judy: good evening. i'm judy woodruff. judy: on the "newshour" tonight, masking up -- the cdc revises its guidelines for face coverings as the delta viant of covid-19 drives a widespread rise in infections. we get the latest from doctor anthony fauci. >> there was an attack carried out on january 6 and a hit man sent them. i want you to get to the bottom of that. >> major funding has been provided

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these institutions. ♪ >> this program was made possible i the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> the u.s. centers for disease control today undid earlier advice and reimposed stricter mask wearing guidelines around the country. cdc director dr. rochelle walensky said people who are fully vaccinated should resume wearing masks indoors in regions where coronavirus infections and transmission are high. she also recommended that everyone in k-12 schools wear a mask, whatever their vaccination status. and late today, the white house confirmed that president biden

will announce on thursday that all federal workers and contractors must be vaccinated agnst covid. those who refuse could face regular testing and other requirements. dr. anthony fauci is director of the u.s. nional institute of allergy and infectious diseases and the chief medical advisor to the president. >> dr. fauci, thank you for joining us. part of this new guidance has to do with telling people, even those who are vaccinated, that when they are in indoor places that they should wear a mask. if they are in places where the virus is surging. but how are they to know where the virus is surging? that see unclear. >> well, the cdc has a coding system of blue, yellow, orange, red. it is easily accessible online. when you look at it, if you're in a red or oran zone, that is

in the zone the cdc is talking about, not the yellow zone. it really is the number of cases you get per 100,000 population. for example, they talk about substantial, that means either 50 to 99.9 cases per 100,000, and when you have a high level it is greater than 100 cases per 100,000. >> you're saying that's not too complicated for americans to follow? >> judy, from a practical standpoint, you know if you're in a high level area, most of the country is in an orange or red zone. it's not as if there are just a couple of states. if you look at the map, particularly when you look at the southern states, those are dominated by orange and red. judy: dr. fauci, the cdc saying this is based on new science,

new data that showing that even those who are vaccinate can carry the virus with them and be contagious. this contradicts what we have been told, that once you get vaccinated you are protected. >> in some respects yes, but what is changed is the virus. the recommendations and the discussion we had it months ago that the cdc was basing their recommendations on where dealing with the alpha variants, which is different than the delta variant. the delta variant has an unusual capability of spreading much more easily than the alpha. and the other data we are having right now is the people get breakthrough infections, when they are vaccinated and they get infected, even when they have a situation where they don't have an advanced disease, they clearly can transmit it to other people. this is not a common event. i don't want people to be

thinking about all kinds of vaccinated people are transmitting, it is an unusual event but it occurs. when you have vaccinated people who might have a breakthrough infection, and we know as a scientific fact that they can transmit the virus to an uninfected person, it is for that reason that the cdc made the change in recommendation and did just as you correctly stated, mainly that if you are vaccinatedif you are in an indoor setting, you should still wear a mask. judy: i hear you saying it is based on science, but too many americans who are pandemic weary, can you understand why they are looking at this? we are hearing from americans saying why did the cdc change the guidelines two months ago, did they jump the gun when they did that, or they are asking why were they not more transparent

in the beginning? people are asking these questions. >>those are reasonable questions but we all need to realize we are dealing with an evasive type of virus. it evolves. a painful realization, but it is true. we are dealing with a virus that is a wiley character, if you want to make a metaphor, it is one that when thedc issued recommendations 60 days ago you were dealing with the alpha variant which is different from the delta variant which we are saying now. it is not a question of the cdc flip-flopping in a vacuum. they are keeping up with the evolution of the virus. judy: i want to ask you about a piece of this message, that has to do with school, everyone in school, working, teachers, school children

wearing masks. we see pushback from conservatives like florida governor ron desantis, he is saying this is not based on science. he says, i'm courting, there is no indication that areas with mask mandates -- quoting, there is no indication that areas with mask mandates have performed any better than areas without mask mandates. >> i think that does not prove the point he is making. we do note the science shows now that even people who are vaccinated and get a breakthrough infection can transmit. we want to keep the school. the country does. the cdc makes the recommendations. the local school areas make the decision. at the recommendation -- and the recommendation of the cdc is that we want to get the children back to school in person. we don't want to go back to virtual, we don't want to close schools. we want when the fall term

comes, children are in school. to keep them safe given the changing situation, that is why the recommendation to keep everybody masked even if you are vaccinated. judy: pushback from conservatives, they are saying this new mandate will undermine confidence on the part of people who have not been vaccinated yet. it's going to take away the incentive to get vaccinated. >> i would think the opposite. we would not be in the situation if we already had now the overwhelming proportion of the population vaccinated. we would not be having the viral dynamics that give you a red and an orange zone. if we had the overwhelming proportion of people vaccinated, we would not be having this conversation. the solution to all of this is to get vaccinated. and get that 100 millioneople in the country who are eligible

for vaccines who have not gotten vaccinated to get vaccinated. that is the reason why i am heartened to see that among the conservative republicans, among people like even governor desantis himself, who are promoting vaccination, people like governor hutchinson who is out there beating the bushes trying to get people vaccinated. that is the way to go. that's what is going to settle this problem. judy: one other thing, president biden saying today he is considering requiring the entire federal workforce to be vaccinated. do you think that is a good idea? >> i think that kind of mandate -- i think we need mandates, i do. i don't think we need a federal mandate from the president to say mandating the entire country, but the things you have control over, the federal workforce, i believe the move by secretary dennis mcdonough of the veterans administration was prudent and advisable.

judy: dr. anthony fauci, we thank you very much. >> thank you for having me. ♪ judy: -- steanie: i'm stephanie sy at newshour west. we'll return to judy woodruff and the full show after the latest headlines. emotions ran high as a select congressional committee opened public hearings on the january assault on the u.s. capitol. four capitol police officers shared harrowing accounts of being physically assaulted and injured, and verbally abused by a mob of trump supporters on january 6. we'll get the details, after the news summary. a man accused of killing eight people at massage businesses around atlanta pleaded guilty today to four of the murders. robert long was sentenced to life in prison without parole. he could still get the death penalty for the other killings, in a separate proceeding. most of the victims in the march attacks were women of asian descent.

a former u.s. air force analyst is facing 45 months in federal prison for leaking secrets about a military drone program to a news reporter. daniel hale was sentenced today in alexandria, virginia. his job was to help locate targets for drone strikes in afghanistan, but he has said the strikes killed too many civilians. in los angeles today, a jury convicted prominent democratic donor ed buck of multiple crimes that led to two deaths. buck, a wealthy white man was accused of inviting black men into his home, and giving them drugs in exchange for sex. two of the men died of overdoses. the department of justice said the victims were typically destitute, homeless or struggling with drug addiction. he could face a life sentence. los angeles will require city workers to prove they are vaccinated against covid-19 or test negative each week. the city's mayor eric garcetti said the requirements are first steps in a push for an eventual vaccine mandate. firefighters in parts of the

western u.s. were hoping for help from cooler weather today. but there's still no end in sight to a plague of wildfires , including one in northern california that's causing -- threatening homes. in indian falls, california, charred homes, cars and keepsakeare all that's left . after the dixie fire tore through the enclave north of sacramento. it's the largest active fire in the state, and one of more than 85 wildfires burning across the nation -- mostly in the drought-stricken west. unlike the sprawling “bootleg” fire in a sparsely populated area of southern oregon -- california's “die” fire is threatening or than 10,000 homes. calfire spokesmanon heggie says they're trying to get ahead of fire behavior that can turn aggressive quickly. >> we're really beincautious to ensure that the safety of the public is taken care of, to make sure that we're giving ourselves enough lag time. because what we've seen is throughout the summer and throughout the last

few years, really, as the fires have that potential to grow exponentially, you know, within a few hours, really. [00:04:47] -- a few hours, really. >> the fire ignited nearly 2 weeks ago. california's “pacific gas & electric” utility said its equipment may have played a role in starting the fire, which has been fueled by a prolonged drought and erratic winds in steep, hard-to-reach terrain. heggie says it's all part of the perilous new reality firefighters face in wildfire season. >> the lack of rain we received last winter is really showing itself this summer as aggressive fires and big devastating fires . and really, the 10 year drought that we saw, we're still paying a price for that because all that fuel that was stressed and died during that 10 year drought is still on the landscape and still is available fuel. we're in a new era of firefighting and understanding that environment and making that preparations for it is key. >> in indian falls, at least three dozen homes and structures have been lost, but with the dixie fire less than 25%

contained, the worst wreckage may lie ahead. in hong kong for the first time, , a court has convicted a pro-democracy protester under a new national security law imposed by china. tung yeeng-kit was found guilty today of inciting secession and terrorism. more than 100 other protesters are awaiting trial. a roman catholic cardinal and 9 others went on trial today at a vatican court in a church money scandal. the defendants face charges of embezzlement and criminal mismanagement. it's the largest criminal trial in the vatican's modern history. the tokyo olympics went ahead today despite another record number of covid infections in the city. japan's prime ministers as it is not affecting the games. in women's gymnastics, american raining gold medalist simone biles withdrew from the teen final -- teen final, setting mental health as the reason. former senator from wyoming mike died today as a result of a biking accident. he broke his neck last week.

he was known as a consensus builder, he retired from the senate this year after serving since 1977, he was 77 years old. still to come, we discussed the uncertain you jerk of southeast asia with the pakistani prime minister and a look at gymnast simone biles decision to bow out of the team event because of what she called all those demons. ♪ >> this is the pbs newshour from studios in washington and in the west of the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. judy: now to the raw, emotional testimony on capitol hill today as lawmakers on a new, select committee investigating the january 6 insurrection held their first public hearing. lisa has this report and a warning, today's testimony included videos of violence from january as well as offensive

language that you will hear only in part in this report. >> we fought hand to hand, inch by inch. >> this was january 6 as it happened. >> i was dragged from the line of officers into the crowd. i heard someone scream >> , i got one. >> told by police officers who defended the capital that day, as a pro-trump mob broke into the building, seeking to stop lawmakers from certifying the election results and joe biden's presidency. >> i told them to just leave the capitol and in response they yelled “no man, this is our house. president trump invited us here. we're here to stop the steal. joe biden is not the president. >> this was the first hearing of a house select committee to investigate january 6, itself a sign of divide. a bipartisan commission was

blocked by republicans. and speaker pelosi rejected two of the gop's appointees to this committee. today the remaining group - including two other republicans - kept a serious tone, alongside powerful testimony and video showing officers outnumbered 50 to one. >> i could feel myself losing oxygen. i thought this is how im going to die, defending this entrance. >> a man tried to rip the baton from my hands and we wrestled for ntrol. i retained my weapon after i pushed him back he yelled at me you are on the wrong team. another takes a different tact, shouting "you will die on your knees" >> d.c. police officer daniel hodges recalled seeing crowds early in the day - and hearing indications then they were certainly not tourists. >> after a bit of small talk, one of them asked my colleague something to the effect of, “is this all the manpower you have? do you really think you're going to be able to stop all these people?” >> hours later, hodges was

nearly crushed in a key doorway. >> a man seized the opportunity of my vulnerability and grabbed my gas mask and used it to beat my head againsthe door. >> writers pulled him into the crowd. >> he ripped off my badge, he began to beat me with their fists and what felt like hard metal objects. at one point, i came face-to-face with an attacker who repeatedly longed for me and attempted to remove my firearm. i was electrocuted again and again and again. with the taser. at the hospital, doctors told me i had suffered a heart attack. i was later diagnosed with a concussion, a traumatic brain injury and process -- post-traumatic stress disorder. >> like many officers, capitol police officer harry dunn ran into the mayhem, with writers calling him a traitor and more. >> i do my best to keep politics

out of my job, but in this circumstance, i responded, i voted for joe biden, does my vote not count? mi nobody? -- am i nobody? that prompted racial epithets, one woman yelled, you hear that, this [beep] voted for joe biden. people in the crowd screamed to brew. -- boo. nobody had ever called me a [beep] while wearing a uniform. >> the writers called me traitor, a disgrace, and shouted that i, an army veteran and police officer, should be

executed. but for the first time, i was more afraid to work at the capital that my entire deployment to iraq. >> they warned us of capital needs to be fortified. >> one of the scariest things about january 6 is the people there, to this day think that they were right. they think that they were right and that makes for a scary recipe for the future of this country. >> all expressed frustration and even anger at members of congss who have questioned the seriousness of the day. >> i feel like i went to hell and back to protect them and the people in this room, but too many are now telling me that hell doesn't exist or that hell, actually wasn't that bad. >> i need you guys to address if anyone in power had a role in this. if anyone in power

coordinated, or aided or abetted, or tried to downplay, tried to prevent the investigation of this terrorist attack because we can't do it. we're not allowed to. >> earlier in the day republicans held their own news conference decrying the committee as political and pledging their own push to find out what happened. >> january 6 should have never happened. we should've prepared and be prepared for the officers. make sure they have the training, the equipment that they needed. >> but in the hearing, illinois republican adam kinzinger said his party was wrong to block a commission. he spoke directly to the officers. >> democracies are not defined by our bad days. we are defined by how we come back from bad days.

i want all americans to be able to trust the work th this committee does, and get the facts out there free of conspiracy. >> the committeeow begins its work in earnest - gathering documents, interviewing other witnesses, and answering police officers' call for the facts. >> you carried out your duties at tremendous risk. now we on this committee have a duty, however, a far less dangerous one, but an essential one. >> the committee has not yet decided on a timeline to complete its work. but let's talk about what's ahead - what does the panel need to do and what questions about january 6 still need answers? seamus hughes is a counterterrorism expert with the program on extremism at george washington university. he previously worked in the national counterterrorism center, and the senate homeland security committee. i know you watched the hearing, it was gripping. i even saw capitol police officers watching on their

phones on capitol hill. what was new to you? >> i don't think there was anything new in terms of information, what was new was telling the story, and that is the goal of the first hearing. this was not just simply a peaceful protest. these four officers in their dress uniforms talking about the day, talking about being violently attacked crowds, people saying bigoted things to them, chairs being thrown, a mob coming through. that is what you want to get through. talk about the day, the emotions of the day, and then you get to the facts in the second and third hearings. >> talking about those facts, what do you hope this committee is able to shed light on? what is important to get out for this committee? >> if i'm a congressional staff and -- stopper on this committee, i'm not resting on my laurels. i'm writing oversight letters department agencies, dozens. i need documents, subpoenas, i need to know what happened. why was the national guard delayed?

did the fbi issue a national intelligence bulletin to the state and local field? was there a lead up at the bureau about suspect on that day? one fact we failed to note that point, ideally we are not looking for individual blame of these in this -- investigations, you are looking at systemic issues, what are things you can address your legislation and resources to get to the heart of what hapned january 6 to prevent the next one. >> a lot of the groups you mentioned are agencies controlled by the president and the executive branch. you know as well as anyone, congress has a hard time getting documents from the executive branch, trump era documents. how important are documents in this investigation and how hard is it going to be for congress to get them? >> it's going to be an uphill battle, no router -- matter the republican or democratic administration, they don't want to be sub dutch part of an

investigation. they're not going to willingly head over dod memos or documents from the fbi. they will have to fight tooth and nail to get those things. that is why the first hearing is so important. it sets the stage and ratchets up the pressure to get those documents, saying this is important, this is a serious effort so you need to give us things. what usually happens, i've done a number of these investigations, there is stonewalling. there is a dance that starts. you go back and forth to agencies saying i want everything you've got and they say no, and they say no again, and again. keep adding the pressure, you do interviews, op-ed's, you push them to the point where they do give documents and those are only going to tell part of the story. the important part is the context and that is what the role of interviews are. doing the briefings with the fbi, the department of defense and others, but also being willing to get on a redeye plane and end up in a small time dutch

town in rural america and talk to someone who has not been top two. what were they thinking in that time? it is a long, hard slog, and that is why you don't see the hearing, the government officials talking, use get -- you see these police officers, because you want to know all the facts. >> -- where is our government with extremism, the right supremacist groups -- white the premises groups, what is the danger? >> about 500 people have been arrested related to january 6, and they come from a smattering of groups, from the oath keepers, militias, proud boys, drawn by conspiracies. but this does not happen in a vacuum. the last six months of the administration has released a

new domestic terrorism strategy, there never done that. you have seen resources. citizen u.s. attorneys are prosecuting cases they never had before, you are seeing a complete change to counter extremism programs in this country. in the past they focus on international terrorism, but now they are focusing on domestic extremism. >> shamus hughes of george washington university, thank you. >> thank you very much. ♪ judy: just over one month according to president biden, the u.s. will have completed its withdrawal from afghanistan. after 20 years. but for those two decades afghanistan's neighbor to the east, pakistan, has been a key player in the original dynamics and stands long accused by the united states and afghanistan of

supporting taliban insurgents. i will have a moment -- an interview with the prime minister, but for some background on him and the fraught relationship with the u.s. in afghanistan. >> from the 1970's to thearly 90's, imran khan was a professional athlete, a cricket star - guiding pakistan's national team to victory. now, as pakistan's prime minister, he's leading his country at a time of regional tumult. as the u.s. leaves afghanistan, the taliban is making swift territorial advances. when the taliban recently took over a key afghan-pakistani border crossing, residents on the pakistani side seemed to celebrate, waving taliban flags and honking horns. recently, afghan president ashraf ghani made a longstanding accusation: pakistan provides insurgents safe haven. >> intelligce estimates

indicate the influx of over 10,000 jihadi fighters from pakistan and other places in the last month, as well as support from their affiliates in the trans-national terrorist organisation. >> khan said he took offense. >> i feel really disappointed that we have been blamed for what is going on in afghanistan. what is happening in afghanian is over two decades of conflict. >> but for more than two decades, the u.s. has accused pakistan, especially its intelligence services, of providing sanctuary and support to the taliban. the breaking point was a series of brazen attacks in 2011. the first, on the ter-continental hotel in kabul, killed more th 30 people. then-u.s. joint chiefs chairman mike mullen directly blamed pakistan's support for the taliban-linked haqqani network. >> the haqqani network, for

one, actas a veritable arm of kistan's internal services intelligence agency >> at the time of mullen's remarks, khan said the u.s. should take advantage of the relationship between haqqani and pakistan's powerful i-s-i intelligence service. >> i do not think that isi controls the haqqani network. yes, they would have connections with them. and if i was the united states, i would use this connection of the isi with the haqqani network to actually get them on the negotiating table. >> khan has stoked controversy with comments about sexual assault. he recently said that, in pakistan's conservative society, women who do not cover themselves risk “consequences.” >> it is a completely different society way of life here. so if you raise temptation in the society to the point, and all these young guys have nowhere to society. >> those comments spurred

protests, including this one in karachi. >> we do not accept these kinds of theories that because of us and the way we dress there is immorality, that there is rape, this is totally unacceptable. judy: now, to my interview with prime minister khan. he was in islamabad, pakistan's capital, when we spoke this morning. judy: prime minister khan, thank you for joining us. let me start by asking you your assessment of the situation in afghanistan right now with u.s. troops almost completely out after 20 years. >> well, judy, i think the u.s. has really messed it up in afghanistan. you see, first of all, they try to look for a military solution in afghanistan when there never was one. and people like me who kept saying that there's no

military solution, who know, the history of afghanistan, we will call people like we will call anti-american. i was called taliban khan. for anyone who objected to this way of i don't know what the objective was in afghanistan, whether it was to have some nation building or democracy or liberate the women, whatever the cause was, the way they went about it was never going to be the solution. so when they finally decided that there is no military solution, unfortunately, they the the bargaining power of the americans or the nato forces had gone. when there were 150000 nato troops in afghanistan that was the time to go for a political solution. but once they had reduced the

troops to barely 10,000 and then went to give an exit date, the taliban thought they had won. and so therefore, it was very difficult for now to get them to compromise. it's very difficult to force them into a political solution because they think that, you know, they won. judy: well whatever has happened , in the past, as we said, the taliban now is on the rise in in afghanistan. is that a good outcome for afghanistan? [10.5s] -- for afghanistan? >> the only good outcome for afghanistan is that if there is a political settlement which is inclusive, so they form some sort of a government that that includes all sorts of different factions there. obviously taliban part of that government. the worst situation in afghanistan would be if there's a civil war and a protracted civil war. and from pakistan's point of view, that is the worst case scenario, because we then,

we have, we face two scenarios. one refugee problem: already pakistan is hosting over three -- 3 million afghan refugees. and what we fear is that a protracted civil war would be more refugees. and, you know, economic situation is not such that we can we can have another influx. secondly, the worry is that the civil war will flow into pakistan because, you know, the taliban are basically ethnic pashtuns. now they're more pashtuns on either side of the border than in afghanistan. and so the worry is that if this goes on, the pashtuns on our side will be drawn into it. so that -- that is the last thing we want. judy: and i do want to ask you about about pakistan. but before we leave afghanistan, the united states has been asking your government for many years to

help in the in the effort to limit, to fight the taliban in afghanistan. but the u.s. and other organizations now say they have massive amounts of evidence that pakistan has helped the afghan taliban with military, with intelligence, has helped them financially. how do you explain -- this is a terrorist group operating in afghanistan? how do you explain the support your government has given repeatedly over the years to the afghan taliban? >> judy, i find this extremely unfair, and so you should know a little bit of the history come -- history. come 9/11, pakistan had nothing to do with what happened, the terrorist act in new york. pakistan, and the sense that al

qaeda was based in afghanistan. there were no militant taliban in pakistan, no pakistani was involved. and so when pakistan -- the pakistani government decided to join the us's war o terror, this country was devastated by that. 70,000 pakistanis died in that war, which we had nothing to do with. we had over a hundred and -- $150 billion lost to the economy. judy: it is not the only thing that's blame, but it's an important thing that's blamed in that the the afghan taliban has always been able to have a safe haven next door in pakistan. and again, the u.s. says it has mountains of evidence that your isi, other elements of the pakistan military, have helped the taliban in afghanistan over the years. just in the last few days, there's a report 10000 pakistan fighters have crossed over the border to help the taliban in this most recent fighting. so this is going on right now.

>> judy, for a start, this -- 10,000 taliban or they call , the afghan government, the jihadi fighters have crossed over. this is absolute nonsense. why don't they give us evidence of this? firstly, let me just go back: when they said that pakistan gave safe havens, sanctuaries to taliban, where are these safe havens? when you -- when you said -- we said there are 3 million afghan refugees in pakistan who are, by the way, the same ethnic group as the taliban, pashtuns. now, there are camps of 500,000 people. there comes a -- there are camps of 100,000 people. and taliban are not some military outfit. they are normal civilians. and if there are some civilians in these camps, how is pakistan supposed to hunt these people down? how can you call them sanctuaries? judy: let me ask you, mr. prime

minister, what relationship do you want now with the united states? you've said under no circumstances would you allow the u.s. to set up the cia to have any sort of bases in pakistan to support counterinsurgency. but are you saying no cooperation with the u.s. to fight terrorism? [23.2s] gosh to fight terrorism? >> when you say about us having bases of counterterrorism, please let me make you understand this. when a country loses 70,000 people and is bankrupted by this war on terror, when we join the u.s. after -- after 9/11. we do not have the capacity to have any fighting within our borders, any terrorism within our country, because when we were in the height of that war on terror, which pakistan joined, there were suicide bombs taking place all over the country. the the businesses collapsed.

tourism collapsed. so we do not -- we don't want to be part of any conflict. now, if there's a conflict going on in afghanistan and their bases in pakistan, we then become targets. we will then become part of a conflict which we were in the last 15 years. and we do not want we want to be partners in peace, but not in conflict. judy: what sort of relationship do you want? do you what do you expect from the united states at this point? you're looking for a trading relationship. what what is it that you want your relationship with the united states to be after this very fraught period of the last 20 plus years? >> well, judy, the last relationship was transactional, pakistan was more like a hired gun. the u.s. says that we paid -- or gave you aid, and that is why you are fighting this so-called war on terror. pakistan, on the other hand, felt that here was a country which had no need to be part of

this war. it loses 70,000. i mean, which other country has lost 70,000 people fighting for someone else's war? so pakistanis felt that here we were, fighting u.s. war. our economy devastated. it was minuscule compared to the amount of money we lost in the economy. and yet we were blamed for the failure in afghanistan. this is the pakistani point of view. now, pakistan's position is very straightforward. we want to help and we have helped getting the taliban to talk to the u.s., got them on the dialogue table. we have done our bit. what cannot afrd now, if there is a civil war, what the u.s. wants us bases in pakistan, if there's civil war in afghanistan. so, if there's civil war in

afghanistan we will immediately , get stuck into it. there will be terrorism within pakistan we do not want, apart from anything, that our country cannot afford it. we have just recovered from a desperate economic situation and we do not want to go through it again. judy: i hear that message. at the same time, do you expect that if the taliban does succeed in afghanistan, you're going to have a country next door where women, for one thing, are not allowed to have an education after the age of eight, that you're going to have a country run by a group of terrorists in effect. >> but, judy, what are we supposed to do about it? i mean, the u.s. for two decades in afghanistan trying to force a military solution. the reason why we are in this position now is because the military solution failed. now, what choices have we got? the best choices that somehow we have a political settlement in afghanistan where it is, as i repeat, an inclusive government. so taliban sit down with the other side and they form an inclusive government. this is the best outcome. there

is no other outcome because the military solution has failed. judy: are you prepared to accept taliban victory next door? you're saying in essence, there's nothing, nothing more pakistan can do. >> absolutely, there's nothing more we can do except push them as much as we can for a political settlement. that is all. but what happens in afghanistan, we can only pray that the people of afghanistan decide what government they want. and so we hope that that's what will happen in the end, then form some sort of an inclusive government. but that's what people of afghanistan, as far as pakistan is concerned, we have done what we can. judy: last thing, i do want to ask you, i just went to take a moment to ask you about a comment you made about the role of women in your country. you said in an interview last month that women themselves bear a large part of the responsibility for the concerning rise in the number of

rape cases in pakistan. i want to ask you if you truly believe that. i mean, you're someone you've lived in the west, you've traveled widely around the world. do you believe women bear a large part of the responsibility for this? >> look, judy,nyone who commits rape solely and solely that person is responsible. so let's be clear about that, no matter whatever how much ever a woman is provocative or whatever she wears, the girl, the person who commits rape, he is fully responsible. never is the victim responsible. my comments were completely taken out of context. they were simply talking about pakistan society, where we are having a rise, a sharp rise in sex crimes and sex crime does not include just women more than

rape, child abuse is going through the roof. so my comments were in that context, and it was -- i use the word padar in islam, but that does not mean just clothes and pervert is not restricted to women only, but that is for men as well. it means bringing the temptation down in a society. this is what i was talking about and it was taken out of -- deliberately, and i have to say, because i know all of the interviews i've given, never would i say such a stupid thing where a person who is raped is responsible for somehow -- it is always the rapist that is responsible. judy: do you believe that, that that the importance in your country of islam complicates your ability to to do something to take a stronger stand against violence against women? >> absolutely not. islam gives dignity, respect to women. in fact, let me say, having traveled all over the

world, i find that in muslim countries, in pakistan, even in other muslim countries, i've seen women having far more treated with respect and given more dignity. you have heard cases everywhere in the rld, but you look at the situation in pakistan even now. i mean, look at the rape cases here compared to western countries. they are minuscule compared to them. yes, we have our issues. we have sort of cultural problems. every nation has that. but that comes with cultural evolution, with education. but as far as a woman's dignity goes, respect, i can say after going all over the world, this society gets more respect and dignity to women. judy: prime minister imran khan, thank you very much. we appreciate it. >> thank you. ♪

judy: it was a stunning moment at the tokyo olympics today. simone biles, considered the top gymnast in the world and favored to bring the u.s. gold medals, withdrew from the team competition. her decision came after her performance on the vault. and, she said, it was not because of a physical injury. john yang looks at the pressure on biles and how she discussed her own mental health. john: judy, at the tokyo games, biles seemed disappointed as she spoke to reporters and explained her decision. >> today has been really stressful. we had a workout this morning. it went okay. and then just that five and a half hour wait or something. i was just like shaking, could barely nap. i've just never felt like this going into a competition before. and i tried to go out here and have fun and warm up in the back when a little bit better. but then once i came out here, i was like, no, mental is not there. so i just need to let the girls do it and focus on myself"

john: before the event, in an instagram post, biles talked about the pressure she'd been feeling at the olympics: "...i truly do feel like i have the weight of the world on my shoulders at times. i know i brush it off and make it seem like pressure doesn't affect me but damn sometimes it's hard” angie fifer is a former gymnast and track and field athlete who now owns breakthrough performance consulting, which works with individual athletes and teams. angie, thank you for being with us. help the rest of us understand what the pressures are like for someone like simone biles who performs so consistently at such a high standard and has all of these expectations, and had all of these placed on her for years. >> the weight of pressure simone has on her shoulders is insurmountable. and in the way to think about it is, imagine if you went to the office and everybody watched every move you made and made

sure that every single thing you did all day long was perfect. that is the pressure she felt coming into these game i think we could see a little bit of that through the earlier converse -- competitions this year, and we've definitely seen it in tokyo. john: do fans and people who follow this expect too much of athletes? >> yes. she is an incredible gymnast, she performs at such a high level, such difficulty an incredible execution. what to expect she is perfect every time is asking too much of anyone. it's not human to be perfect every time, and the mistakes that she made at the olympics so far, she took steps, and the media came crashing down on her for -- usa struggles. that was an unfair description of her performance. john: so much of this is the media looking for a story line,

an individual they can highlight and follow through the competition. do you think that is more of a negative than a plus? >> i have been really disappointed with the over criticism the media has done on team usa gymnastics. they focused on mistakes, they were critical about their qualification round in which they came in second, doing the job they needed to do just to get to that next day, the day of the finals. they focused only on mistakes. simone qualified first coming into this competition in the whole world, and all the media showed were extra steps she took or mistakes that she made. and the rest of the girls, they did not even mention their names. this is a team event, and team usa gymnastics has done a phenomenal job and it would be nice to see them call out the greatness instead of steaks. this is a sport -- mistakes.

this is a sport that is incredibly dangerous, and if she would have power through today, there is no telling what could've happened. i think she made immature and courageous decision today -- a mature and courageous decision today. she talked about it not being fair to the rest of the team to go out there and potentially lose them a medal. john: losing her focus could also hurt her physically. >> absolutely. john: only simone knows what is going on in her head, but she has a difficult childhood, she was a survivor of sexual abuse by larry nassar, being black in the sport, do these affecyour performance? >> trauma is cumulative, all the things in her background, the sexual assault from larry

nassar, but does not go away. she deals with that trauma on a daily basis and the pressure to be perfect alongside about has to be a tremendous cross to bear. john: she said she's going to be thinking about whether to continue to compete. as she thinks through this, as a coach and a former competitor, what would you want her to be picking about? >> i want her to prioritize her self. number one is getting relaxation and my fullness time, letting her min clear and stopping all of the overthinking and overanalyzing, probably stay away from social mia and the news because a lot of the commentary has been about her, solely focused on all of her mistakes. instead of focusing on how great she has done so far. those are really big

prioritization's and for her to back to her routines and think about what she could do, what she wants to do in order to perform thursday and beyond, that really is going to be up to her. john: angie fifer, thank you so much. ♪ in judy: tonight on the pbs newshour online, as wildfires in the western u.s. pump harmful smoke into the atmosphere, communities with existing air pollution challenges themselves at a higher risk of negative health effects. we go to fresno, california to hear about the factors that contribute to poor air quality year-round and how local advocates are trying to keep vulnerable communities safe. you can read more on our website, that is pbs.org/newshour/.

and that is the newshour for tonight, i am judy woodruff. thank you, please stay safe, we will see you soon. >> funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by, ♪ >> consumer cellular, johnson & johnson, financial services firm raymond james, bnsf railway, carnegie corporation of new york, supporting innovations in education, democratic engagement, and the advancement of international peace and security. the -- creating the change to

shift economic opportuni, and with the ongoing support of these and dutch institutions. this program was made prop -- possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs statn from viewers like you. thank you. ♪ >> this is pbs newshour west, from wata studios in washington and our bureau at the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. ♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy.]

>> pati narrates: i've spent my career as a chef exploring the food of my homeland, mexico. south of the border, meeting cooks, chefs and families. learning the history and stories behind the recipes. but i've done it all while living here in the u.s. throughout my mexican travels i've felt this nagging question: what happens to mexican food when it travels north of the border? what is mexican food in america? i don't think there's one answer to that question, but i do know it'll be a lot of fun tasting my way through the research. they call tucson, arizona the best 23 miles of mexican food in the u.s. sounds to me like a great place to start. this plate is making me so happy right now. (pati laughs)