>> good evening. after the verdict. the country in the world reacts to the conviction of derek chauvin. we talk with george floyd's family. then, putin and protest. from behind bars to streets across russia. support for a jailed opposition leader sparks calls for change. plus, the road ahead. we discuss the biden ministrations plans to combat climate change with the new epa administrator. >> this is a real opportunity for american job creation. but it's also an opportunity to harness the advancements in technologies. judy: all that and more on

tonight's pbs newshour. ♪ >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by -- ♪ moving our economy for 160 years, bnsf, the engine that connects us. ♪ consumer cellular. johnson & johnson. ♪

supporting social wants per norse and their solutions to the world's most pressing problems. ♪ the lemelson foundation, committed to improving lives through invention in the u.s. and developing countries. ♪ supported by the john dee and catherine t macarthur foundation, committed to building a more just and peaceful world. more information online. ♪ 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 vwers like you. thank you. ♪ judy: the conviction of a white former police officer for

killing george floyd is still echoing tonight. a minneapolis jury found derek chauvin guilty of murder and manslaughter on tuesday. it has brought new calls to reform policing and new federal action. john yang reports. john: less than 24 hours after derek chauvin was convicted, u.s. attorney general merrick garland said the government was reviewing the minneapolis police. >> the justice department has opened a civil investigation to determine whether the minneapolis police department engages in a pattern or practice of unconstitutional or unlawful policing. john: the inquiry could lead to a court supervised agreement to force changes on the department, a practice limited during the trump administration. both minneapolis police chief and the city council welcome today's announcement. the council called for the justice department to use its full authority to hold the police accountable.

across the city tuesday, jubilation when the guilty verdicts were announced. [inaudible] minneapolis resident. >> it was a big thing when we got that gratification. not necessarily saying that that eases the pain of the floyd family. but it does give a little bit of gratification. john: a leading racial justice activist in minneapolis said despite the verdict, there is still much to be done. >> we don't need more reports. we don't need morbusiness as usual. we need tangible action steps that lead to tangible outcomes that will make black people, indigenous people, latinx people feel safe. john: in his remarks after the verdict, president biden also called for more action. >> we can't stop here. in order to deliver real change and reform, we can and we must do more to reduce the likelihood

that tragedies like this will ever happen again. john: there were fresh incidents across the country. minutes before the show been verdict was delivered, police in columbus shot and killed a black 16-year-old girl who was holding a knife. authorities released body camera video which appear to show the girl lunging at another woman before police fired. the killing sent hundreds of people into the streets of columbus to protest. today, in elizabeth city, a sheriff's deputy fatally shot a man as officers sought to execute a search warrant. local reports said officers fired as a man tried to drive away. on capitol hill, chuck schumer urged colleagues to address policing nationwide by passing a bill name for george floyd. >> we must remain diligent in our efforts to bring meaningful change to police department's across the country. two reform practices and training. the legal protections that grant

too great a shield to police officers guilty of misconduct. john: john kennedy of louisiana, a member of the judiciary committee, said the verdict should not be used to condemn all police. >> a radical jihadist happens to be a muslim, close the school -- we are told not to judge the acts of all muslims by the acts of a few. i agree with that. how come the same rule doesn't apply to police officers? john: derek chauvin, now behind bars as a convicted murderer, will be sentenced into two months. the most serious charge, second-degree murder, carries a maximum punishment of 40 years in prison. i'm john yang. judy: earlier today, one of george floyd's brothers and the family attorney spoke with us. >> i'm joined now by george

floyd's brother as well as the floyd family attorney. thank you both for being here. you were in the courtroom when this verdict was read. take me into the moments before and after this verdict. what did it feel like, what did it mean? >> i was really nervous. i just got up. i was pacing back and forth. the attorney and my wife were like, whatever you need to do to be comfortable, just do it. if you need to pace, do it. i did it until we had to get into the courtroom. as soon as i got in there, i prayed. i prayed for over 30 minutes because it took the jury and the judge to come out. lord, when i heard guilty, guilty, guilty, i was ecstatic. i was excited.

i just didn't know what to do. people of color never get justice for anything. at this time, i think that the world can breathe now because they all stood behind george. through pandemic, through covid marches. justice for george means freedom for all. >> it's true that people really did stand up for your brother. i want to stick with you and ask, how is george floyd's daughter doing? what was her reaction? what do you hope the verdict means for the world that she will grow up in when it comes to police accountability? >> i think she will be exceptional. she predicted this. she said her dad would change the world. like i always say, we are big on faith. we pray a lot. we speak things into existence. gianna is her father. she laughs just like him. she has charisma. that's the thing that separates them from a lot of people.

they know how to come into a room and just fill it up with love. i just love her so much. >> i want to ask you, the attorney general of minnesota said justice would be george floyd still being alive. what do you make of that? what do you make of the fact that it took so much to convict this officer? you represented so ny families who did not have accountability happen in their cases. >> surely. in response to the attorneys revelation about justice would be george not being dead, i'm reminded that for -- they have become the comforters and counselors to daunte wright's family who was killed while they were in court on the chauffeur and trial.

i'm reminded of that because at the first joint press conference, dante's mother said justice would be my son coming through the front door with that big smile on his face. that's not happening because he's dead. we can't get justice. all we can get is accountability. i agree wholeheartedly with the attorney general who did a masterful job. prosecuting this police officer for killing george floyd. >> i want to ask you about darnella frazier and the people who stood by and pleaded for your mother's life. the 17-year-old film the video that went viral and change the world. how much are you thinking about her and all the people who rallied around your brother? what do you think we should take away from the role that they play? >> i think about them every day. i know that my brother was just another dead person if it wasn't

for her. she had the video that laid out all the facts. we did not even need a lawyer to go in there. the facts were there. right now, people really believe that the land that we live on is for the free. people are fighting to get here. if people are going to fight here, we need the standards higher. derek chauvin was the law. he's not above the law. he has to understand now that he will have to sit in that cell into his time just like my brother is in the ground doing his time. >> you were thrust into this. your family has now become a voice for so many. i wonder what's next for you. in some ways, president biden called your family. he said this could be a moment for significant change. what do you think it will take for this to actually be a moment

for significant change? >> i think we all have to stand with each other in solidarity. we all have to be united because we are strong at it -- stronger in numbers. no matter what color. white, black, hispanic, asian. it's only one race, the human race. if we all get together and make laws like the george floyd justice and policing act, it has blood on it. rhianna taylor. no-knock warrants. eric garner. no chokeholds. all this needs to be passed. we need to and qualified immunity. we need to make sure these officers have cameras on all the time, body and --. there are so many things that we need to work on. these officers have to be held accountable. they should not show up at people's doorstep in times like this. people did not ask to be in this fraternity. but we are dealing with this. >> the sentencing for this

officer derek chauvin will be in eight weeks. the typical sentence for crimes like this are 12.5 years. how concerned are you about the sentencing portion of this case and the fate of the other three officers who stand charged? >> i believe we should make certain that we hold them to account for equal justice under the law. whatever the charges would have been had the roles been reversed , if george floyd had his knee on derek chauvin's neck for nine minutes, is exactly what we want to hold him accountable for. they are going to have a victim impact statement in court. more than likely by a family member. i think that's exactly -- the judge is going to pronounce the sentence. this is my brother, who he was.

whatever you want to do to him should happen to his killer. no police officer should be above the law. >> what are you hoping for in sentencing? how concerned are you about the other officers being charged? >> i'll put it this way. derek chauvin had his homeboys with him. the other officers. if i committed the crime with somedy else, they would do the same time. unfortunately, they have to go through this. somebody had to help. somebody had their knee on his neck so he couldn't breathe. somebody was trying to hog-tie him so he couldn't breathe. the things that i had to go through, families all across america have to go through. you can't make up for what happened. this is not a mistake. a mistake and be erased. he hadine minutes to

understand that my brothers life mattered. now he has to spend the rest of his time in a cell wondering why he couldn't stop what he did to that man that day. >> thank you so much. i really appreciate it. >> thank you so much. judy: so just how difficult is it to bring meaningful, long-term reform to the way policing is done? especially in exchanges with african-americans. why are some of the challenges so persistent? we turned to alexis carter on, associate professor of law and director of the constitutional rights clinic at rutgers university. and tracy because he, a 25 year denver police veteran and cofounder of the center for policing equity. we welcome both of you to the newshour. tracy, i will begin with you. do you think that by themselves, the george floyd case, the trial

of derek chauvin are going to bring changes in policing in this country? >> it will bring some change. i have to be honest that change is on the way and currently going. one of the things i want to make sure that we lift up is that this is, again, not new. this is something we know has not been historically consistent. yet, all the work that is happening now on the ground since his homicide is work that has been going on for decades. it will have some effect. there is still a lot of work to do. judy: how do you see any changes coming from what we just witnessed over the last year and in this trial? >> it's really hard to say right now. in the united states, we have over 16,000 police departments. changes are mostly made at the local level. it's going to be a decision that is made community by community how they want to respond to this horrific murder that we all saw

thanks to darnella frazier. judy: referring to the young woman who had a video taken. everything that she saw. staying with you, where do we see change coming initially? you say it has to come partment by department. can federal law make a difference? >> time will tell. right now, the george floyd justice in policing act is pending in congress. it has been passed by the house of representatives. that act attempts to incentivize reform at the local level, tying federal grant money to changes in use of force policy, data collection. it eliminates qualified immunity which is a protection that extends to police officers when they are sued for misconduct. a host of other reform measures. we will see if that passes congress. if it does, we can expect some reform measures. there's a real question about

whether that's enough. judy: how do you see that with this federal law? it isn't passed yet. do you see it making a difference if it were to become law? >> policing is local. federally, there's only so much the federal government is going to be able to do. it will be up to local communities, black and brown communities, to determine what type of public safety they want and whether that public safety is armed. we see this already going on. we know that it's happening in the background. again, it will be something that is loc. you feel it closer to home than you do from the federal government. there are some things they will be able to do. other than that, a lot of this will have to happen locally. judy: we did not hear race come up a great deal during the trial. it is certainly in practically every conversation that takes place around policing.

how do you see changes taking place in attitudes around race? how is that something that is addressed? >> it was really striking that race was something that basically went unmentioned at derek chauvin strive. --'s trial. millions of people took to the streets last summer in response to george floyd's murder. it's virtually impossible to imagine the treatment that was given to george floyd happening to someone who was white. judy: how do you see that making a difference? what kind of conversations need to take place? are we talking about laws changing or what? >> all of that. we see some of this happing already on the ground.

communities absently demanding that money be moved and made mo efficient, about the services they need on the ground. we see this with mental health. you will see a lot more of this. we see, when it comes to how you hold police officers accountable, community is often voicing frustration that that does not happen. you are going to have conversations and laws passed on the ground that have to do with collective bargaining. what types of protections officers get even in that particular vehicle. there's a lot of things already happening on the ground. there's a lot of things whave to pay attention to. what will be important through all of this is that we have to make sure that we collect the information and data so that what we know works, we can share and replicate where appropriate. we have to pay attention to what has already been done on the ground historically by communities. we often overlook the fact that a lot of communities of color have been doing intervention

work, focused deterrentork, without getting the funds they need to do this. a lot of this work is already happening. a lot of us making sure we pay attention and we lift up those things and people who are doing the work. judy: many people look at this and say a lot of these small steps sound like they could make a difference. we also know that at the far end of those who are frankly so disillusioned with policing right now are saying, need to do away with policing or defund the police. how do you look on that argument? >> the activists who are calling to defund the police are really calling for us to reimagine public safety. it's not just about taking away money or funding from the police. it's thinking about what it rely takes to make communities safe. if there are things we can do, programs we can find, hospitals we can build, schools we can

build that will make a difference and bring true public safety. it's not an easy task. it's not something that could possibly happen overnight. it's really a vision for what public safety in the united states can mean. that old saying, when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a male. we are so used to relying on the police for all manner of things where maybe we don't have to. there are places like berkeley who have said they want to get police out of traffic enforcement. we know that traffic stops all too often lead to violence. we saw daunte wright killed outside minneapolis last week. there are creative approaches that are taking hold all around the country. i'm excited to see some positive change. judy: how do you see this question of defunding the police? some have interpreted it to mean doing away with police. >> in some cases, that's what it means.

a big part of that conversation is, what does the community want to have happen? if it means that we have unarmed police responding to certain situations, that's what we do. the work is happening in hopkins county. it's the same thing. how do we reimagine a service that does not involve armed people for people who wept social needs that are not being met? i agree with alexis. it's not just about how we get this done. it's the funding. often, what we find for those communities who truly want something different, they are fighting bureaucratic hurdles just to get funding in to do the work that they want to do. so a lot of this will have to do with who's paying attention. it's about government, budgets. it's also about who is a priority. this has been the number one question for decades. folks are going to have to have a lot of patience. making sure that they understand that it might not work and it will have to be re-envisioned and redone.

it doesn't mean we will give up or roll backwards. judy: it's in an honest conversation. taking place across the country right now. we are beginning it yet again. it has been taking place for a long time and it will continue. we thank both of you. >> thanks for having me. judy: as we've heard, the chauffeur and guilty verdict is renewing interest in the push for a federal police reform bill. the george floyd justice in policing act did pass the democratically controlled u.s. house of representatives in february. it has yet to receive a vote in the evenly split senate. we turn to our own lisa desjardins. i know that you've been looking into this and you have been for some time. right now, it appears members of both political parties say they see a need to do something about this. tell us what's on the table and what the holdups are. lisa: it's an absolute leap

pivotal moment in congress on this issue. i want to take you back last year when we saw senate republicans pass one bill on this issue, led by tim scott of south carolina. that bill generally would gather data and figure out what needs to happen next. democrats pass the bill that you heard so much about from yo experts just minute ago, the george floyd policing act. that is really the starting point bill. it is most pushed by democrats but it contains what we are talking about on the table. let's take a look at what's in that. the george floyd policing reform act would banned chokehold's a federal level and some no-knock warrants, especially in drug cases. it would really put the pressure on states to do the same thing. now, police under this law could be charged with criminal offenses if they act recklessly. that would be a new lower standard for charging police in their duties. also, as you heard, officers

would no longer be immune. immune from lawsuits. families would be able to sue more ably and quickly. what's happening now behind the scenes, there are earnest talks happening. there are three main players here. karen bass, house member from california, former head of the congressional black caucus. editor cory booker of new jersey. they are talking with tim scott, the republican senator from south carolina. all of them are really behind closed doors. they all say they are optimistic that they can find a way forward. judy: take us inside what u know about those negotiations. what exactly are they discussing? lisa: we got a little bit of insight today. the key hang up is on this issue of qualified immunity that we are talking about. let's look at where things stand and where the issue is. the democrat bill says that

officers could be sued for their conduct on the job. the republican bill last year said, no, officers should remain immune from lawsuits. it seemed like a redline. tim scott today said he thinks it could be a compromise with the idea of loosening the standards to sue police forces themselves while still protecting individual officers. karen bass says there may be some issues with union protections as well for officers that could be on the table. they think they can get a deal by the end of may. we will see. judy: this critical moment. thank you. ♪ stephae: we will return to judy woodruff and the full program after the latest headlines.

the united states reached 200 million covid-19 vaccinations. more than 50% of u.s. adults have gotten at least one shot but the pace has begun to slow. president biden today announced tax credits for businesses that would fund paid leave for employees to get their shots. >> i'm calling on every employer large and small in every state to give employees the time off they need with pay to get vaccinated. anytime they need with pay to recover if they are feeling under the weather after the shot. stephanie: protesters in berlin criticized new nationwide restrictions to slow the spread of the virus. in india, 22 patients died after an oxygen tank leaked at a hospital for covid-19 patients. the country said grim new records today with 2000 deaths and 295,000 cases in 24 hours. tensions flared in the middle of

the night between israel and syria. air raid sirens sounded into mona, the desert town where the country's nuclear reactor is located. the israeli military said a missile was fired from syria and landed in the desert but far from the reactor. no casualties or deaths were reported. israel retaliated by striking the missile launch sites in syria where iran has a foothold. another attempt at fostering peace talks in afghanistan has faltered. plans for an international conference on saturday were shelved today. the sponsor cited a lack of any prospect of meaningful progress. the taliban had dismissed the meeting as political spectacle. there is word president biden will pledge to cut u.s. greenhouse gas emissions in half from 20 -- 200 -- from 2005 littles. that was widely reported today on the eve of a virtual summit with 40 leads. the european union agreed to go carbon neutral by 2050.

european lawmakers said it puts pressure on washington to act. >> the u.s. is not our big brother on climate. we are the big brother or the big sister. they will be actually encouraged by this. they will be pressed by this. they will need to deliver when they see what we have accomplished. stephanie: chinese president xi confirmed he will take part in the summit. china is the world's largest carbon polluter followed by the u.s.. a dozen governors want an end to sales of new gas powered vehicles in the u.s. by 2035. the group led by california and new york has sent the proposal to president biden in a letter. it would apply to passenger cars and light trucks. a dry winter has depleted water supplies inputs of california, leaving governor gavin newsom today to declare a drought emergency into northern counties. officials in the central valley

are pressuring the governor to issue a statewide emergency to deliver more water to farmers. the u.s. senate confirms the needed gro data be the associate attorney general. she will be the first woman of color to serve as the justice department's third ranking official. alaska's gop senator broke ranks and voted to confirm. plans for a so-called european soccer super league collapsed after 10 out of 12 clubs dropped out. their plans to break away from existing leagues had ignited backlash from fans around the world. the founder of the super league said he still believes in the project. >> it is required. the rest, i can see where they are coming from. other comments that resembled greediness but i would push back on that. it is simply that today

football is an economic industry. stephanie: the late congressman hastings was honored today with the memorial service in the u.s. capitol statuary hall. the florida democrat was her membered for his nearly three decades in the house of representatives. hastings died earlier this month. britain's queen elizabeth turned 95 today. her first bihday in 73 years without her husband prince philip. he died this month at age 99. elizabeth thanked all those who paid tributes to philip. she said she had been deeply touched. still to come on the newshour, massive protests are up across russia in support of opposition leader. we discussed the biden administration's efforts to combat climate change with the new epa administrator. ♪ >> this is the pbs newshour from

washington and in the west from the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. ♪ judy: across russia today, protesters took to the streets in support of the jailed and critically ill opposition leader alexey navalny. they also marched to denounce the man they blamed for his imprisonment, president vladimir putin. reporter: as night fell across russia, protesters gathered in the thousands, answering the callrom jailed opposition leader alexey navalny. >> the situation is completely volatile. it is happening before our eyes. everyone things it could never happen to them. if it happens to one person, sooner or later it could happen to everyone. reporter: jailed in february, he has been on a hunger strike for three weeks over lack of medical care. he was transferred to a prison

hospital on monday for so-called vitamin therapy. police responded to his supporters and force, resting peaceful protesters including one of his top allies. he posted a video message from the police van. >> i was literally detained for the thought of showing up at the rally. you know perfectly well what you should do. you should not be afraid. he should be alive, safe, and free. reporter: earlier this year, he live-streamed his arrest upon arrival from berlin where he had recuperated after an assassination attempt that was launched by the russian government. after his arrest, his anticorruption organization released a video calling putin a corrupt monarch, pointing to a billion-dollar palace he owned on the black sea. within a day, the video had more than 20 million views and has now been seen more than 150 million times. >> he's an autocrat. reporter: he has been active in russian politics for a decade.

in 2012, margaret warner interviewed him when he started his campaign against putin, calling his party corrupt. in 20, he was followed during his campaign for president. >> we have to say, ok, we are very sorry. we've gathered here to say we are going to ask these questions and we obtain the answers. >> at the end of the day, there are millions of people in russia who fundamentally reject putin. they want russia to become a normal european country. there are millions of people in pressure who share our vision. reporter: a russian opposition politician himself has survived two assassination attempts by putin's government. he also says the crackdown in recent years is a sign of his weakness. >> why is he so if right to allow the opposition on the ballot? this is not the behavior of

somebody who is popular and strong. this is the behavior of some but he who is weak and very insecure. reporter: today in moscow, putin said threats to russian national security would not go unchallenged. >> initiators of any provocations threatening our core national security interests are going to regret what they did in a way they haven't regretted anything in a long time. reporter: his warning came amid a massive russian military buildup along the ukrainian border. russia separatist have been fighting against ukrainian forces since 2014. this year, ukraine says russia has gathered more than 150,000 troops on its border. the ukrainian president said yesterday that he wanted to meet putin and and the conflict but he warned ukraine would not back down. >> will ukraine stop trying to achie peace by depp academy -- diplomatic means? never. will ukraine defend itself in case of something? always.

judy: more than 1500 people have been detained so far today across russia. he told us he fully expected to be among them. at this hour, we do not know his whereabouts. we turn out to celeste walter. she served as the special assistant to the president and senior director for russia and eurasia on the national securing council staff. and as deputy assistant secretary of defense for russia, ukraine, and eurasia. welcome to the newshour. let me start by asking you about president putin. he has jailed a popular put a glow opponent and rounded up protesters across the country. what does all of this tell us right now about his hold on power? >> i think that the message from moscow and president putin is that the leadership is feeling quite insecure. at home and abroad.

president putin in his speech today tried to draw a connection between those two things. what we are seeing inside of russia, protests, the activities and effectiveness of alexey navalny opposition organization is a domestic, internal movement. the kremlin doesn't like to see it that way because it doesn't like to entertain the thought that putin and the leadersp is genuinely facing opposition of millions of russians. it tries to draw the link to the outside world, to the united states. in much the same way that president blamed the secretary of state hillary clinton in 2012 for the protests when he returned as president. reporter: let me ask you about that political opposition. putin has faced critics and opponents before. is there something different about navalny? >> navalny is a special

challenge for the russian leadership because he is not of the liberal elite of the standard russian politicians. navalny has a track record as quite a nationalist actually. he doesn't necessarily have a profile that is strongly advocating liberalism. the package of policies we think of as liberalism. his main focus, what has made him really popular and well-known in russia, is the anticorruption campaigns. very effective investigations. very effective use of social media and public reporting. it's the combination of a leader who cannot be branded as a liberal, internationalist but has that credibility as a homegrown, genuine politician with that anticorruption mission. and an effective organization on the ground that clearly has

gotten the kremlin's attention. reporter: the biden administration has tighten sanctions recently, expelling 10 russian diplomat. navalny supporters say the u.s. should be doing more, targeting the oligarchs that support prudent with sanctions. do you believe the u.s. should take that step? >> i think that focusing on individual businessmen is probably not going to be effective in imposing costs on the russian leadership. at this time, most of those russian businessmen who are close to putin have already been sanctioned. you can only sanction people so many times. it's not going to be effecti. the better course of action is actually what the biden white house has done in the last couple of weeks, which is to create a new executive order that creates capabilities, not yet used, but clearly demonstrated, to target russian financial systems. in particular, sovereign debt.

that would really create significant costs for the putin leadership. i think that is where the biden administration might -- likely has focused its signaling and capabilities to be able to send a message to the russian leadership that it needs to desist, not just on the internal front with its actions against navalny and his supporters, but also in interference in our elections and our political systems in the united states. reporter: celeste while under, thank you so much for joining us tonight. >> thank you. ♪ judy: the biden ministration just hours away from hosting some 40 world leaders in a two day virtual global climate change summit.

aimed at tackling that threat. overturning president trump's environmental policies and reasserting america's leadership on the issue on the world stage. michael regan is the new administrator of the environmental protection agency. he's one of several administration officials participating in the summit and he joins me now. welcome to the newshour. thank you for joining us. there are news reports saying that what president biden is planning to do is cut, order a cut in in missions in the united states of more than half of what they are by the year 2030. that's ambitious. why is it necessary? >> the president has established from day one that we are facing a climate crisis. it's necessary for this country to be ambitious. the president is rallying the world to be ambitious.

the announcement he will make tomorrow concerning our countries goals will be ambitious. we are all excited about his leadership. judy: we know this is going to require some dramatic changes, ramping up renewable sources of energy, cutting back on the kind of transportation that americans are use to. specifically, how hard is this going to be to do? 2030 is not even nine years away. >> it's an ambitious goal. the times call for it. we are facing a climate crisis. when the president things about climate change and the climate crisis, he also things about jobs. this is a significant opportunity for america to not only lead but create millions of jobs. we have the technology. we have the ingenuity. we have the desire to move in this direction. the markets are driving us there as well.

while it's a big challenge, it's not impossible. judy: on the one hand, administrator reagan, it's ambitious. on the other hand, it's a nonbinding goal. how do you plan to get the private sector in this country to go along with changes that many of them are going to see in the short term as hurting them in the pocketbook? >> this president has been engaging corporate america and the private sector from day one. in many instances, the private sector is calling othis administration for this type of leadership. you know, we are setting goals. we are establishing a framework. we are leveraging the market potential and technological advancements that will make america a leader. not only on the global stage in terms of tackling the climate crisis but globally competitive economically as well. we have a lot of american-made -- men and women who are rallying for this as well.

judy: i want to read to you a comment from a leading republican senator on these issues. senator john barrasso of wyoming. the ranking republican on the senate energy and natural resources committee. he said, this is a pledge that would set what he calls punishing targets for the united states. while he says america's adversaries like china and russia in his words continue to increase omissions at will. he also said the last thing the economy needs as higher energy prices and fewer jobs. that's exactly what we are going to get. >> i just disagree with that premise. that's why we have organizations like the american petroleum institute, edison electric institute, and others calling for controlling, deep controing methane emissions. looking at unleashing technology that not only we can use

domestically the cut our carbon footprint but we can export these technologies internationally to countries like china and russia and india. this is a real opportunity for american job creation. it's also an opportunity to harness the advancements in technologies where we can look at leveraging, cutting emissions, while expanding our global footprint internationally from a technological advancement standpoint. this is about creating jobs. this is about advanced technologies. this is about global markets. more portly, it's about combating the climate crisis. judy: i hear you saying that much of the private sector is on board. they want change. but not all in the private sector are on board. how do you plan to get companies, business leaders who don't want to go along with this to go along? >> we have to continually engage

. the presidents leadership has been exemplary in terms of engaging those who are not quite convinced that this is the direction we need to go. whether it is some individuals in the corporate sector who are not quite convinced or some of our republican colleagues who are not quite convinced, everyone needs to see themselves in this vision. we are trying to paint an inclusive picture of how this serves as a rising tide from our disadvantaged communities to our corporate interests. there are jobs, economic opportunities, health benefits, climate benefits. this is an ambitious challenge for us. we are ready for it. judy: how do you expect the summit over the next two days to change the conversation on this? what do you expect will come out of the summit? >> listen, the president is rallying world leaders. number one, it establishes that

america is back in the driver's seat. back in that leadership position. there will be ambitious goals announced by a number of world leaders tomorrow. i'm really excited about facilitating a panel of elected officials, mayors, governors, indigenous leaders from all around the world discussing how we all tackle the climate crisis while taking care of the most honorable and creating millions of jobs while doing so. i believe that tomorrow's summit is going to reinvigorate this conversation worldwide and we will be off to the races. judy: we've finally seen the previous administration under president trump reversing a number of climate initiatives under president obama. you and president biden are now undoing what happened in the previous administration. how much has been lost? what is not happening as a

result of the last four years? >> there's no doubt that we lost a step during the last four years. our scientific integrity took a hit. our ability to harness and grasp technological advancements took a hit. the good thing about america, the good thing about my employees at epa, we are resilient. we are going to make up for that lost time. the president is leading the charge. what i can say is that he's leading the charge in every time he sings about the climate crisis. he singing about jobs. every time he sings about jobs, he things about the climate crisis. with this attitude, it will serve as a rising tide. i believe we will work -- regain the momentum that we lost during the last four years. judy: we will certainly be reporting on the summit in the next few days. michael regan, the administrator of the environmental protection agency, thank you very much. >> thank you. ♪

we want to remind you about a special newshour documentary that is airing tonight on pbs. it's called critical care, america versus the world. produced by jason kane and hosted by william brangham. that's take a look. ♪ >> let me feel underneath your arm. >> its uniquely american problem. the richest country in the world leaves tens of millions with no health insurance. >> it makes me feel that we don't matter. >> a country with such remarkable innovation. and yet so many are struggling. >> everyone of us can name people we saw suffer to death. >> the deck is stacked against you. >> this is america's day. >> as a new administration takes

over, promising reform, we travel to for very similar nations with four very different health systems for clues. >> i love how open and exquisite they are about the fact that there are always choices. >> how do they care for virtually everyone and do it for less money? >> we are not going to do it. >> here, there's a basic level of care that people deserve. it costs but you still deserve it. >> amid a pandemic, does universal coverage help save lives? >> if you require an icu stay or need to be and debated, all of those things are covered under the public system. >> we have a problem. what lessons can we learn from abro? critical care, america versus the world. judy: william joins me now. so pleased at this special. it will be airing. one of the things your report is that the united states spends

two times what other wealthy nations spend on health care. we often don't get the outcomes that they do. >> that's right. that gap that you are describing was release a genesis of this entire documentary. we spend so much money. i think it's almost $3.8 trillion every year on health care. yet we have these incredible inequities. amazing innovation as we see but also 30 million people uninsured in the middle of a pandemic. we wanted to look at why those inequities exist. what might we do about them? also look at how there are so many examples of other nations, wealthy nations around the world, that have solved this problem. they cover everybody. they do it for less money. they get better health outcomes than we do. the question is, how did they do that? how do they go about it? how do they funded and what are the pitfalls? we go to four different countries. we try to figure out what

lessons we might learn that we can help policymakers here understand. judy: you started filming this before the pandemic. what it did was it exposed the disparities you were looking at in a way that we had not seen before. judy: -- >> that's right. we began filming this when there was a debate in the democratic presidential primary about how we will fix this issue in this country. then the pandemic breaks out and we are visiting all these countries. the question comes, how does a universal health care system help you during a pandemic? the answer to that is mixed. look at certain countries like the united kingdom for example with a single-payer system. they did quite badly during the pandemic. a lot of cases and deaths. we went to canada to look at their response to the pandemic. in many ways, they did a lot better than we did.

if you have symptoms, you could easily get a test. if you had to go to the hospital, that was cover. you didn't have to worry about those bills. there are these lessons that can be learned. the end result is that universal health care system is a sufficient, useful tool but it is not sufficient for fighting a pandemic. judy: the special is titled critical care, airing tonight on pbs. we are so much looking forward. thank you. >> thank you, judy. judy:nline, thousands of americans have volunteered to help administer vaccines as the u.s. has ramped up efforts to control the coronavirus. we spoke with several vaccine volunteers across the nation and heard about the sense of happiness they feel when they get to help their fellow citizens overcome the pandemic. all that and more at pbs.org/newshour. that's the newshour for tonight. i'm judy woodruff.

for all of us, thank you. stay safe and we will see you soon. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by -- >> consumer cellular has provided well get -- service that helps people to munich and connect. we offer a variety of plans and our customer service team can help find one that fits you. to learn more, visit consumer cellular online. ♪ johnson & johnson. bnsf railway. the ford foundation, working with visionaries on the front lines of social change worldwide. and with the ongoing support of these individuals and 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 performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy.] ♪ this is pbs newshour west from w eta studios in washington and our bureau at the walter cronkite school of tuners him at arizona state university. ♪ ♪ ♪ is your family ready for an emergency?

you can prepare by mapping out two ways to escape your home, creating a supply kit, and including your whole family in practice drills. for helpreating an emergency plan, visit safetyactioncenter.pge.com

a little preparation will make you and your family safer in an emergency. a week's worth of food and water, radio, flashlight, batteries and first aid kit are a good start

to learn more, visit safetyactioncenter.pge.com lidia: buongiorno. i'm lidia bastianich, and teaching you about italian food has always been my passion. i want to taste it. assaggiare. it has always been about cooking together... hello. ...b it is also about reminiscing, reflecting, and reconnecting through food. erminia: mmm. delicious. lidia: for me, food is about family and comfort. whatever you're making, always remember, tutti a tavola a mangiare. announcer: funding provided by... announcer: at cento fine foods, we're dedicated to preserving the culinary heritage of authentic italian foods by offering over 100 specialty italian products for the american kitchen. cento -- trust your family with our family. announcer: authentic and original -- amarena fabbri. a taste of italy for brunch with family and friends.

amarena fabbri -- the original wild cherries in syrup.