captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc >> nawaz: good evening, i'm amna nawaz. judy woodruff is away. on the newshour tonight, gun violence in america-- more deadly mass shootings across the country this weekend, as indianapolis mourns, and leaders call for action. then, closing arguments-- the prosecution and defense wrap up their cases in the murder trial of former minneapolis police officer derek chauvin. plus, "ingenuity"-- nasa scientists celebrate another first, this time, taking flight on mars. and playing lady day on the big screen, revealing the troubling history of "the united states versus billie holiday." >> it was the hardest thing i've ever had to do in my life. even the worst moments, even the most painful moments, it was a lesson in filmmaking, it was a lesson in making art, a lesson in authenticity and bravery.

>> nawaz: all that and more on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> well, audrey's expecting... >> twins! >> grandparents. >> we want to put money aside for them, so, change in plans. >> all right, let's see what we can adjust. >> we'd be closer to the twins. >> change in plans. >> okay. >> mom, are you painting again? you could sell these. >> let me guess, change in plans? >> at fidelity, changing plans is always part of the plan.

>> the william and flora hewlett foundation. for more than 50 years, advancing ideas and supporting institutions to promote a better world. at www.hewlett.org. >> the chan-zuckerberg initiative. working to build a more healthy, just and inclusive future for everyone. at czi.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.

>> nawaz: the nation is convulsed again by a new spasm of shootings and the debate over how to stop them. today, police in three states investigated weekend attacks on the heels of last week's shooting in indianapolis. >> we often watch this on television. it's far away and it will never happen to us. but it did. >> nawaz: as indianapolis grieves the eight lives lost in last week's shooting at a fedex facility, new information emerges about the gunman, 19- year-old former employee brandon scott hole. authorities say that last year, he legally bought the two assault rifles used in the attack, months after his mother rned police her son might attempt “suicide by cop.” under indiana's “red flag law,” authorities seized a weapon from hole, but a court hearing, to determine if he was fit to own a gun, never happened. >> this case does illustrate

some of the shortcomings that exist with this red flag law. >> nawaz: marion county prosecutor, ryan mears: >> he was treated by mental health professionals, they didn't simply commit him. they didn't prescribe him any additional medication, and there's cut loose. and so for us the risk is if we move forward with that proceeding, and we lose, guess what happens that firearm goes right back to that person. >> nawaz: meanwhile, a string of more shootings over the weekend. three of them, within 24 hours in kenosha, wisconsin; austin, texas, and shreveport, louisiana. around 1:00 a.m. on sunday, in a kenosha tavern, a gunman killed three people and injured three more. police say the suspect, now in custody, targeted the victims. one witness described the scene. >> i hear gunshots going off. get up out of bed. go run to the north side of my house. look out the window, look across the street, i just see all sorts of peoe running from the bar. >> nawaz: later that morning in austin, a former sheriff's deputy allegedly shot and killed three ople at an apartment complex.

police say the suspect, 41-year- old stephen broderick, was arrested today. and late sunday evening in shreveport, at least five people were hospitalized with gunshot wounds after shots were fired into a crowd. no suspects have yet been identified. these multiple shootings follow a spike of other high-profile mass shootings. let's look at efforts to change laws and what we know about their effectiveness. champe barton is with the trace, a news organization dedicated to reporting on gun violence. champe, welcome to the newshour and thanks for being here. let's talk about your reaction to that news we have now about the indianapolis shooter, his first gun was confiscated. there was supposed to be a red flag hearing that never happened. that might have prevented him from buying the other two weapons is our understanding. so what happened, there is a system in place and it just didn't work? >> yeah, i mean this is not entirely uncommon. but you have a system that in theory should prevent one of

these events from happening but an in execution if t fell short in some way. the thing to note here is that the, it is not a sure thing that implementing the red flag law and making a red flag determination and confiscating this guy's weapons and preventing him from future purchases would have stopped him from what eventually ended up doing it is possible he could have bought it on the frief at-- private market afterwards but it could have paid a difference. >> so put some of theas headlines into con exit. we have been seeing report after report of group shooting after group shooting. there was a sense that during the pandemic or lockdown that gun violence dropped. is that actually what happened? what does the data show. >> st acally not what happened. gun violence was at a higher rate last year than the previous five years or more, all the years on record we published a story on this recently. but yeah, gun violence has been higher than ever. even mass shootings as de fined by the gun violence archive as

more, four or more people injured or killed, not including the shooter, even those were up higher than they have ever been. so gun violence has been surging throughout the pandemic and most frequently it is not the sort of incidents like we see in ind yap-- indianapolis where it is a loan style shooter. and sort of tsh it is more frequently sort of more routine gun deaths that happened as part of community conflicts and cities across the country. and like i just said, those deaths were sort of higher than they had ever been last year. >> when you talk about gun violence in america, who are some of the communities who are deeply and disproportionately impacted. >> predominantly city neighborhoods that are majority black and majority low income that are affected by the kind-of-gun violence. and this is true of the mass shooting violence that we have seen in the country. and also true of the sort of

drum beat of regular gun violence that we see. the only thing, the only form of gun violence where black people are not sort of the disproportionate share of the deaths is suicide. which these are do have a chance and have proch enin some studies to be effective in reducing. >> we do know these mass attacks tebd to generate a lot of attention. the president has been asked about it. he called these latest spike in shootings a national embarrassment and president buyen has introduced some executive action when it comes to addressing gun violence. we need to look at the steps he has taken. what kind of a difference would those make in addressing our gurn violence problem? >> most of them were not any new laws that would exist on the books immediately. they were suggestions or you know, he was requiring the department of justice to put together laws that would prevent certain things but we don't have an idea of what those laws would look like. there was also an act that the federal government put together sort of some boiler plate red

flag law, not a legislation, that other states could adopt but that would not necessary tate these states adopt a law. the one executive action that would absolutely have an effect, it would seem, at least according to research, is that he played $5 million to support communities for intervention and that is more money that ever proposed to address these sorts of problems and more money than proposed to invest in the communities that experience the vast majority of gun violence. there is a pretty robust research to suggest that the tervention targeted with this money would have an affect on reducing the number of shootings and gun deaths that happen in these cities like you talked about before. >> what about the nra, with them now in bankruptcy proceedings, is there a sense that their influence is waning with lawmaker twns is hard to say.

the republican party has sort of an dosh-- absorbed the nra's talking points and this idea of gun rights, absolutism. and that is the party line now. and i don't think at least you know this is my personal opinion, i don't see a real reason to be superoptimistic that the party line will shift because the nra is weaker because this has become sort of a republican party platform plank as much as it already is sort of the nra plank. >> champe barton of the trace, thanks soo much for joining us tonight. >> thanks for having me. >> nawaz: we're going to focus even further on the lives lost in indianapolis shortly. but first, let's turn to the other major story of this day-- the closing arguments in the trial of former police officer derek chauvin.

the verdict to come is being closely watched in minnesota and other cities around the country; many of them braced for protests, marches and potential unrest. special correspondent fred de sam lazaro reports on the final case made today by prosecutors and chauvin's defense. and a warning: the testimony included some graphic images of what happened to george floyd. >> you have now heard the evidence. >> reporter: today's closing arguments culminated over two weeks of testimony in the derek chauvin trial, with both sides revisiting video seen extensively throughout the trial, beginning with prosecutor steve schleicher. >> this case is exactly what you thought when you saw it first, when you saw that video. it's what you felt in your gut. it's what you know now in your heart. this isn't policing this is murder. the defendant is guilty of all three counts. all of them.

and there's no excuse. >> reporter: chauvin is charged on three counts with second- degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter in the second degree. >> he was trapped with the unyielding pavement beneath him, as unyielding as the men who held him down. pushing him, a knee to neck, a knee to the back, twisting his fingers and holding his hands for nine minutes and 29 seconds with the defendant's weight on him. >> reporter: although the floyd case sparked debate in minneapolis about reforming, even abolishing the police, prosecutors said: that's not what this trial is about. >> make no mistake, this is not a prosecution of police, it is a prosecution of the defendant. >> reporter: chauvin took notes by hand throughout the prosecution's statements, but

notably removed his mask for his own lawyer's closing arguments. for his part, defense attorney eric nelson also used police bodycam video, which he said demonstrated that chauvin's actions were reasonable in a fast-moving situation. >> you can't limit it to nine minutes and 29 seconds. it started 17 minutes before that nine minutes and 29 seconds in this case totality of the circumstance that were known to a reasonable police officer in the precise moment the force was used demonstrate that this was an authorized use of force, as unattractive as it may be. and this is reasonable doubt. there is absolutely no evidence that officer chauvin intentionally, purposefully applied unlawful force.

it's tragic. it's tragic. >> reporter: on the cause of floyd's death, nelson discounted testimony from several prosecution witnesses, who said it was asphyxia, caused by chauvin's actions. nelson said they had cherry picked video and argued that drugs and underlying disease were responsible. >> do not let yourselves be misled by a sing still frame image. put the evidence in its proper context. the failure of state to acknowledge any possibility at all that any of these other factors contributed to his death defies medical science and common sense. >> reporter: the prosecution returned with a brief rebuttal. >> here's what i thought then was the largest departure from

the evidence. the truth of the matter is that the reason george floyd is dead is because mr. chauvin's heart is too small. >> reporter: after jurors went into deliberations, judge peter cahill denied a motion for a mistrial from defense attorney nelson, who said he was concerned about the influence of intense media publicity. outside the courthouse today, a prayer vigil was held with the families of floyd and 20 year old daunte wright, killed a week ago in a police shooting. in a metro area on edge, there were also pleas from local leaders to maintain peaceful protests. for the pbs newshour, i'm fred de sam lazaro. >> nawaz: now, let's return to the impact of the shootings in indianapolis. eight people lost their lives

last week at a fedex facility there. we wanted to take a moment to remember them and the legacies they leave behind. 66-year-old amarjeet kaur johal worked at the fedex sorting facility to help support her family. her granddaughter tweeted,“ after the passing of her mother, she never let her sisters feel that void... what a harsh and cruel world we live in.” samaria blackwell, 19, was the youngest of four siblings. her family remembered her as someone who “loved people, especially those of advanced age. she always found time to invest in the older generation.” karli smith, also 19, was born and raised in indianapolis, where she graduated from high school just last year. indianapolis public schools released a statement calling smith: “a bright light wherever she went.” amarjit sekhon was a hardworking mother of two in her late forties, whose husband was disabled.

she worked the overnight shift, her son, diljot, told reporter“ just so that she could provide food for everyone in the house”" 32-year-old matthew alexander was a dispatcher at the fedex facility and known for his big heart. a former coworker told reporters: “everybody liked him... he was always saving somebody. he was a good kid.” jasvinder kaur, 50, loved to cook and had hopes of bringing her son to the united states from india, but coronavirus delayed her plans. a relative told reporters:“ there's a saying that when a mother loves, her love comes out in food... she was a mother to us.” john “steve” weisert was a retired engineer working to earn some extra money on the side. later this year he would've celebrated 50 years of marriage with his wife, mary. the oldest victim of the shooting, weisert was 74. 68-year-old jaswinder singh had

just recently taken a job at fedex. he was reportedly killed while waiting in line for his first paycheck. his nephew told reporters: “he was always positive, always nice, and i never saw him angry.” while we still don't know about the motive of the suspect, half of those killed were sikh americans. the sikh community in indianapolis has grown over many years, and is now mourning its losses. simran jeet singh is a senior fellow at the sikh coalition who's been in contact with the families in indianapolis. he's a lecturer at union theological seminary in new york city. he joins me now, welcome to the newshour and thank you for being here. you've been in touch with those families. i can't imagine their pain right now but just give us a sense of what they are going through right now, what are they telling you. >> you know, the the ones who lost loved ones are hurting,

they're grieving, they're outraged and frustrated and they are also filled with determination, and resilience. and as i have listened to surviving family members, have i heard a fierce determination that their lives will not be lost. and that moments like these are catalysts for meaningful action. and like all groups, the beauty of the sikh community is that it doesn't have just one feeling about such a tragic event. the attack invokes fears of trauma, feeling of solidarity with all of the impact on family and forces all of us to engage a very difficult and very public conversation about what it means to be american today. >> you mentioned the police are still investigating a motive if one is to be determined. but among the community on the ground, what is the feeling? is there a sense that they were targeted in some way? yeah, i don't know what the officials will include. but i will share what we can

see, that a disturbed young white man who shouldn't have had access to guns, targeted a fedex facility where sikhs make up a large and visible population of the workers. and he killed baptist and he killed sikhs and at the en the day a life is a life. and at the same time we can't look away from the pattern of hate violence targeted at sikhs in the recent past including the 2012 massacres in oakridge, for one example. so as a community we're facing steep challenges ranging from the farmer's protest in india, standing shoulder to shoulder with groups targeted by with white supremacist across america. our faith guides us to do so in ways that uplift ourselves and others, especially during difficult times. >> you mentioned that mass shooting that did target the cirque community in wisconsin-- the sikh community in wisconsin back in 2012, among

the community, from the families, all these contraries later, how is that impact still felt? >> you know, the impact of something like that never goes away. when your community is targeted, it leaves a scar in your collective pyshe, the sikh community is a visessable, politically engaged and spiritually aware. and there are times like after niern nien and after the oakridge massacre where we felt targeted. even if americans couldn't clearly describe who a sikh is. and today we see ourselves as an active force, in building a more just, a more equitable america. and in the process we know that our high visibility will make us targets. and although the reason for the targeting may change over time, our visibility puts it on the front line gengs a regressive and race-- aggressive and racist revision of america. and i think that part of our experience is courageous

vulnerability it is part of our tradition too and it is one that comes at a steep cost but i'm prowfd, and many sikhs are proud of. and i don't see any of us giving up on our comiltment any time soon. >> our hearts go out to all of those who lost a loved one in indianapolis. and we're grateful to you, of the si coalition for joining us tonight, thank you. >> thank you, good to be with you. >> >> nawaz: in the day's other news, everyone in the united states 16 and older is now eligible for a covid-19 vaccination. that final states took that step today, on the heels of news that half of all american adults have already received at least one dose. white house officials said it's never been easier to get a shot. >> there are now thousands of more people ready to help you get vaccinated.

there are now millions more vaccine doses ready and waiting and there are now more than 60,000 safe and convenient places for you to get your shot. >> nawaz: meanwhile, the world health organization projected the pandemic could be controlled within months, but it warned again of ongoing surges. india reported nearly 274,000 new cases today. new delhi went under a one-week lockdown to try to stem the rapid spread of the virus. there's word that u.s. capitol police officer brian sicknick died of two strokes, the day after confronting pro-trump extremists on january 6th. the washington, d.c. medical examiner concludes a chemical spray was not a factor in sicknick's death. instead, the report cites the stress of being engulfed in the riot. the ruling could rule out homicide charges in the case. in russia, officials announced today they've sent jailed dissident alexei navalny to a prison hospital, but they insisted his health is satisfactory, despite a three- week hunger strike.

the prison system said he'll be treated at this hospital about 110 miles from moscow, and that he's agreed to undergo vitamin therapy. navalny's own doctor warned he could be near death. supporters called nationwide protests on wednesday. firefighters in cape town, south africa have finally subdued a wildfire that burned a historic library. the blaze broke out early sunday, and swept down the famed table mountain and into the university of cape town. the school's library had housed priceless african books and manuscripts. >> investigating teams need to determine the extent of the damage, cause of the damage. they will have to work very closely with the city of cape town and with other agencies. i am not in a position to say what the extent of the damage right now in monetary terms. >> nawaz: residents of nearby suburbs had to be evacuated, but there were no reports of deaths. a powerful typhoon off the

eastern philippines forced more than 100,000 people from their homes today, and killed at least one person. the storm is the strongest ever recorded in april. it's not expected to make landfall, but heavy rains and waves are flooding low-lying areas. nasa's has made history again, with the first powered flight by an aircraft on another planet. on mars today, the four-pound "ingenuity" helicopter hovered 10 feet off the ground for 39 seconds. it carried a piece of wing fabric from the wright brothers' first flight at kitty hawk in 1903. we'll have a report, later in the program. the world of soccer shook today after 12 of europe's largest and wealthiest soccer clubs announced plans to form a breakaway super league. it would feature 20 clubs, including england's chelsea and spain's real madrid. the plan drew heavy criticism from fans, broadcasters and u.e.f.a., the governing body for european soccer. >> at this moment, u.e.f.a. and

the footballing world stand united against the disgraceful self-serving proposals we have seen in the last 24 hours from a select few clubs in europe that are fueled purely by greed above all else. >> nawaz: the head of u.e.f.a. warned today that super league players could be banned from this year's european championship and next year's world cup. and, on wall street, stocks retreated as investors waited for first-quarter earnings reports. the dow jones industrial average lost 123 points to close at 34,077. the nasdaq fell 137 points, and the s&p 500 slipped 22. still to come on the newshour: despite israel's successful inoculation campaign, many remain resistant to a shot. how nasa's ingenuity makes space history by taking flight on mars. oscar nominee andra day on the painful history in the united states versus billie holiday.

plus much more. >> nawaz: with the world's highest covid-19 vaccination rate, israel recently has begun employing a vaccine passport program at allows immunized people access to a normality that's denied people who've not had the shots. but as special correspondent martin himel reports, the program's success in israel is not mirrored in the palestinian territories, where the virus runs rampant. >> reporter: for t schreibman family, this is the real victory over the pandemic. last passover holiday, they conducted this feast virtually, via zoom.

the vaccine has crushed covid in israel. >> are you happy the corona is not here anymore? >> yeah. >> and everything is open? >> yes. >> and all the family can be here together? >> yeah. >> this is our first gathering in 13 months and it is all because of the vaccine that brought our life back together. >> reporter: israel has the highest per capita covid vaccination rate in the world. almost 60% of the population has been fully vaccinated. another 10% have antibodies after recovering from covid. yuli edelstein is israel's health minister. >> we do have fans in stadiums. we do have people praying in synagogues. we do have people sitting in restaurants and cafes and the numbers are still low. it is definitely a vaccine success story.

>> reporter: along with the success there are problems here which americans and others will probably encounter later in the year. bar 51 is one of the coolest night spots in tel aviv. but if you want to get in you have to show a “green passport”. moshiko gamlieli is the owner. >> it's a huge sry because of the vaccination. for me we are open so we did something. but now we have a problem. at the door i have to say “did you do the vaccine?” if yes you can come in. if no you have to stay out. i hate the fact i have to say to people you are not allowed to come in. it is the opposite of what i do. >> reporter: for those who have decided not to vaccinate, they can only dine outside. >> any country can issue a green passport only after offering a sufficient amount of the vaccine to the entire population. from the very beginning of the

vaccination campaign ,i said loud and clear: there will be no mandatory vaccination, in this country, israel. the vaccination among israel's arab citizens is still low. they experience higher levels of infection and illness. young people largely avoided taking young people initially avoided taking the vaccine. they did not feel threatened by covid. the green passport provided an incentive for the young to vaccinate. if you want to have an active social life, you need the document. >> reporter: holmes place is a popular tel aviv gym. in order to work out and mingle, you must have your green passport scanned into the system. >> we met lots of young people that took the vaccine only to be able to work out in the gym. so we are like the candy of the vaccine because people take it and they can come and work out.

they want to go to nightclubs to celebrations to places that are closed except to people who have the vaccine. so i think it helps. >> reporter: nadav lev believes the green passport is denying his civil rights. he is a musician and like 12% of the population he refuses to take the vaccine. >> the vaccination is not safe enough for me. it has not been check enough. many of my musicians friends they got a text message from their music production companies going to get their vaccine they are not getting back to work. that is breaking civil rights. >> theasic right of a person is to be healthy and stay alive! so we are all the time managing this crisis taking into

nsideration the fact that we have to stick to basic democratic rule, eand to fight the pandemic. never easy! always a challenge! no text book to answer these questions, i think we did okay. just 30 miles east of here is the palestinian west bank, social distancing distancing isn force, the economy is at a stand still and there is only a trickle of vaccine for the palestinian population. m >> reporter: millions of palestinians living next to israel in the west bank feel their rights are being violated by not being offered the vaccine. from israel, the palestinian authority governs its people while israel's economy is there is a 21% covid infection rate. intensive care units are overflowing in what is now a third covid wave.

omar najar is a senior official in the palestinian health ministry. >> the situation is still very difficult. due to that there is no immunization for our people. we immunize less than three percent of our people, due to the shortage of the vaccinations. the occupation according to international law, israel is responsible for vaccination and to have the vaccines from them according to these rules. >> reporter: the israeli government claims that according to the 1993 oslo peace accords the palestinian authority is responsible for west bank and gaza public health. >> palestinians have their health minister and ministry and they should have been thinking of vaccinating a half year ago, eight months ago, nothing prevented them from doing that.

a lot of palestinians are alive today and survived the conavirus because israel was there with equipment, with medicine. >> reporter: israel is vaccinating over 125,000 palestinians who work in israel or in west bank jewish settlements. the world health organization has arranged for a 100,000 doses to inoculate palestinian frontline workers. ghassan toubasi was lucky enough to receive the pfizer two shot vaccine. >> we lost two dentists in ramallah two of my friends died. after taking the second dose of the vaccine, i feel more comfortable. i have self confidence in my job, dealing with patients. >> reporter: with continuous on and off lockdowns, thousands of palestinians illegally cross into israeli daily in search of work.

they also bring with them covid variants spreading into the west bank that could one day hamper the efficacy of the covid vaccine in israel. >> the disease will not stop in israel, if it does not stop in palestine. and israel is trying to escape from this responsibility. >> i am not sure we will ever be in a position to vaccinate the entire palestinian population. i think it is their moral obligation to their people to try to get the vaccines. we will help; we will help with whatever we can. vaksz even is proves its worth but not powerful enough to heal the political wounds between palestinians and israelis. >> reporter: for the pbs newshour, this is martin himel in tel aviv. >> nawaz: nasa has made plenty of history with space flights to

mars. but today, nasa started a new chapter: it flew on mars for the first time. miles o'brien has our report. >> reporter: when the data and early images came down proving history was made 180 million miles away, the mars ingenuity team erupted with joy. project manager mimi aung ripped up the contingency speech she wrote in case things did not go as well as they did. ingenuity took off, hovered and landed on mars; the first powered controlled flight on another planet. >> we can say that human beings have now flown a rotorcraft on another planet. ( cheers and applause ) >> reporter: mars changes the equation for flight with wings or rotors. the gravity is about one third

of earth's, and the carbon dioxide atmosphere is much thinner. >> it's about one percent compared to here right on earth. even though you're able to lift, right? you have to spin very fast to lift because the atmosphere is so thin you can't lift as much mass. >> reporter: here on earth, helicopter blades typically spin about three or 400 revolutions per minute. ingenuity's blades spin at about eight times faster. ingenuity is a technology demonstrator, so its goals are modest. they didn't have to look much farther than their own smartphone. >> the sell lar found technology and cars are starting to have reliable lightweight centers and lightweight computers on their

phones, and drone community is also advanced electronic components. >> ingenuity is a technology demonstrator so its goals are modest. the plan is to fly the plan is to fly only five flights no higher than 15 feet, no farther than 160 feet downnge, and no longer than a minute and a half. if history serves as a guide, ingenuity could usher in a new era of mobile exploration on mars. in 1997, the first mars rover, sojourner, was also a technology demonstration project. the size of a microwave oven, it led to larger and more capable successors; spit and opportunity in 2003, curiosity in 2012, and now perseverance. lori glaze is director of nasa's planetary science division. >> the helicopters can actually help to do reconnaissance to scope out a new site or actually to access places that we can't

actually access to collect samples potentially, or carry scientific instrumentation to do some in-situ science from the helicopter. >> reporter: just as it was 118 years ago at kitty hawk, this first flight is likely jut the beginning of a new era of aviation. for the pbs newshour, i'm miles o'brien. >> nawaz: president biden met with a bipartisan group of lawmakers today as congress works to find a path forward on his $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan. lisa desjardins has more. >> desjardins: it is shaping up to be a busy week in washington as infrastructure talks continue and congressional republicans navigate the various personalities in the party. to discuss all this and more, i'm joined by our politics monday duo. that is amy walter of the cook political report and tamara

keith of npr. only let's start with this biden plan, i am just going to call it the infraclimae-wqistructure plan, this big plan, he had a meeting with a bipartisan group of lawmakers what exactly is the president trying to do here and is it working? i think what is notable about the bipartisan group that came by the white house today is that it is similar to what the biden administration did to try to build bipartisan support or a bipartisan coalition to the big covid-19 relief bill. they reached outside of washington to mayors and governors to be able to say hey, especially for mayors, we've got bipartisan support. there is a joke about mayors. that mayors tell about themselves that there is no democratic or republican potholes. there are just potholes. and when are you mayor you just have to deal with those things. and the members of congress came

over to the white house, were either former mayors or former governors. now whether they are actually going to get them to sign on, the republicans, is an open question. but someone like a senator mitt romney came and said that he felt that president biden was open to discussing. and president biden expressed this himself when the reporters were in the room that he was open to discussing not just what is in the package, but also how to pay for it. we're in this period, and it is a long terd of time between when the biden administrationed announced their plan and the sort of informal deadline they have set for congress to figure out whether it could possibly be bipartisan and what shape it is going toake. so ef reef day, every few days they are doing another events to show that they are working on it. to keep it in the public eye despite a win over public and popular supports that they complain like they did with the covid relief bill that it is

bipartisan even if it isn't supported by republicans in washington. >> amy? >> tam makes a really good point about this period in between the big piece of legislation when it is introduced and when it finally, if it finally gets passed, that is the time when it gets de fined. and if you are a democrat right now the polling suggests that there is sort of mixed bag here on how popular this pport is. we've seerch some polling that suggested very popular, others, let's say it is kind of eh. but it suggests that both sides have to fight here to de fine what exactly this is. and for democrats especially it's how to pay for it. which is leaning into the issue that seems at least in all much these posts to be favorable for democrats. and that's paying for it with higher taxes on wealthy people, and for higher taxes on corporations raising the tax

rate on corporation corporations, people seem to like that. but as we know, always in the details and how people perceive not just the message but the messenger. do they trust democrats to follow through with what they say. republicans of course saying it is never going to be just those two groups of people that are going to pay for it, eventually regular americans are go to have to fund this. democrats like to say hey, everybody loves infrastructure and it is true. but the paying for it, what that narrative looks like is going to be very important for democrats if they want to pass the thing and keep it popular, for them to be driving right now, which is why you are seeing the president and vice president spending almost all of their time pitch on this issue. >> next let's talk about the very short-lived america first caucus. that is the gro that surfaced around georgia republican member of congress marjorie taylor

greene and the was reported that part of the platform i will read this quote respect for the uniquely anglo saxon political traditions of the u.s. now this weekend greene staff said she is actually not launching anything. there was quite a lot of blowback here. but amy, i'm wondering briefly what do you think is happening here, what does this mean politically? >> it wasn't that long ago that party leaders in washington had an ability to sort of keep their caucus together and to keep some of their rebels from going out of bounds by limiting two things. one their access to donors and the other, their access to good, plum committees. we know that marjorie taylor greene has already been kicked off her committee, it was democrats that in-- instigated this but the access to doarns has now opened up because of, well, the internet. and the ability for candidates to raise a whole lot of money from small dollar donors.

so marjorie taylor green is not the favorite of anyone in the the establishment but it looks like she has raised about 3 million dollars in the first three months of this year. so it gets harder and harder for leadership to keep these folks on the same page. and there's really little that they can do about showing any sort of good favor toward them. >> tam, what about the other end of the republican party, the anti-strong republican. how are they doing politically and even in dollars. >> the remarkable thing is that for every marjorie taylor greene or josh hawley who had a good fundraising first quarter, there are also the republicans, the house republicans who voted to impeach president trump, so they are in theory in the-- in theory in the dog house but are doing well with fundraising, several

set personal fundraising records after january 6th after voting to impeach president trump, former president trump and they face likely primary challenges with president trump backing their chal en-- challengers, but the establishment money ended up flowing to those people who sided against trump. now whether that will just be a sugar high that only lasts the first quarter isn't clear, if they aren't able to sort of keep up the public interest and get the small colors like marjorie taylor greene and others have been able to generate. >> just less than a minute left, ladies. you know t is lovely weather outside in much of the country. vaccines are giving people new hope. but i want to ask you quickly, in a few words, what do you think is the political temperature of the american people right now. what is the mood in this country. amy, then tam? >> it seems to be cautiously optimistic. we're starting to see an yup tick in the percentage of people

who think the country is heading in the right direction. still not a majority of people who believe this. but i think that is the really good news if you are in the biden administration but as vaccines come online, that the economy recovered. people sta to feel like their livers are finally getting back to normal. >> and i do think over the next several weks, will be key to figuring out howeople to feel. if they are able to get vacine appointments or will be frustrated. whether hesitancy breaks through and people start getting vaccinated and start going to restaurants and concerts start happening. i think it could have an affect on the outlook. >> amy walter and tamara keith, thank you for joining us. >> >> nawaz: a new film takes on the life of "lady day", the

great billie holiday. and the woman playing her, andra day, is winning raves of her own and a nomination for best actress at the upcoming oscars. jeffrey brown has the story for our ongoing arts and culture series, canvas. >> brown: in “the united states vs. billie holiday,” we see the legendary jazz singer in her final years: captivating audiences with her way with a song, hounded by f.b.i. agents obsessed with bringing her down. >> hoover says it's un-american, you heard those lyrics, they provoke people the wrong way. >> brown: there's relentless racism, abuse by men, alcohol and drug addiction. but also: a towering magnetism, resilience and artistic brilliance. it was a big, important life, making it all the more

remarkable that for 36 year old andra day, this was an acting debut. >> oh, my god. when i tell you-- okay, it was hard as hell. it was the hardest thing i've ever had to do in my life, you know? but it changed me in an amazing way. it was, it was fun. i loved every moment of this, even the worst moments, even the most painful moments. it was a lesson in filmmaking. it was a lesson in making art, a lesson in authenticity and bravery. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> brown: until now, day was herself best known as a singer. her hit song, “rise up”, became a kind of anthem for the black lives matter movement. she grew up in san diego and attend its “school of creative and performing arts”, a public arts magnet school, where a teacher suggested she listen to recordings of billie holiday. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> i just remember being confused actually, at first by her voice.

it was so different and i'm she sounds nothing like whitney houston or gladys knight or, you know, patti labelle or aretha or etta. i could not take my ears off of what it was i was listening to in her voice. >> brown: what did you hear in the way that she made a song come alive? >> it was emotion. it was truth, actually. her songs were rooted in truth, in her experience and how she perceived things and how she felt and what was right at the time. she sort of sung and spoke about all the things that women or people thoughtbout but didn't necessarily say. and so that's what i think makes her music so powerful. it's very raw, very emotional, very vulnerable-- and taboo, a lot of the songs, as well. >> what is the government's problem with billie holiday? >> my song, "strange fruit." it reminds them that they're killing us. >> brown: the film, a fictionalized account based on real events, was directed by lee daniels with a script by playwright suzan-lori parks.

it centers on the most powerful and taboo song of all: “strange fruit”, by abel meeropol, a songwriter and activist, and first recorded by holiday in 1939. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ it was inspired by a photograph of a lynching, the ¡strange fruit' of the title. >> ♪ black bodies swinging in the southern breeze ♪ >> brown: holiday made it her own anti-racist anthem, an especially brave act when jim crow laws still flourished and the civil right movement was yet to gain strength. >> peoplask me, what are the parallels between myself and billie holiday? the reality is we're both, i'm a black woman living in america, so there's a sort of inherent

feeling of invisibility and fright, and resilience that comes with that. and that stems from really great leaders like her. >> brown: holiday's story has been told before, of course. the 1972 film “lady sings the blues” starred another famous singer making her acting debut-- diana ross. more recently, audra macdonald played holiday on broadway in“ lady day at emerson's bar & grill.” did you decide to play ¡against' them? how did you feel about taking on that kind of role that they've taken? >> i saw “lady sings the blues like 50 gajillion times because it's one of my favorite movies. so it wasn't against the two of them, it was actually blending. it was billie holiday at the center. and then it was, ¡what was amazing about diana's performance? what was amazing about audra mcdonald's performance?' and let me extract those elements, couple them with billy and couple them with myself. so my performance, i believe, truly is an amalgamation of

myself, billie holiday, diana ross and audra mcdonald. and that was the goal because they were brilliant. >> brown: and day went further still: taking up smoking and drinking, to force her body to feel what holiday's was experiencing. >> i'll put it to you like this: it was very unhealthy for my body. it was healthy for my spirit, you know. she's very different from me in that regard, you know, but i felt like i had to earn it. i had to feel it in my body. i also felt like the gravel in billie holiday's voice, the sound and the tone is something that woman earned over years of her life. and so i had to figure out how to earn it in a very short period of time. to feel where it all came from. and it helped to slow me down, because i'm fast and i'm all like this. and billie holiday is like easy! you know what i mean? >> brown: in february, andra day won a golden globe. now she's up for an academy award, cementing one final personal connection: her name. it's a stage name she gave

herself long ago, in homage to the woman known as ¡lady day'-- billie holiday herself. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ for the pbs newshour, i'm jeffrey brown. >> nawaz: and online, more than a month after the atlanta shootings, asian-owned businesses in the u.s. say they're operating in fear. the recent rise in hate crimes and violence against these businesses adds to the economic crisis many of them have been grappling with since the beginning of the pandemic. all that and more at: pbs.org/newshour. and that's the newshour for tonight. i'm amna nawaz. join us online and again here tomorrow evening. for all of us at the pbs newshour, thank you and see you soon. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by:

>> the kendeda fund. committed to advancing restorative justice and meaningful work through investments in transformative leaders and ideas. more at kendedafund.org. >> the alfred p. sloan foundation. driven by the promise of great ideas. >> supported by the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. mmitted to building a more just, verdant and peaceful world. more information at macfound.org >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions >> this program was made possible by the corporation for

public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org

hello everyone. and welcome to "amanpour & company." here's what's coming up. the world's forgotten war. i talk to director sky fitzgerald and correspondent albagy about yemen and t starvation that could wipe out a whole generation. >> then -- >> the 2010 national human natures medal to philip roth. >> discussing the writings and complicated personal life. >> blplus, he has his hands out the window. dressed in fatigues of the u.s. army. he is not representing a danger to anybody. >> more police outrage, the attorney general for u.s.