff: tonight's brief but spectacular comes from eric liu, who was a speechwriter

in the clinton white house. liu offers his take on why he's still hopeful democracy can work for everyone. his latest book is called "become america." >> i think people have a misconception that a democracy is about voting. first, foremost, and in some ways only, absolutely show up. cast your ballot, pay attention to what happens after the casting a ballot. but i think the deeper thing is how do you exercise the full breadth of your power every other day before election day and after election day. one of the most powerful, vivid my parents had done the heavy lifting. they had made the choice to sacrifice to come to the united i remember very vividly when they became naturalized u.s. citizens in like 1977. they, they became members and leaders of the bid hudson, chinese community association. they, they understood that to

live in the society is not just to retreat to your tiniest bubble. but to try to be part of a, of something greater than yourself. i think one of the best ways to teach children about civic engagement is just to weave it into a mindful approach to everyday life. let's walk around our neighborhood. and let's ask questions about what we see. do you notice that there doesn't seem to be a bus stop where we live? do you notice that there's only fast food stores in this neighborhood, nothing healthy. streets are well-paid and the sidewalks are, are nice, but, but on the other side of that, erything's kind of falling apart? everything we see is the external deposit of a whole bunch of internalized choices, about power, about responsibility, and about what we are supposed to do to create a healthy, thriving community. we're in a country bound together by nothing but creed. and when you have only a creed to hold you together, you've got to be able to routinely regularly as a matter of ritual to reckon with that creed and to

ask, how am i going to close the gap between that creed and our deeds? look at the way we actually police brown black people. look at the ways in which we actually educate children. look at the ways in which we do or don't invest in public health in the society and ask, how ca i show up to close that gap? we're having this conversation in the aftermath of the presidential election and how i feel right now is determined. there's a deeper game of our there's a deeper game of, are we willing to humanize each other across partisan and other lines enough, i see a great civic awakening happening, especially that doesn't mean agreeing with the people we disagree with. it just means understanding how did you come to this world view? what pain, what hope, at trauma, what triumph led you to see the world this way and how, and hearing that story might i

find some avenue in to say, okay, i get that. it doesn't take 300 million of us to suddenly decide we want to live like citizens this way. majority rule is always driven by minority will. a critical mass of us, a small number of us who are willing to show up over and over again to rekindle belief that this democracy can work for all o us. that's all it takes. enough, i see a great civic awakening happening, especially among young people across the ideological spectrum and across the geography of our country. and that gives me hope. my name is eric liu, and this is my brief, t spectacular take on living life like a citizen. >> woodruff: and you can find and that's the newshour for tonight. i'm judy woodruff. join us on-ine and again here tomorrow evening. for all of us at the pbs newshour, thank you, please stay safe, and we'll see you soon. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by:

>> carnegie corporation of new york. supporting innovations in education, democratic engagement, and the advancement of international peace and security. at carnegie.org. captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org

♪ hello, everyone. welcome to "amanpour & company." here's what's coming up. three, two, one. ladies and gentlemen, take your seat have your first drink. >> a toast to opening up. i talk to former british prime minister about lifting lockdowns, combatting vaccine inequality and more pressing issues. then -- >> we're going to chicago to protest the vietnam war. >> sasha baron cohen transformed from borat to abby hoffman. they discuss their riveting historical court drama, the trial of the chicago seven. plus -- >> i'm deeply concerned about the opportunities in rural american. >> u.s. agriculture