captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc >> woodruff: good evening. i'm judy woodruff. on the newshour tonight: triumph and tragedy. more than 575,000 americans lost to covid, as vaccinations ramp up. we hear about the challenges to getting people to take the shot from the frontlines in texas. then, when commerce confronts conscience. how taking on forced labor in china creates a backlash against western brands. >> many companies, when push comes to shove, are going to try to stay in the china market, and will probably risk a western blowback over a blowback in china. >> woodruff: and, it's friday. david brooks and jonathan capehart analyze president biden's address to the nation

and first 100 days in office. 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. >> fidelity wealth management. >> consumer cellular.

>> johnson & johnson. >> financial services firm raymond james. >> the john s. and james l. knight foundation. fostering informed and engaged communities. more at kf.org. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions: and friends of the newshour. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: starting tuesday, the u.s. will restrict travel from india due to the spike in covid-19 infections there. the move was recommended by the

u.s. centers for disease control and prevention, and comes as india recorded a new record daily number of cases-- more than 386,000. as aid shipments from the u.s. and other countries arrived, several states in india ran out of vaccines, a day before the country is set to expand vaccination efforts. >> we are requesting people of karnataka, especially those who are above 18 years up to 44 years, to refrain from going to the hospitals thinking that you may be vaccinated tomorrow. >> woodruff: meanwhile, brazil's health minister appealed to other countries to share spare vaccines, as they struggle to pick up the pace of inoculations. the virus has now claimed the lives of more than 401,000 brazilians. the number of fully-vaccinated americans has now topped 100 million.

a decline in new infections has prompted a wider loosening of restrictions. in southern california, disneyland re-opened after a 13-month closure. the head of the c.d.c. said that more re-openings could be possible by mid-summer. >> we're focused on getting people vaccinated and decreasing the case rate. you know, if we can continue at this pace-- case rates are coming down, vaccinations are going up-- then i think july 1 would be a reasonable target. >> woodruff: we will have more on the u.s. vaccination effort right after the news summary. also today, the u.s. transportation security administration extended a mask mandate for travelers on planes, trains, and buses through september 13. israel is reeling tonight after a stampede at a massive religious festival left at least 45 people dead, and about 150 others injured. lindsey hilsum of independent television news has our report. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> reporter: it was the first

major religious gathering in israel since the lifting of covid restrictions. some 100,000 ultra orthodox jews were praying and dancing, when suddenly it became clear that something was wrong. an urgent announcement on the sound system... >> please clear the area. get out of here. >> reporter: hundreds had crowded down a tunnel leading to an exit. then, some slipped. others fell on top. men tried to get out through the gaps in e corrugated iron sheets, that formed the walls. rescue workers struggled to reach the injured. it's been alleged that the police had cut off key exits. it was desperate. most of the dead and injured were men, but children had also been crushed. paramedics took in stretchers for those who couldn't move.

those with broken bones will survive, but many died from asphyxiation or were trampled to death. many in this community mistrust the government, so were inclined to blame the authorities, not the organizers. >> the officers were there couldn't have cared less. and when thousands of people didn't know, in the back of the line, what was doing, pushing and shoving happened, and israeli government is responsible. >> reporter: prime minister netanyahu arrived to give condolences. he allowed the lag baomer celebration at mount meron to go ahead, against the advice of health officials, hoping to attract the support of ultra orthodox parties. >> ( translated ): the mount meron disaster is one of the worst disasters that has befallen the state of israel. we mourn the victims. our hearts go out to the families. >> reporter: today, they rushed to bury the dead, before sunset ushered in the sabbath. the government has called for a national day of mourning on sunday. >> woodruff: that report from

lindsey hilsum of indepedent television news. president biden spoke with israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu to offer condolences and assistance. the u.s. state department said that multiple americans were among the casualties. a car bomb in afghanistan killed at least 30 people and wounded as many as 90 others today. the attack happened in the capital of eastern logar province. there was no immediate claim of responsibility. it comes as u.s. troops are set to withdraw by september 11. back in this country, florida's state legislature has approved a bill that curbs voting by mail and limits the use of drop boxes. republicans say the legislation will help prevent fraud, but democrats argue that it restricts voting rights. republican governor ron desantis is expected to sign it into law. european union regulators are accsing apple of violating the

bloc's anti-trust rules. they allege that the tech giant distorts competition for music streaming services in their favor through their app store. apple rejected the claims. the european economy has fallen back into recession, amid pandemic lockdowns and slower covid vaccine rollouts. economic output shrank 0.6% in the first three months of the year, in the 19 countries that use the euro. but most economists say they believe an upturn is on the way, as inoculations ramp up in the coming weeks. and, stocks gave up ground on wall street today. the dow jones industrial average lost 185 points to close at 33,875. the nasdaq fell 120 points, and the s&p 500 slipped 30. still to come on the newshour: a frontline look at the struggle to vaccinate a skeptical public. how forced labor in china creates an economic fight.

catching massive waves in a new documentary on a female surfer. and, much more. >> woodruff: daily covid vaccinations in the u.s. have been dropping in recent weeks. it comes as more than half of all adults in the country have received at least one shot. william brangham explores the complexities behind the decrease in demand, and what it will take to get more americans vaccinated. >> brangham: judy, we know all adults in the u.s. are now eligible for the vaccine, but as you said, the pace of vaccinations has dropped to about 2.5 million a day. in fact, some jurisdictions are declining new vaccine shipments because they say they have too

much on hand, and not enough arms to put them in. so what's driving this? is it hesitancy? outright opposition? or more of a wait-and-see approach? dr. philip keiser is one of the many public health officials trying to figure that out. he runs the local health authority in galveston county, texas, which is right on the gulf coast. dr. keiser, very good to have you on the newshour, thank you for being here. my understanding is you are about 40% of adults fully vaks fated, pretty good in your county, better than the national average but the demand has really slowed. when did that slowdown occur? >> we started seeing it about three, three and a half weeks ago. we actually have about 50% of people having at least one shot in arms. and we knew that when we got to that level, based on some surveys that we've done, that we'd start seeing people that were hesitant to get the

vaccine. what really surprised us was the rapidity that it dropped off, within the past two weeks. >> brangham: every armchair epidemiologist around the country has a theory. you're an infectious mfn specialist -- medicine specialist, why has the need dropped off? >> we've heard it's white evangelicals, african americans who feel alienated, people are primary spanish speaking. i got to tell you, it's all of those things plus more. including the convenience of getting the vaccine, there is a perception that when we were doing our vaccinations it was far away. we're seeing that some people just don't have the time. they feel like they can't get off from work. we're seeing some people don't have a sense of -- that th

really need it. but i think the biggest thing really is the issue of trust. there is a lot of distrust coming from all sides. and there's distrust of the vaccine, the approval process, and distrust of the public health officials tharp encouraging people to get vaccinated. >> brangham: i understand you're one of the jurisdictions that told the state don't send us any more big batches because we've got enough on our hands right now. do you have an extra supply of vaccine right now and what are you doing it with it? >> we do have a supply and we're holding it in our freezers. we have gone down to about 2,000 dose east week. but we do think that we may have an increased demand for it as approval for school age children comes out which probably may be in several weeks or within a no. so we want to make sure we have enough on hand that as parents want to get their children vaccinated to go back to school that we have that with us as

well. so we're watching and waiting. we're counting our numbers very carefully. we're taking note of expiration dates on these vaccines, we have to use before august 30th on some of these or else they go bad. it is a real dance to figure out what the right amount to order and how fast we are using it. >> brangham: sound like you have to be doing a ton of public is education left and right every time you go out to encourage people. >> yes, in retrospect i think we're going to say the first 50% were easy and the 25%, that group that says they're not sure is going to be a lot harder. working with communities, churches, at community centers, we're working with restaurants, association, we're working with large employers, just going out to where they are and offering people vaccine. we're finding that we even need to reach out more. yesterday we did an event at one

of the large hotels at about galveston and the vaccinators stopped by to get lunch and said, do you want a vaccine? some of the people said yes i think i would pnl we're going to have to be going out to where people are to find those people who want it or unsure but are not really axious to get it and make it easy for them and be available to answer questions for them so they can feel comfortable. >> brangham: so it sounds like these age old statements in public health, meet people where they are and make it easy and simple, regardless where they are and where they come from do you think that's enough? >> i hope that's enough to get us to herd immunity. we know some people are hard notes, they just don't want it. that's going to be okay we think. if we can get those 25% of folks that are thinking about it,

unsure, we'll be about 75% vaccinated. and that's kind of the consensus number but i think it's going to be very, very difficult so instead of doing thousands of people in a day, as many as 5,000 in a day, we'll be doing hundreds of people in smaller events, where we have a few score of people actually coming up to get the vaccine and it's going to take time. >> brangham: dr. keiser, galveston completely, thank you very much. >> thank you. >> woodruff: there is a dark side to the belt and road program. china's massive program for global development rests on forced labor, and a new report today details the pattern of abuse. it centers on the exploitation ethnic minority uyghurs to producer cotton. nick schifrin reports on how that western criticism sparked a

nationalist backlash in china, directed at western companies. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> schifrin: on chinese social media, patriotism requires punishing perceived enemies. last month, that enemy was swedish department store h&m. ♪ ♪ ♪ a popular blogger ripped up what she called her last h&m blouse. ( ripping ) and h&m's flagship in beijing disappeared from chinese mapping and e-commerce sites. >> i'm feeling good right now. i'm feeling good right now. >> schifrin: on chinese tv, aspiring pop stars were feeling good, because their adidas shirts were blurred after that company faced a boycott. and pro-beijing lawmakers in hong kong looked longingly for the last time at their burberry scarves-- also boycotted. in their place, chinese blogger o wang xiao ming told her million followers to "buy chinese." >> ( translated ): take advantage of this opportunity to give our domestic goods a chance, we'll confirm that no one and no country can order

us around! >> schifrin: the boycott was launched when china's communist youth league criticized h&m and other companies for last year's statements expressing concern that cotton from china's xinjiang region was produced by forced labor. 80% of chinese cotton comes from xinjiang. the u.s. and europe say that uyghurs involved in the process are forced into that labor, and they accuse beijing of genocide against the uyghur people. two days before the boycotts, the u.s. and europe launched coordinated sanctions. >> we need to be able to bring the world together, in speaking with one voice, in condemning what has taken place and what continues to take place. >> schifrin: beijing denies western accusations. the communist youth league post read, "spreading rumors to boycott xinjiang cotton while trying to make money in china? wishful thinking!" beijing's backers bragged about xinjiang cotton on the runway during china fashion week, or as stoked by chinese state media. this was reported live, from xinjiang: >> so, michelle, you can see with us is a very prosperous attica square, and this is exactly what is happening in

kashgar. there is definitely no genocide, so to speak, so michelle, back to you. >> nationalism has become the new ideology in china. >> schifrin: zheng weng is a professor at seton hall's school of diplomacy and international relations. he says chinese influencers risk losing supportf they don't reflect demands to be patriotic. actress victoria song dropped her h&m endorsement, saying "national interests are above all else." >> no people, they want to be a target of the internet nationalism, so they don't want to be being blamed for not patriotic enough. so, that's also the reason that many of these popular culture stars, celebrities, they also immediately make an announcement and trying to showing that they are standing in the same line with the people. >> schifrin: but the boycott also reflects a more assertive beijing. under xi jinping, china is more willing to require companies to

follow its rules, and to claim hypocricy. chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman hua chunying. >> ( translated ): this is a picture from the u.s. when black slaves were forced to pick cotton in the fields. this is a picture of xinjiang's cotton field. the accusation of so-called forced labor in xinjiang does not exist. >> it does represent a tipping point, and some of it has to do with the particular issue of xinjiang and the uyghurs and the way that's being viewed in the west. but i think it also has to do with broader dynamics, in terms of china's changing relationship with the west. >> schifrin: michael hirson is the china practice head for the eurasia group, and is the former u.s. treasury chief representative in beijing. he says western companies operating in china are caught between beijing's demands for silence, and western demands to avoid forced labor. >> they're facing two-way political risk right now-- they're under pressure from home governments and stakeholders like n.g.o.s to speak out on some of these values issues related to china. and then, of course, in china's market, they're under pressure from the government, and also bottom-up pressure from chinese citizens who are inclined to partake in consumer boycotts. >> schifrin: china has more middle-class potential consumers

than the united states has population, and it remains the world's manufacturing leader. many companies are bending to beijing's pressure. by the end of last month, h&m china said it does not "represent any political position" and is "committed to long-term investment and development in china." and, its headquarters posted a statement saying it hoped to regain the trust of its chinese customers. >> for a lot of western companies, the china market is both too large, and the political blowback in china is too acute. many companies, when push comes to shove, are going to try to stay in the china market, and will probably risk a western blowback over a blowback in china. >> schifrin: but the u.s. is trying to exert its own pressure. customs and border protection are now conducting checks like this one, of ships arriving in the u.s. with xinjiang cotton and tomatoes. the trump administration passed a regional ban. the biden administration is implementing it. >> we've been working very hard to protect, again, protect the

american people, protect american businesses, and ensure that-- that goods produced in whole or in part with forced labor are not entering our market. >> schifrin: ana hinojosa is a c.b.p. executive director. she says since an initial ban on xinjiang cotton passed in december, c.b.p. has detained over 300 shipments to ensure companies could guarantee they used no xinjiang forced labor. an additional 200 shipments turned around before they could be checked. >> we have received very clear signals that this is just as much of a priority to this administration as it was to the previous administration. i think president biden has been very clear that the issue of forced labor is something that is part of his trade agenda. >> schifrin: but, it's not easy to know whether cotton is from xinjiang, or was made with forced labor. china mixes domestic and imported cotton, and blocks companies from independent investigations. so, c.b.p. is working on new tracing technology. >> there's no silver bullet. but we are optimistic that there

are some really good technologies that are-- that are helping answer some of those questions, and hopefully making things a little bit easier for businesses to stay compliant. >> schifrin: in the meantime, beijing will demand compliance to its rules. and, while the west will object to chinese human rights violations, there's little evidence that beijing is willing to listen. for the pbs newshour, i'm nick schifrin. >> woodruff: 38 years of marriage to the late senator john mccain gave cindy mccain a front-row seat into the adventure and challenges of life in politics. from navigating political scandals and a growing family to taking on president trump, she details all that and more in her new book, "stronger: courage and hope and humor in my life with john mccain." and cindy mccain joins me now. welcome to the newshour, very good to have you.

with us -- we're so glad to have you. so you do write cindy mccain, we hope to get that picture back from skype, we're working on that. i hope you're still there. if she is, we will continue. >> i'm so sorry, oh my god! i'm so sorry! >> woodruff: there you are. >> i apologize! >> woodruff: it's all good. wee going to keep going. it's the way we you'll live&-ri. cindy mccain, you write about these 38 years, the ups, the downs, the highs and the lows, there wasn't much of a quiet moment was there? >> no, there really wasn't. you know in the very beginning parts of what we talked about was, at some point, there will be a normal in the household, thee will be a normal in our family. and of course that never happened. it was always very exciting. always challenging. always a lot of fun and of

course it had its pitfalls as well and that's what i write about in my book. >> woodruff: i was glad that you were quite candid in the book, cindy mccain, about the is challenge for thepouse of a politician. it's usually been a woman, second gentleman douglas emhoff notwithstanding. women as you write through the book often don't have the self confidence that they should have. >> that was very much the case with me. i lived in fear of making a mistake that would somehow humiliate my husband or the state of arizona. you know, these were all certainly important things. but it was also this was undue pressure i put on myself. so as the years went on and i made my harsh mistakes along the way, i began to understand myself a little more and realize that it's okay to make mistakes. and it is okay to certainly

learn from are them, and move on. nobody's perfect. and that was something i really had to 11. -- to learn. >> woodruff: you encountered snide comments from the wives of other politicians, including first lady nancy reagan, ugly remarks about your daughter bridget. >> yes. >> woodruff: it was pretty tough. >> well, it was -- yes it was. in the case of my daughter bridget, john and i always knew that he and i were fair game in any of these races, especially the presidential ones. but for a campaign to take out against my daughter bridget mccain was just unconscionable. and they did. and some years later when she googled herself on the internet found out what had happened and came to me crying asking me, and i mean this just as a factual thing, she came to me crying and asked me why did the president

hate her? it took me a long time to make her understand that this wasn't personal, it was all about politics. but i'm not sure she's really over it to be honest with you and she's almost 30. >> woodruff: that is really, really hard to hear. and cindy mccain, you're very clear about who your husband's friends were and who some of them were not. sarah palin who he chose as his vice presidential running mate, you wrote that she never contacted him in the many months leading to his death. you go on to say toward the end of your book that she cost him the presidential election in 2008. >> well, i think there were many parts to that. and when i say i believe in the book, i will say also, you know the bottom fell out of the market. i mean things were cascading as we know. the fallout that occurred. i think everything was doubled. you know, i -- like everyone, of

course, wanted the very best for my husband. and i believed that everyone around him should be the best. and so for me, it was just about really protecting my husband, and protecting our legacy, and protecting my family. that this was all about. and, you know, in years since, i think we've all managed, always hindsight is 2020, and we all have different views of things. but for my family and for everything i know that my husband ran a great rate. and i knew he tried his best. and that's all that counts. >> woodruff: one of the people you write about who is not a friend of your husband, former president trump, who said unkind things about your husband, even after his death, what is ur view right now of donald trump? >> i don't think much about it. i really don't. my view has been about the

progress that president biden has made. and also, where we go as a nation now. we now have an opportunity to work together with civility, with kindness, with generosity in a bypartisan fashion for the good of the country. what we learn is that we can work together, disagree, fight like heck but it's not personal. i.t. comes down to what's good for the country and that's what i see happening now, see good things and very hopeful with the future. >> woodruff: in connection with that you've been very public. you did vote for joe biden for president. you also say that you're a lifelong republican. so i want to ask you: how do you explain the great loyalty that former president trump still has among so many republicans? >> you know, i really can't, other than people have their beliefs and what they believe to be true and what's not true. and i just disagree. i think -- i think president biden is a remarkable president.

and will be -- he's such a healer for this country. after what w observed on january 6th, there was only one way to go and that was up and that was by electing joe biden, as you know. so in my opinion where we're at now and the opportunities that we have as americans to repair both of our parties, both of our parties are damaged. and i'm not criticizing either side. but both parties need to remember what's right, and that is working together for the good of the country. >> woodruff: i'm asking you about republicans supporting former president trump in part because a group of his loyalists are paying for as you know an audit of the presidential votes in arizona's most populace county. it's an unprecedented thing. what happens if they come back and say, president trump won, and therefore he won the state? >> you know, that particular

audit has happened what, the four or five times now in the course since the election. president biden won. he won the election. our governor said so. it went on to the ratified by the united states of america. i'm sorry, there are a few people that disagree with ths. but life goes on. and it's time that we work together for our country. for the good of the country and for the good of the people that they represent. >> woodruff: i do want to ask you, you've mentioned president biden a few times and do i want to ask you about some of what he's proposing right now. you've raised four children. and you've spoken a great deal about the importance of family. he wants to spend an unprecedented amount of money in his words strengthening the american family, a trillion dollars on everything from more education to childcare to paid family leave in order to allow women, more women to go back into the workforce. what is your thinking abo

that? >> well, i'm a lifelong republican. and i have remained a republican. and i knew when i endorsed joe biden that i would not agree with him on everything. and so there are many things coming up that i do not agree on that i'm willing to as most americans are to sit back, listen, watch the congress act as it should in a civil way to find what's best for the country. i'm not an elected official. i can only tell you what i think. and i disagree. but i'm willing to listen and willing to pay attention to what's going on. >> woodruff: so it sounds like you have some skepticism about these proposals -- >> i don't disagree, i'm not skeptical about everything that president biden would propose. i want everyone to understand i'm a republican so i do have differences but i believe in the good nature and the ability for president biden to work across

the aisle. >> woodruff: last thing i want to ask you about, as you know there are very reliable news reports that president biden is planning to name you to be the u.s. ambassador to the world food program. we know cindy mccain you had a long time interest in human trafficing. what would you be able to do in a position like this? >> well, first of all i can't talk about any of that. but in any position that i would be lucky enough to be enabled to do, i would of course work on human trafficing. the elements that occur around this world and you just had a report on about what was going on in china are the exact reason we need to focus on human rights and human trafficing around the world. it is most important that we give a voice to the voiceless around the world and rescue these folks from what is the element of the most human indecency possible. >> woodruff: cindy mccain is out with a new book.

it is titled stronger courage humor in my life with john mccain. thank you so much for being with us. >> thank you for having me. >> woodruff: now we turn to the analysis of brooks and capehart. that is "new york times" columnist david brooks, and jonathan capehart, columnist for the "washington post." hello to both of you on this friday and i have to start by asking you, each, just for a lot on what cindy mccain had to say. jonathan capehart. she says she's a lifelong republican but clearly some distance there with president trump. >> capehart: right. and i'm glad she made the point that yes she did vote for president biden. she endorsed him in the presidential campaign but she's staying within the party.

she's not giving up her party to the folks who have taken it over and most definitely not giving up her party to president trump. and the through line through everything she said is, what's good for the country? how can we talk about these issues civilly? we can disagree with each other but not so much so that we don't see each other as human beings. that is the brand of the republican party that i wish would come back. if that brand of the republican party were to come back imagine how much could get done in washington. >> woodruff: and david, how tough is it to have that position as a republican right now? is. >> brooks: there's a dwindling herd but they're out there. i want to talk about something she said earlier about the lack of self confidence. the most impressive campaign that i have ever covered outside

the barack obama 2008 campaign was the john mccain campaign. the lack of comfort with being in public, she wouldn't remember me but we would occasional talk just to pass the time so there wouldn't be a public performance and that mccain campaign took off in new hampshire and it was down to south carolina where bush and mccain were going after each other. she was on stage when the first allegations about their daughter came out. you could see the look of shock and horror on her face. it was the look of umbrage. you saw cindy mccain who was strong and extremely comfortable in the campaign and when i covered her later in the years i was really struck by the dramatic progress she had made in just being a political and public personal. as she said deciding she wasn't going to be ruled by fear. >> woodruff: and so striking

to hear her say that the pain caused for her daughter bridget is still there. she thinks. so hard to hear. jonathan, the big political event of the week, president biden's speech to the joint session of congress, 26, 27 million americans watched it. now that it's been a few days, what is -- what stays with you from that? >> what stays with me judy is what i told you wednesday night. the idea that we have a president of the united states who speaks to the country, doesn't go on about grievance, doesn't go on about personal grievance, doesn't sprinkle his speech with white nationalism, isn't all me me me me me. what we saw on wednesday night was a president of the united states who was focused outward. many times in his speech because of you, meaning -- because of you meaning the american people. because of all of you. the folks in the room.

it was about working together, solving the country's problems or at least trying to. and that for me is the enduring image. and also, you got the sense that even with the sparse crowd in that room that could hold 1600 but there were only 200 and socially distanced, at least for me watching on television, there was ill that energy there. there was still this optimism coming from president biden, who after, at that point, 98, 99 days, had accomplished a lot. >> woodruff: and david, two days later, what is your take away? >> brooks: i think first the democratic party does well when it's the working class party and it does poorly when it's the affluent party. it is a working class agenda, i think that's really positive. second there's just an implied dks of -- diagnosis of where the country is, the implied

diagnosis is there's serious structural problems in the country, social fragmentation and social distrust. the country needs a once-in-a-lifetime investment, if it's going to reenergize itself and if it keeps wum a threat from now a global rival. what whatever you people about the biden agenda, will depend on whether you buy that basic diagnosis of where we are. i have to say if you look at the depths of despare, the rising inequality, the zoom that china has, that's a compelling diagnosis of where the country is. >> woodruff: jonathan is president biden reading the country correctly? >> i think he is. david is right, we are facing problems in this country that if we don't get moving on solving them, not only are we going to get left behind at home but china is just going to run away with everything. and the president made a point of talking about that, that

there's a choice here. democracy, versus autocease. autocracy, democracy has to prove that it can get things done. if we don't do something about broadband, our electrical grid, making sure people who want to work can actually go out to work and don't have to worry about childcare or family leave, if we're not able to do those things we're going to lose the future to china. >> woodruff: and picking up on that david, it is an ambitious set of plans president biden is talking about. what is it 4 trillion between the two latest if you add that to the couple of trillion in the american rescue plan. but he is talking about some major issues. i'veraised some of them with cindy mccain. childcare assistance, system, paid family leave, direct subsidies to fami,i

lower-income families. in fact you've written about this today, the question is, is this something the federal government needs to be doing? >> brooks: i think so. pretty much every other advance address does it. and -- democracy odoes it. we have been in a period of family decay for a long time in part caused by pressures of the market in part cause ed by a culture of individualism and culture that puts work over family and lack of money. there is so much economic stress that leads to family problems. i think spending money is called for. without having to move without the financial stress, there are a lot of pieces to the biden plan. i think some of them are fantastic, the child tax credit. that gives you a lot of money if you want to spend on childcare you can do that, if you want to stay home you can cut back to part time and stay home. i think the family leave is very

important because it shows that we're a culture that puts family over work. other parts i'm less comfortable with, you can pour a lot oof money into head start wild results. it is a program that needs to be reformed. as for the childcare, i would love to see that money that goes to the childcare piece put into the child tax credit so the parents who want childcare can choose it. i don't think the administration should be in the business of trying to move people into jobs and get parents working. and jonathan and i were told by a white house official this week that part of our purpose is to get people into, patients into job and that to me is up to parents and government should be totally neutral on what kind of family people want to form. >> woodruff: jonathan how are you coming down on that? >> capehart: i hear you david but i have to disagree with you on this. i don't think president biden or

the biemtion is telling people what their families ought to be. a lot of families folks and families want to work but they can't because they can't afford childcare. folks want to go out and keep their jobs but they can't because there's an ailing parent. or a spouse has given birth or adopted a child, and those kinds of pressures on the american family when we hear people talk about the reasons why they don't work, or take the third or fourth job, it has to do with david's point, lack of money. but also it has to do with childcare. not being able to take time off to care for a dying parent. all sorts of things that have been plaguing the american worker. president biden is now saying okay, i'm focused on how do we get american workers back into the workforce because they want

to work? >> woodruff: and david, you're welcome to comment on that and i want to ask both of you about 100 days in, is this a president who seems to be heading to some kind of success or not? >> brooks: first quickly on the childcare thing, getting parents out in the workforce is good for the economy, better for the economy than not that's for sure. but what's better for kids? if you look at the money that's been spent around the world, money spent on direct payments to parents produces more educational gains than any other kind of spending. i'm also worried it's looking like a bunch of upper middle class people is imposing a set of values often working class families who don't. quickly on the 100 days, a lot of people compare it to the new deal. to me it's comparable with the american system. for those of you with long memories, the american system

was led by the whig party led by henry clay. human catal built on the idea that america needed to reinvest to reenergize its greatness. using a lot of language tht joe biden use deas, hamiltonian nationalist language. i think the whig party did a lot of good for this country and that's why i have faith in what biden is doing. >> woodruff: jonathan. >> capehart: judy i think the first wheuj days have been a success, the next 50 to 100 days could be a second. but whether the rest of the term is a success really depends on the republicans and how much they want to actually work with president biden to actually solve problems. there's too much of a competition mindset here in washington that, to do something to allow president biden to actually sign legislation into law is a victory for him and a

loss for us. meaning republicans. as opposed to a victory for the country. the other thing is, what will determine whether president biden is a success is whether republicans decide to come to the table with real ideas. actual ideas that they can debate and discuss with the president, and compromise with the president to actually get something done. >> woodruff: zero sum game or something where the o sides can sit down and talk to each other. a lot to think about on this friday night. we thank you both, jonathan capehart, david brooks. thank you. >> capehart: thank you. >> brooks: thank you >> woodruff: as we do at the end of every week, we take a moment now to honor some of the extraordinary lives that have been lost to the pandemic.

it didn't matter if he was singing rock, blues, or country, dave robinette was most in his element when he was on stage. the 67-year-old musician gravitated to the guitar early in life. he played gigs all over the western u.s., and eventually got to perform one of his original songs at the “grand ole opry.” dave met the love of his life, tymilynn, after one of his shows. she plans on seeing through a project that dave was close to finishing when he died: a 12-track album of his original songs. 70-year-old charlie niyomkul was a charismatic presence wherever he went, and it was part of what made the restaurants he owned so popular, his daughter said. he left thailand for the u.s. in the 1970s. eventually, he and his wife launched restaurants of their own in manhattan and atlanta. charlie's warmth made it easy to build a rapport with colleagues

and guests, and many became friends for life. he cherished his time with family, and above all, wanted to be a role model for his grandkids. sherrell gorman was always on the move, her friends and family said. she was the kind of person who would "always bring joy into the room." sherrell was well-known in her louisiana community as the captain of the long-running all-woman “krewe of isis,” one of the many teams that organize mardi gras celebrations. but the 56-year-old was just as well-known for her generous spir. one lifelong friend said that, whenever she met someone new, "she never left a stranger." those closest to robb malone described him as selfless and relentlessly positive.

a sports standout during high school, robb became a much-loved coach within his minnesota youth-sports community. it was because he put “genuine care for the players” above all else, his daughter said. he was quick to help neighbors, and brought joy to so much of what he did, whether it was watching his own children excel, or playing around with them during his spare time. robb malone was 54. greg kelley “would never turn down the opportunity to help somebody,” his daughter said. the lifelong idahoan volunteered within the mormon church, and as a ski patroller monitoring local trails. the 68-year-old also relished big tasks and big adventures. he summited the “grand teton” peak twice, and, with his family, built a cabin in the woods that they all could enjoy. they said he did what he could to pass on his love of adventure and the outdoors.

and we so appreciate families for sharing these stories with us. our hearts go out to you as they do to everyone who's lost a loved one in this pandemic. >> woodruff: and finally tonight, a look inside the world of elite big wave surfers, and one of the few women in the world who takes on the monster waves, and her fears. stephanie sy has the story. it is part of our arts and culture series, "canvas." >> sy: this is nazaré, portugal, home to the biggest surfable waves on the planet. so big that surfers have to be towed in with jet skis. so big that the 50-to-100 foot walls of water can slam surfers to the ocean floor. the big wave surfing world descends here every fall and winter, even ding a worldwide

pandemic. like many extreme sports, big wave surfing is male-dominated. portuguese surfer joana andrade is one of a handful of women trying to change that. >> in the beginning, it was not easy, and sometimes it's not easy to they look to us and say, are you, maybe you are not able to surf, maybe it's too big-- are you sure you want to go? but i think it's changing. >> sy: andrade is the subject of the documentary “big vs. small”" in part a nod to her height: five-foot-one. does it make it harder to be on the smaller side, surfing these waves? >> some people don't know me and they look and say "joana andrade, but you are so small and you surf these waves?" my strong come not from my body, but from my-- my-- from my mind and from my heart. >> sy: i love that, your strength comes from your heart and your mind. the sheer size of the waves was

what intrigued the film's director, finnish filmmaker minna dufton. and, in the interest of research, she learned to surf-- albeit on smaller waves. a lot of the film is about big feelings and how to conquer them. is that what you were going for with the title "big vs. small?" >> joana is tiny and the wave is rather huge, and i've always been drawn to opposites. and i found it so interesting, how you figure out what is big and what is small in us humans. >> sy: the story is as much about surfing as it is about the mental strength and mindset it takes to conquer these waves, particularly when you have a profound fear of drowning, as andrade does. >> of course, i'm afraid to drown. but i keep going there because i

want to know why i'm so afraid to drown. >> sy: oh, so you're trying to explore your fear through surfing? >> yeah, yeah. >> i was lucky enough to know just the woman that could help, and that could help joana face her fear of drowning. >> oh my god. >> this is going to be our swimming pool today. >> sy: johanna nordblad is one of the world's best free-divers: divers who plunge into watery depths without supplemental oxygen, using only their own lung capacity. she used an icy winter lake in finland to teach andrade how to control her breathing, to stave off panic. nordblad spoke to us from helsinki. >> the holding your breath, it's the similar feeling like the cold. it's very intensive. it's very big. and, and, but when you are under

the wave, you have to relax, because if you relax, you don't use the oxygen, and then you have more time. >> sy: dufton herself faced both literal and metaphorical waves in making this film. first, there was mother nature. >> i don't think i've ever been as nervous, as a director, to see my crew all out there, in the jet skis, on, you know, joana surfing. and those waves, they are pretty tight, one after another. they don't really leave that many opportunities for us as a film crew to capture the shot that we want. >> sy: another big wave she faced? funding. the equity issue that you bring up with big wave surfing and women is probably also something you can relate to as a female documentary filmmaker, right? >> big wave surfing and independent filmmaking is fraught with doubt and uncertainty about where the money is going to come from, and rejection. i mean, joana andrade, for

example, she's an unsponsored athlete in that sport, and i'm an equivalent filmmaker. >> sy: i'm sure during the pandemic, there are a lot of people facing big waves. >> you know, joana's story is, is a really good example of overcoming your biggest fears. and i really hope it helps people overcome their fears and whatever big waves that they're facing in their lives. >> sy: “big vs. small” is viewable online and in-person at the doclands film festival in california and the illuminate festival in sedona, arizona in may. for the pbs newshour, i'm stephanie sy. >> woodruff: such an inspiration. and that is the newshour for tonight.

i'm judy woodruff. join us online and again here on monday evening. for all of us at the pbs newshour, have a great weekend. thank you, and good night. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> consumer cellular. >> johnson & johnson. >> bnsf railway. >> financial services firm raymond james. >> 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. >> supporting social entrepreneurs and their solutions to the world's most pressing problems-- skollfoundation.org. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions

and friends of the newshour. >> 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 & co." here's what's coming up. >> these are all remains of human beings. >> death and despair as covid ravages india. with the government facing criticism, i ask top ruling party official narendra ta anyway ja. and -- >> america is on the move again. >> president biden sells his ambitious agenda. what do republicans think? i ask indiana senator todd young. then everyone's invited. survivors unite on a platform for women to share their stories of misogyny and sexual violence. i talk to founder soma sara a feminist writer camilla willingham. plus -- >> it's fd