tv PBS News Hour PBS April 15, 2021 6:00pm-7:00pm PDT
6:00 pm
♪ judy: good. in the newshour tonight. message to moscow -- the biden administration imposes a new set of sanctions on russia for election interference. and then insurrection aftermath -- the inspector general for the capitol police testifies on their failure to prepare officers for the violent mob of trump supporters on january sixth. plus, the longest war. the secretary of state visits afghanistan as the united states prepares to withdraw troops from the country after nearly two decades. and critical care. we look at how canada's universal health care system largely avoided the death toll
6:01 pm
and strain on hospitals wrought by covid-19 in the us. >> it's exposed in every country the places where you built something strong from the foundations up, and it's also exposed the places where you're running around trying to patch things on in order to make it work. >> all that and more on tonight's "pbs newshour." ♪ >> major funding has been provided by >> before we talk about your investments, what is new? audrey is expecting to read >> twins. >> changing plans. >> at fidelity, a change in plans is always part of the plan. >> johnson and johnson. bnsf railway.
6:02 pm
consumer cellular. investments in transformative leaders and ideas. carnegie corporation of new york. supporting innovations, democratic engagement, and the advancement of security. at carnegie.org. and from the ongoing support of these institutions and individuals. ♪ this program possible by the corporation for public
6:03 pm
broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. judy: president biden announced a series of tough new sanctions against russia today, as the historic adversaries confront one another yet again. in cyberspace, and on the ground in europe the sanctions target individuals and the state itself. despite today's moves, mr. biden tried to strike a conciliatory tone at the white house this afternoon. >> the united states is not looking to kick off a cycle of escalation and conflict wit h russia. we want a stable and preditable relationship. throughout our long history of competition our two countries have been able to find ways to manage tensons and keep them from escalating out of control. there are also ways where russia can and should work together. judy: and for more, here's john yang. >> judy, the administration says
6:04 pm
today's sanctions were in response to three thin. russian interference in the 2020 presidential election. solarwinds, the big russian cyber espionage campaign which the white house officially said for the first time was carried out by russian foreign intelligence. and for russian actions in ukraine. more than three dozen the sanctions targetmore than three dozen individuals and entities seek to make it harder , for russia to borrow money on international financial markets and expel 10 russian people mats from the united states. angela stent is a former state department and intelligence official who directs the center for eurasian, russian and east european studies at georgetown university's school of foreign service. and michael weiss is an investigative journalist and co-author of "the menace of unreality: how the kremlin weaponizes information, culture and money." thank you to both for joining us. i want to talk about those
6:05 pm
conciliatory words the president spoke at the white house. after slapping these sanctions on russia. taken together, what is the overall message you see the white house sending and what does it tell us about how the new president wants to approach russia? >> thank you for having me on the show. on one hand, the u.s. is willing to cooperate with russia on issues that are of common interest or national security interest to the u.s.. but it is going to push back on a variety of what it considers maligned actions. previous administrations have tried to pursue a compartmented relationship. it is going to be difficult to pull this off at the moment. relations have deteriorated
6:06 pm
quite badly. the sanctions are far-reaching. they address more than the three things you mentioned. if you look at what the treasury department and white house has id, it has to do with treatment of dissidents. corruption. it is a very broad swath. there is a sentence saying the entire -- different sectors of the economy could be sanctioned if things do not improve. i think it is going to be difficult to create this stable relationship, although they will try. president biden was stressing he looks forward to meeting with president putin and discussing this with him in detail. >> are these enough to deter russia from carrying out what you call maligned actions?
6:07 pm
>> they will have an economic impact on russia. i am skeptical they can deter russia. if you look back at the headlines, they have impacted the economy. of course deterrence completely. russia might have done something it did not do. one has to be skeptical about this and we will have to wait and see how russia responds. >> michael weiss, i would like to talk about one of the individuals who was sanctioned. a name some may remember from from the mueller investigation into the 2016 presidential election. what did we learn about him today? >> for the first time the u.s. government has asserted not only did constantine, and intelligent
6:08 pm
asset, receive sensitive polling information from the trump campaign, he passed it along to the intelligence services in moscow. this establishes he is very much an active agent or officer of those services and yes, there were elements of the 2016 u.s. presidential election certainly sensitive, privileged information fed to the kremlin. this advances what the mueller report -- which focused on a nspiracy than counterintelligence. what you are seeing is as the time has gone on, the establishment has accrued more evidence about events that took place five years ago.
6:09 pm
>> when you look at the entities sanctioned, what does it tell you about russian tradecraft and intentions? >> it is extraordinary. they have named ap 29, and actor familiar to those of us paying attention to the 2016 campaign. they had also hacked into c computer systems. they did not get as much attention from the media because they were not the ones that week that information to wikileaks. that was the russian military service. the u.s. government asserts ap 29 is an arm of the svr. russi's foreign civilian intelligence service. these are the actors who did the so-called solar winds hacked, a massive data breach which affected not only private companies in the u.s. but u.s. government institutions.
6:10 pm
what we are seeing now between the gr you and the svr, the civilian foreign service is one of a degree of public impact. the svr likes to do data collection. for internal russian use. the gr you -- gru steal stuff and disseminates it. they are responsible for the malware attack for about 48 hours almost crippled global commerce. they hacked into the olympics a few years ago. the government has certified what a lot have said but could not prove. this is a major set of revelations. it depends who you are asking. do sanctions prove the case? in terms of being a journalist
6:11 pm
and reporting, and makes our job easier to make allegations and assertions we otherwise could speculate at. >> angela, i wanted to return to you. president biden says he does not want a spiral of escalation. do you think president putin and is going to feel the need to respond question mark >> i think he will. i think for domestic regions, -- respond? >> i think he will for the mystic reasons strong read that the u.s. cannot push russia around. the signals from his foreign ministry spokesperson and others. you could see more diplomatic personnel expelled from russia. maybe not. you can see other actions. maybe that will not be visible to the public in the cyber realm. i do not expect immediately
6:12 pm
president putin to suddenly respond to the conciliatory message from president bynum. i think we may be in for a few weeks or months of the deteriorating situation. i would watch the situation around ukraine where russia is building up its military forces. >> angela and michael weiss. thank you very much. ♪ >> i'm stephanie sy with newshour west. we'll return to judy woodruff and the full program after the latest headlines. the cdc reported nearly half of all american adults have now had at least one dose of a covid-19 vaccine. abou30 percent are fully vaccinated. at the same time, infectious disease expert dr. anthony fauci warned the nation is in a race with
6:13 pm
surging infections. and, published reports quoted the head of pfizer saying people will likely need a booster shot within 12 months of getting their first vaccine. india recorded a staggering 200,000 new infections today, forcing lockdowns in the two largest cities, new delhi and mumbai. officials warned the health care system is being overwhelmed. some hospitals in new delhi are even putting 2 patients to a bed. the defense has rested at the minneapolis murder trial of derek chauvin in the killing of george floyd. the former police officer chose not to testify today, setting the stage for closing arguments on monday. we'll get the details, later in the program. former police officer kim potter had her first court appearance today in the death of daunte wright. she shot and killed wright in a minneapolis suburb, and is charged with second-degree manslaughter. she did not enter a plea today.
6:14 pm
overnight, protesters again converged in the police station brooklyn center. they called for more serious charges. and wright's family did the same, today. >> charge her. charger to the max sentence. hold her accountable to whatever it is the state thinks she should be held accountable for, but let it be the max. we can't have him back . so why should she get back in her life? >> also today, chicago officials released body-cam video of an officer fatally shooting a 13-year-old latino boy last month. a still frame appears to show adam toledo with empty hands raised just before he was shot. investigators have said he had a gun at one point. his family's lawyer says if he did, he tossed it away. >> that child complied, adam complied with the officer's request, dropped the gun, turned around, the officer saw his hands were up and pulled the trigger. >> chicago's mayor and the boy's
6:15 pm
family appealed today for people to remain peaceful after seeing the video. as shootings of unarmed black men stir new protests around the country, in florida, this evening, the republican-controlled legislature passed a so-called antiriot bill. the bill would enact harsher penalties for crimes committed during a violent protest and establish new felonies for participating in such demonstrions. critics say it's unconstitutional and assault on the black lives matter movement. governor ron densantis is expected to sign the bill, which would take effect immediately. former vice president mike pence has had a heart pacemaker implanted. his office says he had surgery yesterday after symptoms associated with a slow heart rate and it says he is expected to make a full recovery. the economy is showing new signs of strength. new claims for unemployment benefits have fallen to their lowest level since the pandemic began.
6:16 pm
last week's number was 500 76,000. down from in january. 900,000 still to come on the "newshour" the capitol police inspector general testifies to congress on the failures leading up to the secretary of state visits january 6. afghanistan as the u.s. prepares to finally withdraw troops former republican house speaker john boehner offers harsh criticism of his own party. plus much more. ♪ >> this is the pbs. from w eta studios in washington anin the west from the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. judy: lawmakers today continued to assemble their picture of what went wrong on january 6. an internal watchdog testified about his ongoing review of us capitol police and shared his initial conclusions abouwhy
6:17 pm
their defense of the building failed that day. lisa desjardins has that. >> blue sky above. dark security fencing still on the ground. capitol hill today focused on the most blistering report yet about its own security failure. >> simply stated, capitol police were overrun, they weren't prepared for an insurrection, and i'll lay blame at the feet of capitol police leadership. >> in a virtual hearing, house members expressed dismay to the man whose report found broad problems within capitol police. >> those areas are intelligence, training, operational planning, and culture change. >> michael bolton, inspector general for the capitol police. has spent the past three months looking at the failures of january sixth. when pro-trump and anti-government rioters stormed the building, overpowering police, taking over the senate chamber itself and coming within footsteps of members of
6:18 pm
congress. five people died in the clash, including a capitol police officer. two other officers involved died by suicide in the days after. among the issues now revealed: write shield. some shattered due to bad storage and a ban from higher-ups on using some nonlethal weapons. like crowd-control grenades. bolton said that cost police. >> it certainly it would have provided the dept a better posture to repel the attackers, it would have put them in a better position. >> other issues, too few officers in place. >> certainly the numbers that they had were not sufficient. >> an utter failure on intelligence. and a need to shift its culture and mindset. >> we see that the department needs to move away from the thought and process a traditional police department and a move to the posture of a protective agency. >> bolton is not releasing his full report because it contains sensitive security information. but he has made these summaries public, along with his more than 30 recommendations to the force.
6:19 pm
many read like fundamentals of policing, like this that in the one future capitol police prepare and stage equipment ahead of events. and this that they provide , training in how to “better understand intelligence assessments. overall it is a picture of , disorganization - a force lacking clear roles, communication paths and sometimes even operating like the civil disturbance unit procedure for key areas assigned to handle protests and riots. north carolina representative g.k. butterfield summarized. >> we have a lot of work to do. >> that includes untangling january 6. several committees are investigating but there is so far no commission or higher-level review underway. for the pbs newshour, i'm lisa desjardins. ♪ judy: now to afghanistan, where
6:20 pm
the president's decision to withdraw american forces reverberates across an exhausted linda worried. -- and worried nation. and as amna nawaz reports, a weakened afghan government will soon face the taliban with little international assistance. >> the day after biden announced all u.s. troops would be out of afghanistan by early september his top diplomat arrived in kabul on an unannounced visit. secretary of statentony blinken met with afghan leaders to reassure them, and explain the decision. his first stop meeting president , ashraf ghani. >> i wanted to demonstrate with my visit the ongoing commitment of the united states to the islamic republic and to the people of afghanistan. >> we respect the decision and are adjusting our priorities. >> blinken also met with ghani's former governing partner, abdullah abdullah.
6:21 pm
>> we are grateful to your people, your administration, and the decision about the moving to the next phase into the next chapter. >> blinken finished his 8-hour visit with a speech at the us embassy in kabul. >> the united states will remain afghantan's steadfast partner. we want the afghan people, countries in the region and the international community to know that fact. it's also a very important message for the taliban to hear. >> president biden's wedsday announcement grew from a deal struck last year by the trump administration and the taliban. that agreement included a may 1st deadline for u.s. troop withdrawal. biden pushed that to september 11th, the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. u.s. officials say their exit plan was coordinated with allies said troops from its member in nato, which said troops from its member nations, around 7000,
6:22 pm
would leave. coalition partner australia - not a nato member, said today it would pull out its last 80 troops. >> in line with the united states and other allies and partners, the last remaining australian troops will depart afghanistan in september 2021. >> but as afghan civilians process the news, many are uncertain about what happens next. >> it's a worrying situation and people believe that if they -- foreign troops leave the country, there will be a civil war. >> the taliban have pledged to renew attacks on nato and u-s troops if they are not out by the original may 1st deadline. i am joined by the afghan ambassador to the u.s.. she has served in this role since 2018. ambassador rahmani, welcome back to the newshour. you just heard in that report, he is worried when the u.s. leaves, the country will go into civil war. do you share that concern?
6:23 pm
>> i am concerned about the administration. however, for years, the taliban have been justifyin the war because of the presence of foreign troops. so now that our foreign troops are leaving, if the war continues, if the violence continues, that's on television. -- taliban. and that's not a gesture that they want a peaceful, stable afghanistan. having said that, our forces would continue to defend our people, our gains, our rights indignities as long as it takes. we have been mostly in active defense mode since the timing of the us taliban agreement, however, we have seen an increased level of violence by the taliban. so while i am worried, but i am really also hoping that this time taliban would know that the reason or
6:24 pm
the main reason for the violence is addressed, that they would put a stop to this and come to the negotiation table. >> but let me ask you, ambassador, because many of their attacks have been targeing afghan targets, civilians and afghan forces, as you mentioned, those forces are fighting, but they're losing. the taliban now control or contest more territory across afghanistan than at any other point in the last 20 years. and in recent months, they've closed in around major capital cities. [8.9s] so i wonder, without us help, without coalition support, can you hold them at bay? >> it is the afghan forces at the forefront of the fig against terrorism. of course, the us support our nato allies has been critical to this fight. but we would put to you to do what it takes to defend ourselves and our nation. >> ambassador, let me ask you,
6:25 pm
though, because the taliban say they will not negotiate with you, so how do you get them to the table, especially once the us is gone? >> we have been very disappointed by the reaction that is obviously not constructive at all towards finding a peaceful settlement to this conflict. one of the commitments that we have been hearing both from united states and our international allies when they -- has been diplomatic support. and we are hoping that that diplomatic support would be channeled in a way both from their sides and to our regional partners that would compel tele-been -- taliban to come to the table and negotiate. >> can i ask you about the way that the peace talks have unfolded so far because the us largely around the president they seemed to see him as an , impediment or an obstacle to that process. do you think that the us treated
6:26 pm
the president fairly? the partnership between us and afghanistan has been always a foundation, i'm going to have been a respectable one in terms of your comment regarding the president, i have to tell you the president has been the one who has demonstrated that the most commitment towar peace. it has been his platform. and at the same time, he has taken very difficult and risky steps in order to move forward towards the peace process. the united states, yes, stepped in to facilitate the peace process, the first phase of a it was a negotiation between the u.s. and the taliban. but then it also led to an opportunity that the taliban and the afghanistan government could discuss and try to find a solution together. >> ambassador, let me ask you,
6:27 pm
if the taliban do agree to negotiate with you, what is the political solution right now even look like? can you share power with a group that dsn't even believe that women should have rights? >> we understand that the peace process is process, no one, if it is a negotiated sinemet -- agreement. it is not winners and losers, but there would be would be a overall situation for the people. it requires give and take. but in regards to the rights of the women any process that 50 percent of the population or of their rights and that would not lead to a sustainable peace. that is not peace. it could be a settlement, but it's not durable. >> but, ambassador, i must press you. in the areas of taliban control. girls are not allowed to go to
6:28 pm
public lashings of women have school. what lead you to believe that continued. what lead you to believe that they would change? >> what gives me hope that they would change if they come to us to negotiate a settlement is the respect the will of people. polling has shown, just last year that for the peace process, one of the top priorities is preservation of women's rights. that is the will of the people. when you go against the will of people, that does not work. and unfortunately, we have seen for so many decades what that results to. >> roya rahmani, ambassador of afghanistan to the united states, thank you very much for your time. madam ambassador, -- >> thank you. judy: it's the story of how a bartender's son rose to become second in line to the presidency , a memoir brimming with expletives and unfiltered takes on today's politics and politicians on both sides of the
6:29 pm
aisle. former house speaker john boehner tells it all in his new book, "on the house: a washington memoir," released earlier this week. and he joins me now. john boehner, welcome to the newshour. it is quite a read. full of eye-popping stories, many of them whole areas. you do spare no language going after democrats and republicans. which party gave you a harder time? >> it was the republicans. the democrats, they were the minority party. we were the majority party. on any given day, i would have 210 r 215 solid republican votes. i would have two or three dozen knuckleheads part of the always say no caucus. judy: you spend a lot of time
6:30 pm
talking about the knuckleheads that you are also complementary. does it matter the approval is so l? >> that does bother me but the numbers haven't changed a lot over the decades i have been around. id percent of the colleagues i have worked with, democrat and republican, ar good, honest, decent people trying to do the best for their constituents and the country. there are about 10% of congress, the far left and right, that have different ideas. they are about creating chaos. conflict. joint attention to themselves. raising cash. going their own separate ways. judy: i want to ask you about nancy pelosi. you have some good inks to say about her. you complement her toughness.
6:31 pm
you say she may turn out to be the most powerful speaker in history. my question is, republicans have raised a lot of money demonizing her. is that sexist. >> it is not sexist at all. a lot of republican voters and independent voters don't really care for her style of san francisco liberal policies. over the years, she became the face of the opposition. i was the face of the opposition for a while. i knowhat it is like. well. it is politics. it has nothing to do with identity politics anyway, shade, or form. judy: you are very clear when you write about former than trump, challenging the results of the election, insisting he had actually won. and the damage that has done to the country. how do you?? explain that >> i thought the months leading
6:32 pm
up to the election, the presidt kept telling people it was going to the stolen. and then he loses and continues to tell people election was stolen. without providing any real evidence of misdeeds done in these states that were close. none. i think he abused the loyalty and trust of the people who voted for him. by continuing to tell them things that really just were not true. judy: someone you worked closely with, kevin mccarthy now the house minority leader, after the attack on the capital went to mar-a-lago. he has been very solicitous toward former president trump. has that been a mistake? >> as a former member, a former leader, i don't want to be that has been or monday morning quarterback telling elected
6:33 pm
officials how they should do their job. it is hard enough to govern today given the polarized politics. i think what republicans need to do is act like republicans. make sure what they remember the principles of the republican party are. things like physical discipline. a strong national defense. these principles have held the party together for 150 years. if we remember who we are as republicans, they will hold us together more. it is about the principles, not personalities. judy: one personality who has gotten a lot of attention is marjorie taylor greene. she raised $3 million in the last quarter. a lot of money for a house member. so have others who agree with president trump the election was stolen. what does this belief tell you
6:34 pm
about the fact republicans who embrace it are doing well, raising a lot of money? >> i don't know what it is. i don't know her. we have had people in the party in both sides that believe in all kinds of conspiracies. americans love to believe in crazy conspiracies. sooner or later, they find out what the facts are. at least most people do. we are going to have french characters in both parties. it is part of the political process. judy: you don't think anything can be done? >> you are going to have french characters in both sides. >> there is an equivalent to qanon in the democratic party? >> i don't know what it is except a bunch of people believing in conspiracy theories. we have members in the french, both parties. judy: in terms of qanon in particular, this manufactured
6:35 pm
conspiracy theories about the election, things that just don't bear any -- >> the little but i know about it, it is pretty bizarre. judy: is it damaging the country? >> it is just not true. i don't know why people espouse rinse bowls or even words that are not true. my book, i have a list of what people used to call boehnerisms. if you do the right things for the right reasons, the right things will likely happen. i spent most of my career, every day, trying to do the right thing. be straightforward with the american people. straight forward with my constituents, the press. frankly, i think my career worked out just fine. judy: you have known president biden for decades. in the book, you think he's a
6:36 pm
pretty nice guy. how do you think he is doing 12 weeks in? >> i have known him for 30 years. he is a good guy. he's a traditional democrat. he is not one of these left wing progressive types. over his first nearly 100 days, he has catered to this progressiveing, catered to the progressive wing at the expense of trying to find a way to work in a more bipartisan matter. >> he says he wants to work with far, he hasn't taken that step. judy: we are going to leave it there. the book is "on the house." we appreciate it. >> judy, thank you. judy: more than 30 million
6:37 pm
americans have gone without health insurance during the pandemic. we recently looked at how several other high-income nations cover their entire populations for a lot less money than we spend. but does a universal health care system help a country respond to a pandemic? for answers, william brangham, along with producers jason kane and claire mufson, look to our northern neighbor, canada, and its single-payer system. this story is an excerpt from our upcoming newshour documentary, “critical care: america versus the world.” clark's i would say about the seventh day, -- >> i would say about the seventh day i woke up with this massive headache, just pain in my skull, my neck, my spine. i never felt anything like it before. >> ruth castellanos started feeling sick from the coronavirus last her symptoms may. kept progressing. and then one night, at home in lamoreaux, canada, it got worse.
6:38 pm
>> i woke up and i couldn't breathe. my husband was sleeping. my dog was sleeping. i was trying to wake them, but i didn't seem to have strength in my arms. and i thought, i'm going to go. and i just looked to my husband this is my time. and i just looked to my husband one more time. and then i just said okay, i need to just be brave because this is going to happen. >> 155,000 doses of pfizer arrived. >> the immediate crisis passed, but her other symptoms didn't. they were so constant, she had to quit her two jobs. castellanos struggled at first to find a doctor who'd listen, and not blame her symptoms on anxiety. >> i tried to get some food and it was so much work, i couldn't even get it out of the car. >> she captured her anguish in this video. >> i am in so much pain. >> she's now a covid “long-hauler,” takes twenty different pills a day, and sees a neurologist, a cardiologist and a pulmonologist. >> i have an appointment next
6:39 pm
thursday. >> while she has to live with this she lives in canada -- with chronic condition, because its taxpayer- funded, universal health care system, at least she doesn't have to worry about getting good care or affording it. >> that's all part of our universal health care. so i'm not paying any of those bills. >> does a universal system help more broadly when a pandemic breaks out? >> welcome back >> dr. danielle martin is a family doctor and executive vice president at women's college hospital in toronto. >> the first and most obvious success of the canadian health care systems in response to the covid-19 pandemic is that if anyone has symptoms of covid-19, they've been able to access testing free of charge heaven and heaven forbid, if you require an icu stay, if you need to be intubated and ventilated, all of those things are covered under the public system. >> martin notes that canada has lost many thousands of people to covid and has struggled in parts with its response.
6:40 pm
>> this is one of the things about covid-19 it's exposed in , every country the places where you built something strong from the foundations up, and it's also exposed the places where you're running around trying to patch things on in order to make it work >> canada is a single-payer system, though, here, each of the 13 provinces and territories control their own system. doctor and hospital care is covered, but major gaps exist. one example: most medications aren't covered, but supplemental outside the hospital insurance which most people get through their work picks up the slack. during the pandemic, canada has hamuch better outcomes than the u.s. its overall death rate is about thretimes lower than america's >> so we have built quite an effective system within ontario to respond to covid-19. >> dr. kieran moore is the head of public health for kingston -- and the surrounding region -- in sohern ontario
6:41 pm
this holiday destination could've easily become a covid hotspot. but this area of roughly 200,000 people has had only two deaths during the whole pandemic. >> that's the benefit of having a universal health care system, because all partners are working together. there's not a private/public separation of responsibility. >> that's in her period of acquisition, so that was a week and a half ago. >> once a positive case is identified, nurses spring into action. >> our records indicate you were exposed on february 14. >> with daily calls, they make sure people are safe, staying home and not spreading the virus >> all right, so you haven't travelled outside of the province in the last 14 days? >> public health departments can levy serious penalties if you don't. >> you can be subject to a fine of $5000 per day. >> had only seen what was on the news, and it was all bad, so i was assuming the worst >> for a patient like amanda who tested positive last year she , got the kind of follow-up care that's often lacking in the u.s. >> i got a call from the public
6:42 pm
health every day. -- health nurse every day. and if i was having a bad day it was a couple of times. any questions i had, she would find out and get back to me. >> canada's system has also largely avoided what we saw in certain parts of america. hospitals being overrun, and straining to care for a surge of covid patients. >> we haven't experienced anything like colleagues in places like new york city have experienced or elsewhere in the world where they were hit the hardest. >> dr. hannah wunsch works in critical care medicine at sunnybrook health sciences in toronto. because hospitals here operate within a coordinated system -- >> it has been really busy. >> and oversight board like this can shift patients from stressed one facilities to those with extra capacity. >> we have over 50 patients in the hospital, 15 in the unit, 14 ventilated. >> that often didn't happen in places like new york during the early days of the pandemic. >> baseline, u.s. hospitals and
6:43 pm
health networks are very much competing against each other. and so while many of them have learned to function together over time out of necessity, it's not baked into the system, it's not inherent to the way they function in normal times. >> but canada's experience also shows the gaps that can occur when a country achieves universal care but stops there. canada has seen many of the same problems we've seen in the u.s., with our fragmented system. the vast majority of canada's covid-19 deaths -- roughly 70% -- have occurred in long-term care facilities, most of which aren't a part of the public system. the toll has also been particularly hard on marginalized communities. >> really, to me, what covid has exposed is that the preexisting condition has been chronic neglect. >> dr. andrew boozary teaches public health and also works at a clinic serving people
6:44 pm
experiencing homelessness. >> we can't say we have a perfect system. when we think about shortcomings to drug access. the social support taking place. we can't say we have completely figured this out. really, when you think about the brunt of who has had to be punished by our failure to do so, it's been marginalized communities, racialized populations. and really, people living in poverty. >> and then there's the issue of vaccines. if there is anyone in canada who should be near the top of the list for vaccination, it's 80 year old breast cancer patient ruth ann wharram. her cancer care, she says, has been superb. >> out of this world, fantastic. i have been so blessed. >> but she, like millions of other older, medically vulnerable canadians, was still waiting to get a vaccine in late when we visited. february a complicated negotiation with vaccine
6:45 pm
manufacturers and a failure to invest in its own drug production and delivery put canada far behind the u.s. and today, only 2 percent of canada's population has been fully vaccinated compared to roughly 22 percent of americans. >> there is your guide. >> that is my doctor. but wharram's son, c.c. (who's a is glad his mother lives in professor in the u.s. canada. >> with the death rates in the states compared to what we've had here, i guess i'd rather be waiting for a vaccine than have three times the per capita deaths, that's what we can sort of look at. >> ruth ann was confident the vaccine issues would be smoothed out soon. she told us how angry it makes her when she hears politicians in the u.s. demonize her nation's healthcare system. >> why wouldn't it make me angry? i have this ability to go to a doctor when i need it, and not just me, but my next door neighbor who is working at mcdonald's on a low income wage,
6:46 pm
is the system down in the states why so adamant against it? i can't understand that, i just can't understand it. >> we have a common border but have two very different outlooks. as yet another spike of infections hit both countries -- with new variants spreading quickly -- several canadian provinces have imposed new restrictions. while in it's largely full steam america it's largely full steam ahead re-open. , for the pbs newshour, i'm william brangham. judy: our full documentary, "critical care: america versus the world" airs on pbs stations starting april 21. ♪ the trial of former police officer derek chauvin is nearing its conclusion. chauvin is charged with murder
6:47 pm
in the death of george floyd last may. the trial is being watched closely, not only in minnesota, but all around the country and internationally. the defense finished calling its witnesses. special correspondent fred de sam lazaro has our report. >> the final day of testimony in derek chauvin's trial began with confirmation that the defendant himself would not testify. >> is this your decision not to testify? >> it is. with that the defense rested their case. but the prosecution asked for pulmonologist dr. martin tobin, who testified last thursday, to retake the stand. the state hoped to rebut some points defense expert witness dr. david fowler made in testimony yesterday, particularly whether carbon monoxide from the police car exhaust could have been a factor in george floyd's death. >> so in other words, as to the statement that his carboxyhemoglobin could've increased by 10-18 percent, in your view that's not possible. >> is -- it is simply wrong.
6:48 pm
>> and it was at most 2%. >> at most 2%. >> normal? >> which is normal. >> the prosecution also sought to refute fowler's claim that there is aack of research on narrowing of the hypopharynx, an area critical for breathing, due to outside pressure. >> there is about probably at least a dozen, maybe 20 studies that show the relationship between how that if lower size of the lungs, you must get a decrease in the size of the hypopharynx, all studies show that. >> after brief questioning of tobin, the prosecution rested its case as well. >> members of the jury, the information is now complete. >> closing arguments will begin monday morning with jury deliberations to follow. for the pbs newshour, i'm fred de sam lazaro.
6:49 pm
♪ judy: finally tonight, the latest selection for our “now read this” book club. jessica bruder's “nomadland” documents a growing phenomenon in the country and was the inspiration for the new movie of the same name. just this weekhe film was the big winner at the british and later this month it vies at academy film awards. the oscars with nominations for best picture, director chloe zhao and actress frances mcdormand. jeffrey brown has our book conversation for our ongoing arts and culture series, canvas. >> ithe new drama “nomadland,” we meet a group of mostly older americans who've lost jobs, savings and homes in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. several of the key characters are played by real nomads whose lives were first captured in the non-fiction book on which the film is based. “nomadland: surviving america in
6:50 pm
the 21st century.” author jessica bruder spent several years immersed in this life. i asked her to describe what she called >> -- a new wandering tribe. >> these are people who got caught between flat wages and rising rents in the failures of retirement finance in the collapses of the great recession. they are people who realize that for most americans, our biggest cost is housing and decided that if they gave up traditional housing and moved into a van an rv, in some cases a sedan, that they could live a life that would be in some ways simpler, traveling from place to place and getting different seasonal jobs all over the country. >> the subtitle of the book is surviving america in the twenty first century. that word survival. how did people manage it?? >> i remember talking to this woman, linda may, who is the main character in the book, and she was telling me that with so much ageism in the workplace, she was shocked to go online and
6:51 pm
realize that some of these jobs for seasonal workers, were hiring and wanted 50 plus people like her. so i think a lot of the people i met were using this lifestyle as a hack to get around the economic impossibilies that a lot of americans are facing today. and that made them incredibly creative and resilient. >> and so you're describing pele working in amazon warehouses, seasonal work in national parks. tell us a little bit about the workplaces. >> peoe find seasonal jobs that cater to rvers and van dwellers all over e country. one of these is amazon's camper force. amazon hires rvers and van dwellers to help during the busiest season when they're ramping up for christmas and they have this whole program that caters to those workers.) they also work at the annual sugar beet harvest. that's a tough job, bringing in these sugar beets, usually working to pile them up and
6:52 pm
spending 12 hours at a time walking on concrete. there are many other jobs. people work at campgrounds as hosts, bringing in people, hauling out trash, you name it, i know, two older people who broke their ribs on that job. so so a lot of these jobs seem, you know, fun and temporary, but they are pretty challenging. >> notable in the film is that several of the characters you profiled play themselves in the film. i wonder, have you stayed in touch with them and what are they saying about it. >> oh absolutely. i introduced most of them to the filmmakers. and i remember when linda may was first on set, she would send me texts with all sorts of photographs, just telling me how it was. so we have stayed in touch and they had a good experience and i'm blown away by how well they all did on screen. that has been exciting to see. >> you reported this book durin the obama years. the film gets made during the trump years. it comes out amid another change . how did the politics of our time
6:53 pm
fit into the narrative in this story you're telling? >> i thi everybody including people on the road, would be better off if we had a minimum wage that was also a living wage that would make it possible to provide for whatever kind of housing you're in and your medical bills and everything else. so i know where we're talking about that a lot in this moment. there is a fight for 15. and at the same time, i don't know that 15 dollars is enough in some parts of the country. and this is a long standing battle. it is something we have to pay attention to. >> and are these nomads still out there on the roads or perhaps in our cities, in their vans unseen by many of us? >> absolutely. still out there and buy also it's of anecdotal at -- by all sorts of accounts i'm concerned because anti van dwelling laws in cities seem to be picking up speed. we're getting more and more of those, the criminalization of houselessness. and these are two trends i really hope we don't see collide. >> and finally, this is immersive journalism, right?
6:54 pm
this is how you work, you you live the life, you got a van, you took on many of the jobs yourself. [00:06:09][14.9] >> it was fantastic, not because i thought i was going to magically turn into a van dweller, but by spending that much time up close, i really felt like it helped me understand what i needed to know to do justice to other people's stories. >> all right. the book is nomadland. judy: judy: and after tonight's newshour, tune in online at 7 p.m. eastern for a live conversation with jessica bruder when she'll answer your questions about the book. you can find that conversation on our facebook and youtube pages, as well as our website, and that's the newshour for tonight. i am judy woodruff. join us on-line and again here for all of us at the pbs tomorrow evening. for all of us at the pbs newshour, thank you and see you soon. >> major funding for the pbs
6:55 pm
news hour has been provided by -- >> consumer cellular's goal has been to provide service that helps people connect. we offer a variety of no contract plans. to learn more, visit consumer cellular. >> johnson and johnson. bnsf railway. the ford foundation, working with visionaries on the front line of social change worldwide. >> the alfred p sloan foundation. driven by the promise of great ideas. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions. and friends of the newshour.
6:56 pm
this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station. thank you. ♪ this is pbs newshour west. from w eta studios in washington and at the walter cronkite school of journalism in arizona state university. ♪ ♪ is your family ready for an emergency? you can prepare by mapping out two ways to escape your home,
6:57 pm
6:59 pm
7:00 pm
batteries and first aid kit are a good start intro music plays chef vivian- when i was a kid we had a small strawberry patch around our pump house. i cared for, picked, sugared, crushed, all the strawberries that came out that little garden. strawberry shortcake made from those berries is something i will always remember and the benchmark for every strawberry dessert i try. the avett brothers perform "will you return" chef vivian-i'm vivian and i'm a chef. my husband ben and i were working for some of the best chefs in new york city when my parents offered to help us open our own restaurant. of course, there was a catch. we had to open this restaurant in eastern north carolina,
77 Views
IN COLLECTIONS
KQED (PBS) Television Archive Television Archive News Search Service The Chin Grimes TV News ArchiveUploaded by TV Archive on