captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc >> woodruff: good evening. i'm judy woodruff. on the newshour tonight: ( explosion ) the conflict continues. israel bombards gaza with artillery, and palestinian militants respond with rocket fire, as the clashes spill over into the streets. then, face time. we explore questions around the new c.d.c. mask guidelines, and how to navigate this shift. plus, the fight to vote. texas is poised to become the latest state to severely restrict access to the ballot box, on a party line vote. >> if the republican intent for voter integrity and cohesion

were true, they would create a system that was more accessible overall. >> woodruff: and, it's friday. david brooks and jonathan capehart consider the new masking guidelines, the shakeup in house republican leadership, and the u.s. role in the israel/gaza conflict. 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: fighting has raged for a fifth day between israeli forces and hamas in gaza, and violence spread to the west bank as well. more than 120 palestinians have died in gaza, with nearly 1,000 wounded. eight israelis have been killed. rockets were also launched at israel from neighboring syria, and protests sympathetic to the palestinians erupted in lebanon and jordan. amna nawaz has the story. and a warning: some images in this report may disturb viewers. >> nawaz: palestinian protests today in the west bank, met by israeli army fire. ( gunfire ) a new front in the latest round of fighting in the region-- today, leaving ten palestinians dead. ( explosion ) that, after pre-dawn rocket fire over gaza marked israel's heaviest bombardment in five days of fighting.

( explosion ) lt. col. jonathan conricus is spokesperson for the israeli defense forces, or i.d.f. >> it was aimed at hitting or striking one of the most important, strategic components, military components, that hamas has, and that's essentially an underground network of tunnels and bunkers and command posts. >> nawaz: we've seen video after video of residential buildings also being struck by your air power. why are you targeting those? >> hamas, as a terrorist organization, like many other terrorist organizations, uses civilian infrastructure for their military purposes. what we made sure was that there were no civilians or noncombatants in any of those buildings, before we struck it. >> nawaz: but palestinian homes have been hit in israeli strikes. on gaza. today, families in gaza rummaged through the ruin, salvaging what they could. others, near gaza's northern and eastern borders, sought shelter in schools run by the united

nations-- hedaya maarouf and her family among them. >> ( translated ): we were planning to leave during the night, but israeli drones and jets kept bombarding us. at daylight we finally started moving and we ran to the schools. we could not believe the way our children were screaming. they wanted to leave and we were shaking for them. when we woke up, we found everything behind us destroyed. >> nawaz: dr. mohammad abu selmia in gaza's shifa hospital says over half the injuries he's seen are critical. >> ( translated ): most of the injuries coming to shifa, the largest hospital in gaza, are serious, including wom and children, and old, from all age groups. mostly shrapnel wounds all over the body, there were also children who had legs or arms amputated, let alone those who came torn apart. >> nawaz: you know civilians have been killed. you know children have been killed. so, what is the acceptable level of civilian casualty for you, at this stage? >> there's no ratio of acceptable. every civilian casualty is regrettable. we want to minimize that.

but then on the other hand, you have to understand, israelis are under constant fire. we have eight dead civilians. nothing to do with gaza, nothing to do with hamas. at the white house today press secretary jen psaki was asked about the use of >> nawaz: at the white house today, press secretary jen psaki was asked about israel's use of force. >> i think the president believes that israel has a right to sf-defense. the loss of children's lives, the loss of family, family members' lives, whether it's palestinian lives or israeli lives, is incredibly tragic. it's horrific to watch. that is certainly why our focus is on de-escalating what is happening on the ground. >> nawaz: three artillery and armored brigades are now positioned at the gaza border. last night, the i.d.f. walked back a statement claiming ground operations had already begun. >> that's not in the interest of neither gaza-- definitely not the civilians there-- but neither hamas, nor us. i hope that hamas stops firing. if that ends, that will definitely be a step, a very

important step, in the right direction. >> nawaz: when that step will occur remains unknown. for the pbs newshour, i'm amna nawaz. >> woodruff: in the day's other news, mixed reactions greeted the c.d.c.'s new pandemic guidance that fully vaccinated americans may take off their masks in most situations. across the country, in stores and restaurants, many people embraced the change. but, some owners worried about how to enforce it. >> as a business owner, how do you know who's vaccinated and who's not? i don't want to get into carding people.

>> if someone is adamant about "i'm not going to wear a mask," who am i to say, "yes you will"? >> woodruff: a number of major retailers, from target to home depot, said they will contue to require masks. some states and local governments announced plans to drop mask mandates. we will return to this, after the news summary. colonial pipeline reports substantial progress toward restoring service in a key east coast fuel pipeline. still more gas stations ran dry today, including 88% of those in washington, d.c. and, it could take several days to return to normal. a ransomware attack in ireland has forced that nation's health service to shut down its computer systems. most hospital appointments and non-emergency services were disrupted today. officials blamed an unnamed international gang. back in this country, republicans in the u.s. house of representatives elected elise stefanik of new york to their number three leadership post. she replaces liz cheney, who was ousted over her criticism of former president trump.

stefanik is an ardent trump supporter, and after the vote, she reaffirmed his influence in the party. >> i believe that voters determine the leader of the republican party, and president trump is the leader that they look to. i support president trump. voters support president trump. he is an important voice in our republican party, and we look forward to working with him. >> woodruff: stefanik easily defeated texas congressman chip roy, who argued she was too moderate. mr. trump congratulated stefanik, saying in a statement that "the 'make america great again' movement is strong!" house negotiators have struck a deal on investigating the january 6 assault on the u.s. capitol. the agreement calls for a commission of ten outside experts, half republicans, half democrats. they would issue a report by year's end. the proposal is subject to house and senate approval. mississippi river traffic resumed today under the interstate 40 bridge near memphis, tennessee.

the bridge itself could be closed for months because of a deep crack on a support beam, but inspectors say it's safe for water travel. and on wall street, stocks recovered more losses from earlier this week. the dow jones industrial average ined 360 points to close at 34,382. the nasdaq rose 305 points-- more than 2%. the s-and-p 500 added 61. but for the week, the dow and the s&p fell 1%. the nasdaq lost 2%. still to come on the newshour: how african migrants unite to fight for a better life in italy. why texas is poised to become the latest state to restrict access to voting. david brooks and jonathan capehart consider the rift in the g.o.p. a creative response to a massive spill of nike sneakers. plus, much more.

>> woodruff: in many states, fully vaccinated americans can now resume many activities without wearing a mask. the new guidance announced yesterday by the c.d.c. was met with jubilation in many quarters. but, there are concerns the changes for indoor masking are happening too quickly. lisa desjardins follows up on those questions. >> desjardins: judy, some of those concerns are tied to the country's vaccination rates. more than half of all adults in the country are not yet fully vaccinated, and when you add americans under 18 years old, the nation is at just 36% fully vaccinated. me states, cities, and businesses may not be ready to

ditch their masking requirements yet. we look at these concerns with dr. ranit mishori. she is a professor of family medicine at georgetown university and senior medical adviser to physicians for human rights. for the record, she's also an adviser to our parent company, weta. ranit, thank you so much for joining us. good to talk to you. let's start with these concerns over health. what are you concerned about rticularly about the indoor mask wearing or not? >> thanks, lisa. i think many experts and americans are a little bit concerned that this may be perhaps premature, perhaps too early. as you mentioned, only 36% of americans are fully vaccinated. and if you look at subgroups, we're talking about 27% among blacks. so this is becoming a vaccine equity issue when you think about who-- which populations are more-- have higher rates of vaccination, and those tend to be more whites and more affluent people.

so the concern is it's not fair, and those benefiting are those that maybe do not need the protection so much. >> desjardins: hm. the centers for disease control say the studies show that people who are fully vaccinated are, by and large, strongly protected and they also see studies showing that they are unlikely to be able to pass on the disease. so taking that equity issue, is there also a health issue or no? is it safe for people who are fully vacnated? are they a threat to anyone else without their masks indoors? >> i think definitely the vaccines are very, very effective, and those studies are right. but at a time when we don't know who is fully vaccinated, you don't know if the person in front of you is fully vaccinated. there are people who cannot get vaccinated. there are children who cannot get vaccinated. so a lot of people are feeling unsafe, and there are currently no ways of determining or asking

people about their vaccination status. there is no local systems, and, in fact, it's perhaps not part of an etiquette to be able to ask the person in front of you at the checkout counter, "excuse me, you're not wearing a mask. are you fully vaccinated?" we're hearing from a lot of people concerned about that, concerned that maybe people who are immunocompromised and cannot mount a full response, children and other vulnerable people may actually have to continue wearing a mask and sort of defeats the purpose here >> desjardins: i know you're not just thinking about these in an academic or philosophical sense. you work at georgetown university, and i know you're helping advise them on what to do with patients in their facilities. i'm really curious-- we heard from some folks earlier in the broadcast about the dilemma a lot of businesses e in. what are your concerns for who enforced this or not when it comes to just regular

run-of-the-mill activity? >> i think you're absolutely right. and we're not unique. and all businesses, institutions are currently in a bit of a chaotic situation. it's very confusing because it's up to us, up to the until businesses, up to individual institutions, to decide whether or not they're going to endorse the c.d.c. recommendations. it's up to states. it's up to municipalities. so this is causing a little bit of confusion, and you can-- as the people in the segment you showed before, the business owners have said what is going to happen when people unmasked are going to come in? am i going to feel safe going into a place that doesn't require masking? or am i as a business owner, as a rson leading an institution, do i have the right to ask people to step outside and leave or show me their vaccination record? so it's going to cause a lot of confusion, and it's going to make it a little messy to know how to behave in different

settings. >> desjardins: a confusing time, but one of hope. thank you for helping us put our hands around where we are right now. dr. ranit mishori, georgetown university. >> thank you so much. >> woodruff: some 13,000 migrants, mainly from africa, have landed in italy so far this year-- three times the number from the same period in 2020. the struggle for migrants does not end when they reach european shores. our senior producer adam raney reports from southern italy on how, amid the pandemic, migrant farm-workers are fighting for visibility and better working conditions. >> reporter: after working 13 years in italy's fields, this is what nigerian farmworker rita godwin has to show for it:

a one-room shack in a rural slum in southern italy. there's no running water, electricity or trash removal. and, after fetching water, she treats it by boiling it with herbs. >> if we don't do this, we will fall sick every blessed day. so we boil it, we drink it, so we don't fall sick. >> reporter: in 2008, rita made the risky sea crossing to italy. she left two children behind, and sends money when she can. working in the fields leaves her little for anything else. do you feel stuck? >> yes. because, you know, in my country, i have never lived in this kind of environment. >> reporter: farm-worker abdulai issmail came from ghana thinking life would be better in italy, the country of his dreams-- of soccer, food, and fashion. >> i always feel shame when anybody calls me from outside. i don't like video calls, because of the place i am living. it's very shameful for me for someone to see where i am living. >> reporter: there are more than 80 settlements like this across italy. some 2,000 people live in this

camp alone. the people we spoke to say they feel stuck because they don't have access to legal work documents, which keeps them from getting better-paying jobs and makes it very hard for them to afford a place of their own. another migrant, sadio from senegal, takes us on a tour of the shantytown, or “ghetto," as they call it. >> ( translated ): life here is inhumane! this is not a humane life. look around. the truth is, many people here live in extremely difficult conditions. >> reporter: sadio told us most migrant farm-workers only make around 35 euros a day, and that's before paying a mafia middleman 5 to 10 euros to secure work in the fields. the fight for dignified, legal work, free from mafia control, came to the fore in the pandemic. last spring, during italy's first strict lockdown, farm- workers were deemed “essential workers;” but without work papers, they had no documents to

show police patrols enforcing the lockdown, so they weren't allowed to leave the shanty towns to go out to work in the fields, precisely at a time when italy needed more of them. a charismatic leader, aboubakar soumahoro, has led protests up and down italy throughout the pandemic. a former farm-worker from ivory coast, he called attention to the self-proclaimed "invisibles"-- migrants toiling in the fields, out of sight and out of mind to most italians. race, he says, is clearly a factor in their treatment. >> ( translated ): the workers are often paid a low wage, based on the color of their skin or because of the countries they come from. it's the immigration laws that create this exploitative situation because work contracts are tied to resident permits. if you refuse what they're offering, you won't get a contract, so workers are

squeezed and have to accept the conditions. >> reporter: savvy on social media, soumahoro led strikes and called for systemic change. he communicates daily with hundreds of thousands of followers. >> ( translated ): there are no rights. there's no dignity. there are just workers to be explted, to be enslaved. >> reporter: last may, fearing food and labor shortages, italy passed a law intended to legalize more than 200,000 undocumented migrants, offering them contracts or temporary work permits. but, the law was seen by many as a failure-- more than 85% of the people it benefited were domestic workers, not farm- workers. tired of waiting for true reform, some migrants are now taking a different route. complete with a jingle, one group, ghetto out, launched

their own line of canned tomatoes-- ♪ ♪ ♪ a product that is at the root of italy's pasta-based cuisine. it's the first such italian product made by migrants themselves. the name, riaccolto, is a play on the words "harvest" and "welcome." the label plays on the product's fair trade appeal-- a black hand holds the most traditional of italian foods, a tomato, above the phrase "land of freedom," a nod to the migrants feeling liberated after years of working in what many of them call slave-like conditions. papa latyr faye, one of ghetto out's founders, is from senegal. >> ( translated ): you have to derstand the story behind this product. because our main goal was not just a can of tomatoes, but to show that immigrants have arrived on the scene and should be seen in a different light. >> reporter: faye says this is

just the first of many migrant- led projects he hopes to launch. >> ( translated ): so we took the reins ourselves. we realized that only we could solve our problems, working together. >> reporter: with a vision in hand, ghetto out needed a partner. they found it in "coop," a chain of cooperative supermarkets that agreed to sell the product across italy. >> ( translated ): we would like it to become the model of tomorrow. >> reporter: carmelo rollo is a regional president for the cooperative: >> ( translated ): we are showing that immigrants are extraordinarily important for the life of a country and so we stand for dignity giving people the opportunity to grow. this is an intrinsic value for co-op. this project has made clear they are the ideal players to shape their future. >> reporter: ghetto out has also built its own camp, providing housing and services for 500 migrants, many of whom used to

live in the slums. they also help migrants secure residency permits. ghetto out has had success working in the system, receiving land use grants and funding from the regional government and the european union. it's still a small niche, and it comes with a price: their products might appeal to consumers' ethics, but not their pocketbooks. riaccolto is more than twice as expensive as many other canned tomatoes in the supermarket-- a hard sell in a deep recession. italian food and agriculture is a $500 billion business that brings italy's produce to the world's most refined tables; it's also one of small profit margins. with big supermarket chains squeezing costs and workers to maximize profit; the people who come up short are those at the bottom. >> there is something changing. the migrants are speaking out.

>> reporter: leaders like aboubakar soumahoro acknowledge >> if we combine the fight of the migrants with the fight for an ethical supply chain, i think we can win this fight, that this is the fight for justice. >> reporter: leaders like aboubakar soumahoro acknowledge they have a long way to go, but say they have forced italy to finally confront racism and injustice in the fields. >> ( translated ): if, today, italy is talking about the conditions of the farm-workers, it's because we have forced it on to the country's agenda. no one has given us anything. >> reporter: a year into the pandemic, migrants are paving the way. yet, as harvest season approaches, rita's slum keeps growing, making space for migrants with few other places to go. for the pbs newshour, i'm adam raney in puglia, italy.

>> woodruff: the current fight over voting access happening on capitol hill and in state legislatures will determine how americans chose our leaders for decades to come. yamiche alcindor has this report on texas, where republican lawmakers are currently working to pass a new, restrictive elections bill. >> alcindor: texas, the latest battleground in a nationwide g.o.p. effort to pass new laws restricting voting access. the push comes as many in the party continue to falsely claim that the 2020 election was rigged. >> the integrity of elections in 2020 were questioned right here in harris county. >> alcindor: texas republican governor greg abbott and republicans who control the state legislature say changes are needed to ensure election security. they're gearing up to pass new

legislation that, if signed into law, will lead to sweeping changes for how texans can vote. it especially affects diverse, urban counties that expanded voting options amid the pandemic. >> we must pass laws to prevent election officials from jeopardizing the elections process. >> alcindor: democrats, and some texas-based businesses, including american airlines and dell technologies, are opposing the bills. meanwhile, young activists in texas are trying to push back. one of them is 25-year-old ofelia alonso from the organization “texas rising.” she drove six hours from her home in brownsville, near the mexico border, to austin to speak out. >> it's like telling them, like, your voter participation was so good, that you're getting punished for it. >> alcindor: the g.o.p. legislation follows record-high early vote turnout last year in large metro areas like houston. that was after election officials added measures to make voting easier, including 24-hour

and drive-through voting. legislation passed by the state senate would outlaw those expanded voting options. 28-year-old tiara cooper, an organizer with the nonpartisan group “faith in texas,” helps register voters in her community of south dallas. it's an area where predominantly black neighborhoods already lack resources for voting infrastructure and education. >> south dallas cannot withstand another barrier. >> alcindor: as a formerly incarcerated black woman, cooper is concerned about the bills' enhanced criminal penalties for voting offenses. >> it's already hard as-- as a person of these communities to be an active voter in so many ways. >> alcindor: the legislation would make it a felony for election officials or organizers to send out unsolicited applications to vote by mail. at the same time, under the g.o.p. bills, partisan poll watchers would get more access to polling places. >> four more years! >> alcindor: the practice became a flashpoint in the aftermath of

the 2020 elections. after former president trump falsely claimed that the election was stolen from him, a number of poll watchers who were trump supporters stormed elections facilities. >> stop the count! >> alcindor: republicans say the legislation is in part about creating fairness in the voting system. they argue higher-populated counties that tend to vote for democrats shouldn't get more time to vote than rural counties that trend republican. alonso rejects that argument. >> so if the republican intent for voter integrity and cohesion were true, they would create a system that was more accessible overall. >> i move passage for senate bill 7. >> alcindor: republican state senator bryan hughes co-authored one of the texas bills, known as senate bill 7. what do you say to someone who thinks that this bill is based on a lie? and do you yourself think that 200, the election, was fraudulent? >> texas elections in 2020 went

much better than other states, you can look at the results here. we didn't have near the problems that a number of states had. >> alcindor: so, do you believe that the 2020 election was-- was-- was fair with that? it was that president biden was legitimately elected? >> president biden is the president. he did not win in texas. president trump won in texas. and a lot of people say we're unhappy about the 2020 election in texas. republicans did great in texas in the 2020 election. we held the texas house, held the texas senate, held every seat in congress. and so, if we were concerned about that, this wouldn't even be an issue. this is about making the system better. we do thisvery time the legislature meets. >> alcindor: the bills also limit the number and location of polling places in only a handful of counties in texas with populations of at least one million people. what do you say to the criticism that, regardless of the intent of this law, that it will make it harder for some people, including people of color, ack people, disabled people, to vote? >> well, so i hear that

generalization, but no one has shown me any evidence of it. this bill says that in those ban counties, that the polling places have to be distributed evenly across the county. now, that's just straight up fairness based on where the voters live, regardless of their race, of their party, of their ethnic background, their religion. >> what i'm worried about is how unamerican this whole initiative is. it's sick. >> alcindor: democrats, including president biden, have spoken out against the republican voting bills in texas and across the country. courtland cox, a veteran civil rights activist, helped lead the fight for voting rights during the 1960s, especially across the south. back then, he was an organizer with the student nonviolent coordinating committee. cox says one of the most concerning trends among the g.o.p.'s current effort is an attempt to disqualify votes after they're cast... >> it's about ballots that poured in, and nobody but a few knew where they came from.

>> alcindor: ...like trump's push to throw out tens of thousands of valid mail ballots in the 2020 election. cox calls it voter nullification. >> it's very clear if we get around the voter suppression, at the end of the day, they're going to try to say "that is not legal, this cannot stand" and "we will do whatever it is to make sure that, if you win, we will nullify your votes." >> alcindor: if the texas legislation passes, organizers like ofelia alonso say they'll have to pivot from protesting to helping voters navigate the changes, to make sure their votes aren't thrown out. >> i think it's going to take a huge push, collective push from a lot of our partners, from a lot of folks here in cameron county, to really break down what these bills mean, what they're going to do, how that affects our-- our-- our work as voter registrars. >> alcindor: texas republicans still need to merge their house and senateills in the coming days.

the final bill will then go to the governor, who is expected to sign it. for the pbs newshour, i'm yamiche alcindor. >> woodruff: it's been a week marked by critical moments-- tensions turning toward full-out war in the mideast; a new milestone when it comes to wearing masks in the fight against covid-19; and a contentious shakeup in the republican party. thankfully, we have brooks and capehart to help make sense of it all. that is "new york times" columnist david brooks, and jonathan capehart, columnist for the "washington post." it's so good to see both of you on this friday night. and, david, and jonathan, there is a lot to talk about. let's start with the-- with the new mask guidelines, jonathan, from the c.d.c. this comes after-- i guess we've seen 30% or more drop in new

cases in the last couple of weeks. most people reacting positively, some people saying it's confusing, maybe too soon. is this the kindf thing that has a political effect on the esidprt onim? >> yes, it does, judy. and great to see you, too. look, the president made coronavirus and his response to the pandemic his number-one priority, so much so that the american rescue plan where he talked a lot about "i want bipartisanship," but in the end got it done with just democratic votes, that's how urgent getting a handle on the pandemic was for the president. so getting people back to a semblance of normalcy, and part of that is making it possible for people to get rid of the mask. and the only way you could do that is if you got people vaccinated, which is why the president made vaccinations such a big deal. and now vaccinations of children, you know, 12 years and up, that is all about getting

kids back in school in time for the fall. and so, the fact that people can now no longer wear masks, especially if they are vaccinated and outside and everything, is going to inure to the president's benefit. because if we were talking about a down side of all of this, if this were a negative story, the blame would be on the president. so he should be able to bask in the-- in the good news of all of this. >> woodruff: david, clearly, the main effect we are focusing on is the health effect. but one, naturally, is going to be asking what does this mean for the president and for what he's truth to do overall? >> well, first, he'll get credit for doing a pretty good job of getting the vaccine into people's arms. that was an effectively managed operation. but, second, there's going to be a zeitgeist change. i think we're underestimating how different it's going to feel when we're back to normal. i'm promising myself i will

appreciate everything, all the things i didn't used to like, i'm going to love, like going to a crowded bar and not being able to get the bartender's attention-- that will feel fantastic. i think there's just going to be a sweeping sense that, you know, this is great. and the economy, by all regards, should be great. and when you get a zeitgeist shift, you get an economy shift, the president benefits. so there will just, i think, be a rosy glow around the second half of this year. >> woodruff: david, we know you spend a lot of your time in crowded bars. it's just where we imagine you every night. ( laughter ) >> you'd be surprised. ( laughter ). >> woodruff: maybe we would. let's talk about the republicans. a lot of-- i guess to examine this week, jonathan. as expected, the house republicans did vote to evict liz cheney from her leadership role. they replaced her with

congresswoman elise stefanik, who is a loyal supporter of president trump. do we now know what the republican party stands for? >> judy, we do not. we do not know what the republican party stands for. and i'm comfortable saying that because the republican party that i learned about growing up, the party of smaller government, law and order, reverence for the constitution, low taxes or no taxes-- that party is gone. and so i don't know what elise stefanik, congresswoman stefanick is going to do as conference chair. i don't know what house minority leader kevin mccarthy's goals are, other than retaking the majority. i don't know what their policy proposals are. i don't know what their substance is. and, quite frankly, i wonder if those leaders and the republican party itself, the ones who are in league with former president trump, whether they know

substantively what they stand for. >> woodruff: david, you can clarify this for us. >> yeah, sure. you know, when i started covering this world and what's really in the world of conservative ideas, if you were a young republican hill stanford, you wore a certain sort of neck tie and it might be an adam smith neck tie, a madison neck tie, put you had your intellectual heros on your neck tie-- if you were a man. that was the self-conception the republican party at the time, it was an ideological movement, a conservative ideological movement. that reagan paradigm sort of faded away. it became no longer, obsolete. you would think it would have been replaced by another paradigm. but it hasn't. it's replaced by a party that is not ideological particularly anymore. and trump made it work by making the republican party a bit of an identity party, a bit of a culture party, a bit of a masculine party. so it's organized around a set

of ideas that are no longer a political philosophy. i don't know if it can do that. under trump, and even now, it's doing it adequately, i would say. new data from the 2020 election keeps coming out, and the thing that really struck me, part of it was that every nonwhite group went in a republican direction. latinos, it was an amazing 16%. somewhere there's a party there. but somebody still has to define it, even with ideology, a new one, or with some set of ideas. right now, it's got a man and a liefg, but no ideas. >> woodruff: i don't know, jonathan, if you want to comment on that. there is also the statement from kevin mccarthy, the republican leader, no, the republican party doesn't doubt that joe biden won the election legitimately. and, yet, that's the these of what president trump is basically talking about every day. >> and that isthe case in point. here is is the house minority leader who is in league with a

former president who says that the election was stolen, that he is no longer president because of-- quote, unquote-- fraud that didn't happen. and, yet, he comes out of a meeting with the legitimately elected president of the united states, president biden, comes out to the microphones and says, "yeah, he's legitimately elected." i don't know what congressman-- what leader mccarthy stands for. i don't know what he is about, except for snatching the speaker's gavel from speaker pelosi. and that right there is a case in point of, you know, sort of proving what david said earlier. what is the ideology, except for power? that is all i know that they stand for right now. >> woodruff: and, david, that comes back to your point. but this sort of out-and-out contradiction between what kevin mccarthy is saying and what president trump is saying, even though they're very much in

alignment. >> yeah, well, kevin mccarthy loifs this planet. you know, the pickle is this, that if they critique trump they get the cheney treatment, that they're out. on the other hand, if you look at the latest gallup poll, trump's approval rating dropped 10% over the last little while, so he's down to 39. we learned in the course of the whole cheney thing that the republican party officials were hiding from their members poll data showing how much trump is dragging them down in certain battleground districts. so they are chained to a person who is fading and dropping in popularity, but they can't criticize him. so that's called being in a pickle. >> woodruff: last thing i want to ask the two of you about is this terrible escalating conflict between the israelis and the palestinians, jonathan, the civilian casualties are climbing. we know the united states is working with other countries to try to broker some kind of cease-fire, but you have jen psaki, the white house

spokeswoman, saying israel has a right to self-defense. and bernie sanders putting out a column today saying the administration needs to be more of an honest broker and not an apologist for israel. where do you see-- how do you see the political pressures on president biden right now when it comes to this situation between israel and the palestinians? >> well, you see it there with senator sanders' comments. and then there are also folks on the house side-- i'm thinking of come woman alexandria ocassio cortez, and congresswoman ayanna pressley, who are pressing the president from the left in terms of the american response. but, look, the american people, and certainly at one point the world, looked to the american president to be sort of omnipresent and to be the honest broker when it comes to the conflict in the middle east between israelis and palestinians. but, you know, the american president, and even all of these other countries getting involved in trying to broker a deal-- i'm

thinking of egypt here-- they're only going to be as successful as the israelis and the palestinians-- and i'm talking about the leadership here, not the people who are being bombed on both sides, but the leadership here-- the broker-- the talks to try to broker a deal are only going to be as successful as those leaders want them to be. and in the end, peace-- there must be peace. there must be a cessation of all of this. but then, get back on the road to trying to get to a two-state solution. in the end, that is the solution that all parties should be working towards. >> woodruff: how do you see the u.s. role in this, david? >> i think we should wait and see. i don't think we have much of a role, frankly. i've covered a lot of these regulated conflicts in the middle east. hamas decides it wants to improve its position with the palestinians on the west bank and so it does something. the israelis do something else, often an over-reaction. in this case, hamas sent

missiles towards jerusalem, an escalation, the israelis over-reacted, i think, by going into gaza. usually they can regulate it enough and say okay we made our points and let's stand do you. that has happened repeatedly. two things here-- there is more powers in the streets and social media. so it's not clear the leaders can stand down if they want to stand down if there's going to be an intifada in the streets. then it's out of control and then we're not in one of these temporary staged confrontations. we're in a new intifada, at that point the u.s. has to think about getting involved and some way to quiet things down this perpetual escalation we've seen over the last few days. >> woodruff: and what are the risks, jonathan? we have less than a minute, but what are the risks if the president makes a move that doesn't sit well with his political constituencies? >> yeah, well, the risk is failure. the risk is a loss of stature

among his base. th is the risk. and i have to agree with david, you know. the administration should just know-- don't jump into something just because you feel you need to jump into something. i think a wait-and-see attitude-- i think is the phrase david used-- is the right way to go. and, clearly, something that they're doing. >> woodruff: and, david, in a few seconds. >> it used to be easy to be a democratic politician when israel came to mind. "we stand with israel." that's no longer an easy position for a democrat. israel's standing in the democratic party has become way more controversial. >> woodruff: not a quiet end to this week, but we are so grateful to the two of you, david brooks, jonathan capehart. we thank you. >> thanks, judy. >> thank you.

>> woodruff: while this week did bring hopeful signs for the end of the pandemic and an easing of some restrictions, hundreds of thousands of families are still feeling the loss of a loved one during the last 15 months. we pause, again, to remember some of their stories. to some in carrollton, texas, he was coach mathews, while to others, he was mr. mathews, or even school board president mathews. 73-year-old john mathews served his local school district for more than half a century, whether it was as a teacher, administrator, coach, or stadium announcer. he was so well-known in the community, it was as if “more people knew him than didn't,” his wife said. he was “always a happy guy, and loved to meet people.” 51-year-old syvie robertson brought her “take charge” spirit every day to her work as a licensed practical nurse, her

daughter told us. the virginian and grandmother of four was one of several family members who worked in the medical field. it was work that she loved, her daughter added, even though it came with lo hours some days, and more risks during the pandemic. before syvie died, she had been going back to school to add to her nursing credentials. earlier this month, syvie's college granted her an honorary degree, posthumously. fernando abenoza got his first glimpse into the art of jewelry-making while growing up in colombia. after he moved to the los angeles area in 1970, he made a living out of it.“ jewelry was his life,” his daughter said. she described sitting with him when she was a child, as he designed and worked on pieces with great care and precision. he also loved tango music and tango dancing. but above all, his daughter told us, fernando “loved to make people laugh and smile.” he was 79 years old.

irene cornish thompson devoted her life to helping others overcome personal challenges, or heal from trauma. for most of her career, irene was a therapist in private practice. a long-time colleague told us that she had a particular skill for defusing situations, and for connecting with everyone in a way that made them feel special. the 78-year-old california resident also loved to travel all over the world, her daughter said, and cherished time with her grandchildren. bishop omar jahwar followed in his parents' footsteps, and in the process, became a community leader in his own right. when his father retired as pastor of his dallas church, omar took over his ministry. the 47-year-old was also an activist, like his mother, launching efforts to curb

violence in cities, and encourage reforms to policing. when he died, he was on the cusp of launching a new restaurant that he had hoped would be a positive social hub for the community, his sister said. she is now at e helm, to carry out his vision. >> we are grateful to family members for sharing these stories. our hearts go out to you as they do to everyone who has lost a loved one in this pandemic. >> woodruff: the "great shoe spill of 1990"-- do you recall? tens of thousands of nike shoes fell into the pacific. it lead to some scientific discoveries-- and, now, whimsical art packed with an

eco-friendly message. william brangham plunges in to an exhibit called “overboard,” part of our arts and culture series, "canvas." >> brangham: at first glance, it looks like a sneaker showroom, with what seem to be 200 nike r jordans along the walls. a candy shop of sorts for the so-called “sneakerheads” who collect all manner of brands as a paion, and sometimes for profit. but look more closely-- these are no ordinary shoes. they're intricately sculpted replicas, fashioned out of everyday garbage: discarded boxes, bags, and posters. >> it's really fun to sort of take a nantucket sleigh ride and just latch yourself onto those graphics, and also the brand recognition and the nostalgia that people feel for those brands. and again, it's drawing them in. >> brangham: conceptual artist andy yoder crafted these objects, following his similar eye-grabbing installations, like

these massive paper airplanes aloft in the cleveland airport, or this model of planet earth, built from 300,000 wooden matches, or these enormous shoes-- seven feet long-- made of licorice. for these handmade sneakers-- all size 13-- yoder says each took roughly six hours to construct. and his raw materials? they often came out of garbage cans, alleyways and dumpsters. no material was ruled out, no place off-limits. he found the scraps for one shoe out behind his local chinese restaurant. >> and then in the dumpster, along with these other packages, i found this jigsaw puzzle of a tiger, and i just thought "that is a great combination here!" >> brangham: wow. >> because you've got all these >> brangham: so someone had done, assembled the puzzle, and then chucked it? >> they did. so right next to salvatore ferragamo, you've got special k

cereal, or veuve clicquot right next to hot wheels. so it's that juxtaposition, that slamming together of things from high culture, low culture, all those different things kind of bumping up against each other. >> brangham: but this is about more than just a chaotic collision of color. yoder hopes we can learn something new from the things we cast away-- very much like the ree-decade old event that inspired this work: in 1990, the container ship the "hansa carrier" was traveling from korea to north america when it hit rough water. the storm threw overboard several containers full of roughly 80,000 nike shoes. adrift on the pacific, thousands of those sneakers washed ashore months later. >> it turned out that every shoe has a serial number, like a message in a bottle. >> brangham: so you could track each identity, not-- not just the whole containers-full, but each individual shoe? >> correct. >> brangham: oceanographer curt ebbesmeyer stued that small sneaker flotilla. he's been dubbed the world's

expert on flotsam-- the floating debris spilled from cargo ships. ebbesmeyer has tracked everything from spilled rubber duckies to floating hockey gloves. this 1990 shoe spill, and many others like it, have helped researchers understand the behavior of what are called gyres-- which are huge, circular ocean currents. by tracking thousands of objects from different spills as they drift, scientists can now better predict how something like an oil spill might travel, and where it might end up. and, the original nikes specifically taught ebbesmeyer one odd fact: left shoes tend to drift in one direction, and right shoes, another. that is the striking thing about this, is that it's a fun and charming story that we hear, but these sneakers going into the ocean did lead to some real scientific understanding. >> yes, i would call it serendipity.

science, it forces you to ask questions you may never have thought about, which is really good. the ocean, i think, speaks to us in what i call “flotsam tongue”" and i'm here to read it, like the ancient hieroglyphs on the pyramids. so, there's a lot to be learned. and i think these container spills have a lot to teach us. >> brangham: the “overboard” exhibit is, not coincidentally, displayed in a 40-foot shipping container in southeast washington, d.c. artist yoder and scientist ebbesemeyer share the same fascination with the 1990 spill, and admire each other's work-- but haven't met. yoder displays his shoes with a nod to ebbemeyer's findings-- left shoes on one side, right shoes on the other. he swears there's no political messaging there, and he tries to keep the same out of his art. >> everybody knows, on some level, no matter what side of these issues you're on, that things are not in good shape.

so, how do we come at that issue in a fresh way? >> brangham: kristi maiselman is the executive director of the arts organization cultural d.c. she dreamt up the idea of showcasing yoder's art in a shipping container, which she is able to move around the city to bring art to the public. >> it's been really interesting >> brangham: maiselman says just as cast-off “trash” gets a second look from this exhibit, people in washington, d.c. and elsewhere are re-emerging from the pandemic and experiencing a similar sense of rebirth. >> i think that we have all been cooped up in our houses, and we've been watching zoom things, zoom theater and zoom art tours. but it's not the same. you know, we couldn't have come out of the pandemic with a more perfect venue and a more perfect platform, because it's small and it's-- it's a manageable space where we know we can keep things safe and really let people enjoy and immerse themselves in a way that they can't in other places. >> brangham: the exhibit continues through the end of june. and, yes, the art is for sale--

$750 a "shoe." for the pbs newshour, i'm william brangham in washington, d.c. >> woodruff: a great thing to look forward to. and, make sure to stay with pbs. yamiche alcindor and her panel get thdetails that drove the headlines on "washington week." and that is the newshour for tonight. i'm judy woodruff. join us online, and again here monday evening. for all of us at the pbs newshour, have a good weekend. thank you, please stay safe, and good night. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> fidelity wealth management. >> 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 .

♪ hello, everyone. welcome to "amanpour & company." here's what's coming up. >> my hope is that we'll see this comin to an conclusion sooner than later. >> the u.s. works to bring israelis and palestinians back fromhe brink amid fears of an internal civil war between israel's arabs and jews. the u.s. warns moscow will face consequences for destabizing democracy. we cannot both embrace the big lie and embrace the constitution. >> i speak to former republi