♪ >> good evening i am judy woodruff. triumph and tragedy. more than 575,000 americans lost a covid as vaccinations in the u.s. ramp up, we hear about the challenges to getting people to take the shot from the front lines in texas. then, when commerce confronts conscience. how taking on forced labor in china creates a backlash for western brands. >> many competitions -- companies that are pushing competition up are going to try to stay in the market and will probably try to risk a western blowback over blowback in china. judy: it is friday. analyzing president biden's

address to the nation in his first 100 days in office. all of 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. financial services firm raymond james. ♪ >> the john s james john foundation. 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. vanessa: i am vanessa rui's in for stephanie sy. we will return to the full program after the latest

headlines. starting next tuesday, the u.s. will restrict travel from india due to the spike there in covid-19 infections. the move was recommended by the u.s. centers of disease control and prevention and comes as india recorded a new record daily number of cases. more than 386,000. as age 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 the people of karnataka, especially those who are above 18 up to 44 years old to refrain from going to the hospitals thinking that you may be vaccinated tomorrow. vanessa: meanwhile, brazil's health minister appealed to other countries to share vaccines. the virus has claimed the lives of more than 400-1000

resilience. the number of -- 400-1000 -- 401,000. the head of the cdc said that more reopening's could be possible by midsummer. >> we are focused on getting people vaccinated and decreasing the case rates and if we can continue at this pace, i think july 1 would be a reasonable target. vanessa: the u.s. transportation security administration extended a mask mandate for travelers on planes, trains, and buses through september 13. the army announced today it has punished 21 people at fort hood in connection with the death from a year ago. army specialist vanessa guyen was missing for two months before her remains were found. in december, an independent --

they were not adequately addressing high rates of assault , drug use, and other issues. israel is reeling tonight after a stampede at a massive religious festival that left at least 45 people dead and hundreds of others injured. >> it was the first major religious gathering in israel since the lifting of covid restrictions. some 100,000 ultra-orthodox jews praying and dancing when it became clear that something was wrong. >> [speaking foreign language] >> urgent announcement on the sound system. >> [speaking foreign language] please clear the area, get out of here. hundreds crowded down a tunnel leading to an exit. scenes from just before panic set in show how restricted it was.

then some slipped, others fell on top. men try to get out through the gaps in the corrugated iron sheets that formed the walls. rescue workers struggled to reach the injured and it has 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 brought in strehers for those who could not move. those with broken bones will asian or were trampled to death. many in this community mistrust of the government, so they are inclined to blame the authorities, not the organizers. >> the officers there could not care less and when thousands of people did not know in the back of the line knew what was doing, pushing and shoving happens and the israeli government is responsible. >> prime minister netanyahu arrived at give condolences.

he allowed the celebration as amount meron to go ahead against the advice of health officials. >> the mount meron disaster is one of the worst disasters that has before and the state of israel. we mourn the victims. our hearts go out to the families. >> today, they rushed to bury the dead before sunset ushers in the sabbath. the government has called for a national day of mourning. vanessa: that report from lindsey hilsum of independent television news. president biden spoke with israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu to offer condolences and assistance. the u.s. state department said multiple people from the united states were among the casualties. a car bomb in afghanistan killed at least 30 people and wounded as many as 90 others. 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 it restricts voting rights. republican governor ron desantis is expected to sign it into law. the european economy has fallen back into a recession amid pandemic lockdowns and slower covid vaccine rollouts. economic output shrank .6% in the first three months of the year in the 19 countries that use the euro, but most economists say they believe in upturn is on the way. still to come on "the newshour," a front line 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 server. and much more. ♪ "this is the "pbs newshour." from the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. judy: 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. willliam brangham explores the complexities behind this decrease in demand, and what it will take to get more americans vaccinated. william: we know that all adults in the u.s. are now eligible for the vaccine, but the pace of vaccinations has dropped and we are now at 2.5 million shots each today. some jurisdictions are declining

vaccine shipments because they say they have too much on hand and not enough arms to put this in. is it hesitancy, 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, texas. very good to have you on the newshour, thank you for being here. my understanding is that you are at about 40% of adults fully vaccinated, which is pretty good in yr county, it is better than the national average, but demand has slowed. when did the slowdown occur? dr. keiser: we started seeing at about 3.5 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 we had done, we would start seeing people who were hesitant to get the vaccine. what really surprised us was the

rapidity at which it dropped off, it dropped off traumatically in the past two weeks. william: every armchair epidemiologist has a theory as to why demand dropped off. you are an infectious disease specialist who is working on the front lines. why has demand fallen off? dr. keiser: there is a different story for every person who does not want to do it. we have heard that it is white evangelicals, we have heard it is african-americans who are feeling alienated. we have heard that it is poor people. we have heard that it is primary spanish-speaking. it is all of those things, plus more, including the convenience of getting the vaccine, there is a perception that when we were doing our massive vaccine testing, it was far away. we are seeing that some people just do not have the time. they feel like they cannot get off from work. we see that some people do not have a sense of needing it.

but the biggest thing really is the issue of trust. there is a lot of distrust coming from all sides, and there is distrust of the vaccine, the approval process, and distrust of the public health officials that are encouraging people. william: i understand that you are one of the jurisdictions that told the state not send us any more big batches because we have enough on and. do you have an extra supply vaccine and what are you doing with that? dr. keiser: we do have extra supply and right now we are holdg it in our freezers. we have gone from 20,000 doses a week to about 2000 doses a week. but we think that we may have increased demand for it as approval for school-age children comes out, which may be in several weeks or within a month. we want to make sure we have enough on hand as parents want to get their children vaccinated to go back to school, that we have that with us as well. we are watching and waiting, we

are counting our numbers carefully and we are taking account of the expiration dates on some of these vaccines because some of them they have to use by august 30. so it really has become a real dance and trying to figure out what the right amount to order is and watching how rapidly we are using it. william: it sounds like you have to be doing a ton of public education left and right every time you go out trying to encourage people. dr. keiser: it really is. in retrospect, what we are going to say is the first 50% were easy and the next 25%, and that is that group of people that are saying they are not sure, is going to be harder. we are working with communities, we are working with churches, we are working at community centers, we are working with restaurant associations, we are working with large employers, going out to where they are and offering them vaccine. even yesterday, we did an event at one of the large hotels in

galveston, and the vaccinators stopped to get lunch and they had a few extra and asked people in the restaurant, do you want vaccine and some people said, i think i would. that is what we're going to have to be doing, we will have to go out to where people are to find those people who wanted more unsure. but are not really anxious to get it and make it easy for them and be available to answer questions for them so they can feel comfortable. william: it sounds like this sort of age old phrase in public health, meet people where they are and make it as simple and smooth and as easy as possible. regardless of who they are or where they come from, do you think that will be enough? dr. keiser: i am hoping it will be enough to get us to herd immunity. we know there are people that are just hard-no's, they don't want it. if we can get a 25% of folks that are thinking about it, unsure, we will be around 75%

vaccinated and that is kind of the consensus number, but i think it will be very difficult, so instead of doing thousands of people in a single day, we did as many as 5000 in one day, we will be doing hundreds of people at smaller events where we only have a few score of people coming up to get the vaccine and it will take time. william: dr. philip kaiser, galveston county department of health, thank you and good luck. dr. keiser: thank you very much. ♪ judy: there is a dark side to the so-called belt and road program, china's maive undertaking for global development rests on forced labor. in a new report today detailing the pattern of abuse. the west accuses beijing of exploiting ethnic minority uighurs to produce cotton. nickchifrin reports how that

western christendom sparked nationalist backlash in china. nick: on chinese social media, patriotism involves punishing perceived enemies. last month, the enemy was swedish department store h&m. a popular blogger ripped up what she called her last h&m blouse. h&m's flagship in beijing disappeared from chinese mapping and e-commerce sites. ♪ * on chinese tv, aspiring pop stars are feeling good because their adidas shirts were blurred after the company faced a boycott. in their place, chinese blogger o wang xiao ming told her million followers to buy chinese. >> take this opportunity to give artemis the good to chance.

we will confirm that no one and no country can boss us around. nick: 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 region was produced by forced labor. 80% of chinese cotton comes from that region. the u.s. and europe say the uighurs involved in the process are forced into that labor and they accused beijing of genocide . >> we need to be able to bring the world together and speaking with one voice in condemning what has taken place in what continues to take place. nick beijing denies western accusations. beijing's crackers bragged about the cotton on the runway by fashion week and stoked by chinese state media. this was reported live from the region. >> you can see, with us is

a prosperous square and this is exactly what is happening. there is definitely no genocide. >> nationalism has become the new ideology in china. nick: a professor says that chinese influencers risk losing support if they do not reflect demands to be patriotic. this person dropped her h&m endorsement saying national interest are above all else. >> know people want to be a target of the internet. they do not want to be being blamed for not patriot acts enough. nick: the boycott reflects a more assertive beijing. china is more willing to require companies to follow its rules and to claim western hypocrisy. >> this is a picture from the u.s. when black slaves were forced to pick cotton in this

field. and this is the picture of our region's cotton field. >> it does represent a tipping point and some of it has to do with the particular issue of the region and the uighurs and the way it is being viewed in the west, but it also has to do with broader dynamics in terms of china's changing relationship with the west. nick: the china practice had further eurasia group, he says that western companies operating in china are caught between beijing's demands and western demands to avoid forced labor. >> they are under pressure from home governments and stakeholders to speak out on some of these values issues related to china and then of course, and china's markets, they are under pressure from the government and also pressure from chinese citizens who are inclined to partake in consumer boycotts. nick: china has more

middle-class potential consumers than the u.s. has population and it remains the world manufacturing leader. many companies are bending to beijing's pressure. 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 said it hopes to regain the trust of its chinese consumers. michael: for western companies, the china market is too large and the political blowback in china is to 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. nick: the u.s. is trying to exert its own pressure. customs and border protection are conducting checks like this one of ships arriving in the u.s. with xinjiang cotton and tomatoes. the trump administration passed a regional ban and the biden

administration is implementing it. >> we have tried really hard to protect the american people, protect american businesses and ensure that goods produced in whole or in part with forced labor are not entering our market. >> a cbp executive director says since the initial ban on that cotton passed in december, cbp has attained over 300 shipments to ensure companies good guarantee they used to know forced labor. >> we have received very clear signals that this is just as much a priority to this administration as it was to the previous administration. resident biden has been very clear that forced labor is something that issue is a part of his trade agenda. nick: it's not easy to know whether cotton is from that region or is made with forced labor. china mixes domestic and commercial imported cotton and blocks companies from

independent investigations. >> there is no separate bullet. but we are optimistic that there are some really good technologies that are helping answer some of those questions and make things a little bit more easier for businesses to stay compliant. nick: there is little evidence that beijing is willing to listen. i am nick schifrin. ♪ judy: 38 years of marriage to the late senator john mccain gave cindy mccain a front row seats to the adventure and challenges of life and politics. from navigating political scandals and a growing family, to taking on president trump, she writes about it all and her new book. "stronger: courage, hope, and humor in my life with john mccain." cindy mccain joins me now, welcome to the newshour and very

good to have you with us. you write, we hope to get that picture back from skype, i hope you are still there. if she is, we will continue. cindy: i am so sorry. i apologize. judy: it is all good. we will keep going, it is the way we all live right now. cindy mccain, you write about the 38 years, the ups, the downs, the highs and the lows. there was not much of a quiet moments, was there? cindy: no, there really was not. in the beginning, part of what we talked about is at some point there'll be a normal in the household, there will be an normal in our family and of course, that never happened. it was always very exciting,

always challenging, and always a lot of fun and it had its pitfalls as well and that is what i write about. judy: i was glad that you are quite candid in the book, cindy mccain, about the challenges of the spouse for the politician. it usually has been a woman, the second gentleman notwithstanding. women, as you write so much through the book, often do not have the self-confidence that they should have. cindy: that was very much the case with me. i was, i lived in fear making a mistake that would somehow humiliate my husband or the state of arizona. these were all certainly important things, but it was also this is undue pressure that i put on myself. as the years went on and i made my harsh mistakes along the way, i began to understand myself a little bit more and realize it is ok to make mistakes and that is ok to learn from them and

move on. no one is perfect and that is something that i really had to learn. judy: you encountered snide comments from the wives of other politicians, even from then first lady nancy reagan. ugly remarks about your daughter, bridget. it was pretty tough. cindy: yes, it was. in the case of my daughter, john and i always knew, he and i were fair game and in the ofhese races, especially the presidential ones. but the 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 as a factual thing, she asked me why the president hated her. it took me a long time to make

her understand that this was not personal, it was all about politics. but i am not sure she is really over it, and she is almost 30. judy: that is really hard to hear, and cindy mccain, you are very clear about who your husband's friends were and who they were not. sarah palin, you write that she never contacted him in the many months that he was sick leading up to his death, and you go on to say during the book, you think she cost him the presidential election in 2008. cindy: there are many parts to that, but what i say i believe in the book, but i will say that the bottom fell out of the markets. things were cascading as we know with the fallout that occurred, and i think that everything was doubled.

i come alike everyone, i feel that everyone around him should be the best. so it was about protecting my husband and protecting our legacy and protecting my family, that this was all about. in years since, i think we have all managed, hindsight is 20/20, and we all have different views of things, but for my family and everything, i know that my husband ran a great race and i knew he tried his best and that is all that counts. judy: one of the people you write about that is not a friend of your husband, former president trump who said unkind things about your husband, even after his death. what is your view right now of donald trump? cindy: 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. we now have an opportunity to work together with civility, with kindness, with generosity and a bipartisan fashion for the good of the country. what we need to learn now is we can work together, we can disagree, we can fight like heck, but it is not personal. it comes down to what is good for the country and that is what i see happening now, and i see good things and i am very hope for the future. judy: you have been very public, you did vote for joe biden for presiden you also say that you are a lifelong republican. i want to ask you, how do you explain the great loyalty that former president trump still has among so many republicans? cindy: you know, i really can't other than people have their beliefs and what they believed to be true and what is not true. i just disagree. i think president biden is a remarkable president and he is

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

has happened for a five times now in the election. president biden won. he won the election. our governor said so, it went on to be ratified by the united states of america. i am sorry that a few people disagree but life goes on. it is time that we work together for our country, for the good of the country and the good of the people they represent. judy: you have mentioned president biden and i do want to ask you about some of what he is proposing right now. you have raised four children and you have spoken a great deal about the importance of family. he wants to spend an unprecedented amount of money and in his words, strengthening the american family, one trillion dollars on everything paid family leave in order to allow women, more women to go back into the workforce. what is your thinking about that?

cindy: i am a lifelong republican and i have remained a republican. i knew when i endorsed joe biden that i would not agree with him on everything. there are many things coming up that i do not agree on, but i am willing to as most americans are to sit back, listen, and watch the congress to act as it should in a civil way to find what is best for the country. i am not an elected official, i can only tell you what i think. i disagree but i am willing to listen and pay attention. judy: it sounds like you have some skepticism about that proposal. cindy: not skepticism, i just do not agree with all of the elements of it. i am not skeptical of anything that president biden would propose, but i want to make sure that everyone understands i am a republican. so i do have differences, but i believe in the good nature and ability for president biden to work across the aisle. judy: last thing i want to ask

you about. you know there are very reliable news reports that president biden is looking to name you to be the u.s. ambassador to the world food program. we know you had a long time interest in human trafficking. what would you be able to do in a position like this? cindy: first of all, i cannot talk about any of that, but in any position that i would be lucky enough to be enabledo do, i would of course work on human trafficking. the elements that occur around this world and you just had a rapport on about what was going on in china, the exact reason we need to focus on human rights and human trafficking around the world. it is most important that we get a voice to the voiceless around the world andescue these folks for what is the element of the most human indecency possible. judy: cindy mccain is out with a new book called "stronger:

courage, hope, and humor in my life with john mccain." thank you for joining us. cindy: thank you for having me. ♪ judy: now we turn to the analysis of brooks and capehart. that is david brooks and jonathan capehart. hello to both of you on this friday and i have to start by asking you each just for a thought on what cindy mccain had to say,, a lifelong republican, but clearly some distance they are president trump. jonathan: right and i am glad she made the point, she did vote for president biden, she endorsed him in the presidential campaign, but that she is staying within the party.

she is not giving up our party to the folks who have taken it over and most definitely not giving up her party to president trump. the through-line through everything that she said was, what is good for the country. how can we talk about these issues civilly? we can disagree with each other but not disagree with each other so much so that we do not see each other's as they human beings. that is the brand of the republican party that i wish would come back. if it were to come back to, imagine how much could get done railway. in washington. -- could get done in washington. judy: and david, how hard is it to have that position in washington? david: it is a dwindling herd. i want to talk about the lack of self-confidence. the most exciting campaign was the john mccain 2000 campaign and we were really embedded in

that. i recalled cindy mccain at the meet and greets, you could see the dread, the lack of comfort with being in public. she would not remember me, but we would occasionally talk just the past the time so there would not be a public performance. and then the mccain campaign took off and then it was really down to south carolina and she was on stage with mccain when the first allegations about their daughter came out. and you could see the look of shock and horror on her face. it was partly at unum bridge, but then when years went by, you saw a cindy mccain who was strong, extremely comfortable, and when i covered her later in the years, i was struck by the dramatic progress she had made and just being a political and public person, and as she said, deciding she would not be ruled by fear. judy: so striking to hear her

say that the pain caused for her daughter bridget is still there. so hard to hear. jonathan, the big political event of the week, president biden's speech to the joint session of congress. 27 million americans watched it. now that has been a few days, what is, what stays with you from that? jonathan: what stays with me is the idea that we have a president of the united states who speaks to the country, does not go on about grievance, does not go on about personal grievance, does not sprinkle his speech with white nationalism, is not all 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, 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 is the enduring image. you also got the sense that even with the sparse crowd in that room that could hold 1600 my but there were only 200 socially distanced, watching on television, there was still that energy there. there was still this optimism coming from president biden who after, 99 days had accomplished a lot. judy: david, two days later, what is your take away? david: the democratic party does well when this is a working-class party and it does poorly when it is an affluent party. biden really focuses it on the working class, and it is a working-class agenda which is very positive. second, there is an implied a diagnosis of where the country is. the implied diagnosis is that there is serious structural

problems in the country. inequalities, social fragmentation, social distrust and that the country needs a once in a generation investment if it is going to re-energize itself and if it is going to keep up with an autocratic threat from now a global rival. where you feel about the biden agenda will depend on whether you buy the basic diagnosis of where we are. you look at the depths of despair, the rising inequality, the zoom that china now has and i have to say that is a compelling diagnosis of where the country is. judy: is president biden reading the country correctly? jonathan: i think he is. david is right, we are facing problems in this country that if we do not get moving on solving em, 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 is a choice here. democracy versus autocracy, democracy has to show that it works, the aiken get things done . it is also a competition between the united states and china. if we do not do something about broadband, our electrical grid, making sure that people who want to work can actually go out and work and don't have to worry about childcare or family leave. if we are not able to do those things, we are going to lose the future to china. judy: picking up on that, it is an ambitious set of plans that president biden is talking about. $4 trillion between the two latest if you add that to the couple of trillion dollars in the american rescue plan. he is talking about some major issues, and i raised some of them with cindy mccain. childcare assistance. paid family leave.

direct subsidies to lower income families. you have written about this today and, and the question is, is this something that the federal government needs to be doing? david: i think so. to every other advanced democracy does it. we have seen the strain on families, we have been in family decay for a long time and part because of a cultural of individualism that puts work over family. and in part, lack of money. there is so much economic stress that leads to family problems. i think spending money is called for. people want to have a secure family where they can raise their kids without having to move with financial stress. there are a lot of pieces to the plan, i think some of them are fantastic. to the child tax credit. if you feel like you want to stay home, you can cut back to part-time. that gives parents ultimate control.

it shows that we are a culture that puts family overwork. other parts i am less comfortable with. you can pour a lot of money into headstart without a lot of results. it is a program that need to reform. 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 do not think the administration should be in the business of trying to move people into jobs and get parents working. we were told by a white house official this week that part of our purpose is to get people into jobs. and that is up to parents. governments should be neutral on what kind of family people want to form. judy: where are you coming down on that? jonathan: i hear you, david, but i have to disagree. i do not think the biden administration is trying to tell american people what types of

families they should have. i think these proposals are meeting american families where they are. a lot of families want to work what they cannot because they cannot afford childcare. folks want to go out and keep their jobs, but they can't because there is an ailing parent, or a spouse has given birth, or adopted a child. 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 a lack of money, but also 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, ok, i am focused on how do we get american workers back into the workforce because they want to work.

judy: david, you are welcome to comment on that and i want to ask both of you, 100 days in, is this a president that seems to be heading to some kind of success or not? david: quickly on the childcare thing. getting parents out in the workforce is good for the economy, that is for sure, but what is better for kids? if you look at the money that has been spent around the world, the money spent on child -- direct payments to parents produces better educational gains than any other spending. i am worried that it will look like a bunch of upper-middle-class people who have dual income families imposing a set of values on working-class people who don't. quickly on the 100 days, a lot people compare it to the new deal. to me, it is comparable to the american system and for those of you with long memories, it was a 19th-century set of policies mostly sponsored by the whig

party, and it was a set of investments in infrastructure, education, human capital old on the idea that america needed to invested re-energize its greatness. the whigs used a lot of the language that president biden used today. i think the wake party did a lot of good for this country and that is why i have some faith in what biden is doin judy: jonathan? jonathan: the first 100 days of the biden presidency have been a success. the next 50 to 100 days could be a success, 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 is too much of a competition mindset here in washington that to do something to allow president biden to sign legislation into law is a

victory for him and a loss for us, meaning republicans, as opposed to a victory for the country. and another thing is whether president biden is a success is whether republicans decide to come to the table with real ideas, actual ideas that they can discuss and debate with the president and compromise with the president to actually get sunning done -- something done. judy: zo-sum game or something where the two sides can sit down and talk to each other. a lot to think about on this friday night. we thank you both. johnson capehart, david brooks. thank you. david: thank you. ♪ judy: 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 did not 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 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." he 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 was a charismatic presence wherever he went. it was part of what made the restaurants he owned so popular. his daughter said, he left thailand for the u.s. in the 1970's. 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 this 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 a kind of person who would always bring joy into the room. she was well known in her louisiana community as the captain of the long-running all women krewe of isis, one of the many teams that organize mardi gras celebrations. the 56-year-old was just as well known for her generous spirits. 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 sport stand out high school,

robb became a much loved coach within his minnesota 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 ihoan volunteered within the mormon church and as a ski patrol or, monitoring local trails. the 68-year-old relished big tasks and big adventures. he summit in the grand teton twice and with his family, built a cabin in the woods. they said he did what he could to pass on his love of adventure

in the out-of-doors. we so appreciate families for sharing these stories with us. our hearts go out to you as they do to everyone who has lost a loved one in this pandemic. ♪ judy: 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 a part of our arts and culture series canvas. stephanie: this is portugal, home to the biggest surfable waves on the planet. so big that surfers have to be towed in on jet skis. so big that the 100 foot walls of water can slam surfers to the

ocean floor. the big wave surfing world the sense here every fall and winter even during a worldwide pandemic. like many extreme sports, big wave surfing is male-dominated. portuguese surfer joana an drade is a handful of woman trying to change that. >> in the beginning it was not easy and sometimes they look at us and say, maybe it is too big, are you sure you want to go, but i think it is changing. stephanie: andrade is the subject of a documentary "big versus small" doesn't make it harder to be on the smaller side surfing these waves? >> some people don't know me and they look and say but you are so small and you sir for these waves. yeah it's me and it's funny to see, but my strong comes from my

mind and my heart. stephanie: i love that. the size of the waves is what intrigued the films director, minna dufton, and in the interest of research, she learned it to serve small waves. minna: a lot of the film is about big feelings -- stephanie: is that what you are going for with the title? minna: joana is tiny and the wave is rather huge and i've always been drawn to opposites. i found it so interesting how to figure out what is big and what is small in us humans. stephanie: 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 joana does. joana: of course i am afraid to

drown, but i keep going there because i want to know why i am so afraid to drown. stephanie: you are trying to explore your fear through surfing. joana: yeah, yeah. minna: i was lucky enough to know just the woman that could help joana facer fear of drowning. >> oh my gosh, this is going to be our swimming pool today. stephanie: johanna nordblad is one of the world's best free divers. divers who plunge into depths without supplemental oxygen using only their own lung capacity. she used an icy winter lake and finland to teach joana to control her breathing to stave off panic. johanna: the holding your

breath, it is similar to feeling like the cold. it is intensive. 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. stephanie: dufton herself faced both literal andetaphorical waves in making this film. >> i do not think i have ever been as nervous as a director to see my crew out there on the jet skis, you know joana surfing. and those waves are pretty tight, they don't really leave that many opportunities for us as a film crew to capture the shot we want. stephanie: another big wave she faced, funding. the equity issue you bring up with a big wave surfing and women is also something that you can relate t as a female documentary film maker right? minaa: big wave surfing in and dependent filmmaking is fraught with doubt and uncertainty about where the money is going to come

from, and rejection. i mean, andrade, for example, she is an unsponsored athlete in that sport, and i am an equivalent filmmaker. stephanie: i am sure during the pandemic, there are a lot of people facing big waves. minna: joana's story is a good example of overcoming your biggest fears. and i really hope it helps people overcome their fears and whatever big waves that they are facing in their lives. stephanie: "big versus small" is viewable online and in person at the doclands film festival in california and the illuminates festival in sedona, arizona in may. judy: so glad to hear that story, thank you stephanie. that is the newshour for tonight. i am judy woodruff.

to join us online and again here on monday evening. for all of us at the pbs newshour, please stay safe. have a good weekend, 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 promoting institutions. at hewlett.org. >> supporting social entrepreneurs and their solutions to the world's most pressing problems. skullfoundation.org. >> and 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 their pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. ♪ >> this is pbs newshour west from weta studios in washington and are bureau at the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. ♪ ♪

>> a heart of fire u unleashed. this week on "firing line." >> you showed me your care. . >> a heart of fire and least, this week on firing line. >> me you showed me your care, you should need your compassion. wears that tonight? >> the trailblazing lawmaker with an inspiring immigrant story. democrat mazie hirono was the first asian-american woman elected to the senate. a self-described workhorse, dedicated decades to public service taking on hate crimes against asian americans. >> our community has severed too much from two epidemics of racism covets that with nearly unanimous support. >> xx. >> he is a misogynist and admitted sexual predator and a

liar. >> with her