judy: good evening. i'm judy woodruff. on the "newshour" tonight, breaking the gridlock. a bipartisan push brings an elusive infrastructure deal in congress closer to completion. then, running out of time. millions of tenants and landlords face an uncertain future as the federal ban on evictions is set to expire. and extremism in the ranks. the u.s. military struggles with how to combat racism among the troops. we speak to the air force chief of staff, general cq brown, about how to change. >> membership of an extremist organization that goes against our core values, that go against our oath, is not what we need in our military.

judy: all that and more on tonight's "pbs newshour." >> major funding has been provided by. ♪ >> bnsf railway. consumer cellular. johnson & johnson. financial services firm raymond jame supporng social entrepreneurs and solutions to the world's most pressing problems. school foundation.org. the levinson foundation mid to improving lives through intervention in the u.s. and developing countries. supported by the john d and

catherine t macarthuroundation committed to building a more peaceful world. and with the ongoing support of these institutions. this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. judy: the political gridlock around the nation's infrastructure seems to have broken. a bipartisan group of senators now agree on a trillion dollar investment in public works projects. the measure includes $550 billion in new spending over the next five years. of that, $110 billion is to improve highways. $65 billion to expand broadband access.

and $47 billion to combat environmental disasters. now, the challenge is getting enough votes. but the senate negotiators, including alaska republican lisa murkowski, sound optimistic. >> this is also important to demonstrate that republicans and democrats can come together over really hard stuff to negotiate in good faith and to broker an agreement that is not going to work just for republicans or for democrats. it is going to work for the country. so it has been a long effort. there will still be a long effort going forward. judy: we look at what is in the ball with democratic senator jon -- the bill with democratic senator jon tester of montana. he is a member of the bipartisan group which led the effort in securing this senate deal. thank you for joining us.

what was the key that unlocked this deal? after all these weeks of trying and failing. and tell us what republicans gave, what did democrats give, with the each side get? >> we got a lot. this is the biggest infrastructure investment in this country's history. it's going to create the ability for this package to make us the premier economic power in the world which cannot be stated enough. negotiations went on longer than i thought they were going to have to go on. but you know how negotiations are. it is about people covering every square inch and then going back three more times. pretty soon they get tired and say we are going to do this. the 10 people i work with, nine people on the committee and the white house, everybody to a person wanted to get to yes. that is really the key and that is why this happened.

>> i want to ask you what is being spent on highways? 110 billion dollars, broadband, $65 billion. other big ticket items like passenger rail, updating the power grid. give us something where people watching can say, i get it. >> it is all traditionally infrastructure. let's look at the water infrastructure. water is literally life. to have good water is a premium. it's going to do a lot for that. we just came out of a pandemic where we sob broadband be necessary for our society. there's too many people who are underserved. this is going to bring broadband up to a point where rural states throughout this country and urban areas, too are going to have good access for telehealth and distance learning and having

businesses able to grow and create opportunity over the internet. and you go down the list, whether it is rails, critically important. we are doing what we can to have good passenger service transit. everyone will feel the difference this bill makes once we get it passed and implemented. judy: you were mentioning water infrastructure. we know tom carper from delaware is saying he is unhappy, he does not think there is the right amount of money for replacing lead pipes and clean water needs. >> this bill may not fix every water problem in this country, but it will take a giant step forward. if you are looking for perfection, you will never find it. this is a bipartisan negotiated lower everybody gives a little d everybody gets a lot. judy: are you confident you are

fully paying for all of this? >> no tax increases, no increase in the gas tax. that was the biggest challenge is to figure out what those a4's are -- with those -- what those payfors are. they look different then when we release this bill a month ago from the g 10 and negotiated it. nonetheless we have lived up to the expectations of republicans and democrats and the white house was ok with. i think it is going to be fine. judy: the g 10 referring to the bipartisan group of senators you were part of. you mention you think it is going to work out. there is money here, billions of dollars in unspent covid relief. people are going to say wait, what was that supposed to go for?

>> there are going to be questions about that. if you take into consideration, these are all cares act dollars, this bill was passed 15 months ago, and the fact we did not touch rescue plan money, i think we are going to be ok. but also we are not out of the woods on this pandemic. everyone needs to get vaccinated so we can get this thing behind us and get moving forward. if this flares up again, there is no doubt it can end up costing us additional dollars. i would rather put that money into infrastructure. judy: are there the votes right now to pass this? >> we are going to get a good bunch of democrats, maybe everyone, and i think we are going to get a sizable group of republicans, too. if we do, that speaks to the fact washington can start working again, coming together, doing things this country needs. judy: last, the fate of this companion three point $5

trillion social infrastructure bill, f health care, education, the environment, what does its fate look like? now that you have arizona democrat kyrsten sinema saying she's not going to vote for it, and you need democrats. >> i have spent my time working on this bill. as soon as we get this out of the senate, we will focus on the reconciliation bill which is $3.5 trillion. when i go home i hear about housing, childcare, senior care, all the time. depending on how this is structured, how it is paid for, which we don't know, that will determine whether we are going to support. i have full confidence in the leadership in the senate. we will be able to get a bill that is good for this nation. the proof will be in the pudding. we will see and we will analyze every step of the way. judy: thank you for joining us.

we appreciate it. >> thank you. >> we will return after the latest headlines. an update on the infrastructure bill which has overcome its first hurdle late this afternoon . the senate voted 67-32 to move the bill forward to debate. 17 republicans joined all democrats in voting yes. in the days other news, the cdc reported reported two-thirds of all u.s. counties are now covid-19 hotspots where even the vaccinated should resume wearing masks indoors. in response, the pentagon and the department of homeland security orded all employees to mask up. the u.s. house of representatives did likewise. but republican leader kevin mccarthy sharply criticized the move and democratic speaker nancy pelosi was overheard reacting, quote, "he's such a moron." the two party leaders kept up their battle of words later, at

separate appearances. >> to say that wearing a mask is not based on science i think is not wise and that was my comment. and that's all i'm going to say about that. >> this was just about more control. this is just the beginning of a set because school is going to start coming back, they're going to shut school down again. this is about control. >> google rolled back plans for most of its workers to return to the office until mid-october. twitter said it will close its san francisco and new york offices effective immediately. on the vaccination front, new york governor andrew cuomo ordered state employees to get shots by labor day or face weekly testing. he singled out health care workers. >> all patient-facing health care workers must get vaccinated. there will be no testing option fopatient-facing health care workers. that is a point of contact. that that could be a serious

spreading event. >> meanwhile pfizer announced that testing shows its vaccine's effectiveness drops to 84% over six months. that could lead to federal officials authorizing booster shots. cooler weather and spots of rainfall brought some momentary relief today to firefighters in the western u.s. the weather helped crews working on the dixie fire inorthern california,he largest in the state. officials warned that hotter, drier conditions could return by the weekend. a wisconsin judge has ordered that a former police officer be charged with killing a black man in suburban milwaukee in 2016. the judge rejected the officer's claim that he fired on jay anderson, junior, when anderson reached for his gun. the former officer, who is also black, later resigned. prosecutors had originally declined to charge him. the federal reserve says the u.s. economy is still gaining strength. that assessment today could open the way to raising interest

rates again later this year. chairman jerome powell also said the current spike in covid cases doesn't seem to be a cause for alarm in terms of the economy: >> with successive waves of covid over the past year and some months now, there has tended to be less economic -- less in the way of economic implications from each wave. and we will see whether that is the case with the delta variety, but it's certainly a -- not an unreasonable expectation. >> powell said again that the latest rise in inflation appears to be only temporary. the city of tokyo topped 3,000 new covid-19 cases today for the olympics continued. at the games, american simone biles withdrew from the all-around gymnastics competition citing mental health reasons. she had pulled out of the team final yesterday. 21-year old jade carey of phoenix, arizona, will be taking her place in the individual

all-around competition. still to come on the newshour, millions face an uncertain future as the federal ban on evictions is set to expire. atlanta grapples with how to address a massive increase in violent crime. simone biles' decision to withdraw from competition highlights mental stress and the stigma around speaking up. plus much more. >> this is the "pbs newshour" from washington and the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. judy: throughout most of the pandemic, the federal government has been able to prevent many evictions for people behind on their rent. that's due in large part to a moratorium imposed by the centers for disease control and tied to public health concerns. but the supreme court has said

the moratorium must expire unless congress passes new legislation. it ends this weekend. as john yang tells us, there's great concern about what could happen next to millions of people. >> judy, according to the most recent census data, more than six million americans are behind on their rent and nearly a million say eviction is very likely for them in the next two months. one of them, lela jackson of columbus, ohio. >> i can't even apply for an apartment to leave here because i have two eviction filings, even though i still live here. it is not fair. it is not. it is so not fair. and i see other people going through the same thing. nobody wants to rent to a tenant with an eviction filing i don't know what to do.

>> since last year, congress has allocated $46 billion to help renters pay back rent and avoid eviction but much of it hasn't reached the people who need it the most. diane yentel is president of the national low-income housing coalition, an advocacy group. thanks for joining us. when this expires this weekend, what is your fear about what is going to happen? >> the federal eviction moratorium has been a lifeline. it has kept tens of millions of renters who would have lost their homes during a pandemic stably housed. it has also been any central public health measure that has helped to contain the spread of and deaths from covid-19. evictions are proven to cause both. as we look at the possibility of the federal eviction moratorium expiring this weekend with 6.5 million renters behind on rent

having fallen behind during the pandemic, it is deeply concerning that we will have both a wave of evictions and housing instability this summer and fall and further spread of an preventable deaths from covid-19. >> with evictions resuming, is there now an effort to get that money to the people who need it faster than it has been getting there? what can be done about that? >> there has been an effort all along. by january of this year renters were estimated to have accrued up to $50 billion. congress provided enough money to address all the arrears that accrued during the pandemic. the bad news is the money has been slow to get to renters and landlords who need it to keep them stably housed. there have been states and

cities that are doing very well ramping up their programs, getting money quickly to tenants who need it. there are manmo who are moving much too slowly. at this point, all of them, even if they give it their best effort, they cannot possibly reach of the tenants who need that money to stay stably housed before the moratorium expires. >> the last few weeks it was clear this could not be re-extended. the biden administration has been stepping up initiatives to get the word out and to make the money move faster. are you satisfied with what the administration has been doing? >> they have been doing a lot. they have been i would say appropriately aggressive in doing all they can to urge and empower and pressure states and cities to do more, to spend their money. and it is having a positive effect. we have been tracking emergency rental assistance programs and when we see awesome goals --

obstacles, when we have concerns about how the track of these programs are going, we raised those to the white house and the treasury. they have been responsive. they put out tools today. an effort to raise awareness about surgical databases. the biden administration or congress have to consider all options to continue protections for renters beyond saturday because we cannot as a country allow for this level of evictions and housing stability to proceed especially as the delta variance urges. >> -- delta variant surges. >> the pandemic has been hard on small landlords. what can be done to -- or should be done to help small landlords? >> small landlords rely on

rental income to pay their own bills, to continue to maintain and operate their properties. it is the smaller landlords who are more likely to be housing lower income renters who are falling or have fallen behind on rent. that is another reason why emergency rental assistance has been so essential and why we have always urged eviction moratorium is prepared with -- moratoriums be paired with assistance. the money can help tenants and landlords. unfortunately there has been a challenge with landlords refusing to participate and refusing to accept these emergency ntal assistance funds, which is slowing down the process for everybody. at times it is meaning lowest income renters are not able to get the help they need. >> thank you very much.

judy: even as some types of crime fell last year, murders and other violent crimes rose sharply in cities across the country, a trend that's continued this year. the causes aren't well understood and there are strong disagreements about how to address the problem. as amna nawaz reports, this debate over how to tackle violence is playing out in atlanta. >> she was shot seven times in the back. then they flipped over and they shot her one time in her head. >> in the early hours of may 17, at this northwest atlanta apartment complex, 27-year-old alicia merrell was shot and killed. her aunt, vanessa cox-logan, said she had been throwing out trash at this dumpster, while helping a friend to move. >> it's the worst feeling of my life, and i could never get that

back. >> alicia's mom, sonya merrell, remembers thphone call with the news her daughter had been killed. >> i didn't want to believe it. i didn't want to believe it. one of my child is is gone. she was the first of six of my kids and she grew me out, taught me how to be a mom. >> alicia was one of six people shot and killed in atlanta that weekend alone. >> another violent weekend in atlanta. >>. part of a spike in violent crimes the city's seen since 2019 with aggravated assaults up 20%, and murders up 52%. >> from a year-to-year perspective it was a historic surge in gun violence last year. >> princeton professor patrick sharkey, who tracks violent crime in american cities, says atlanta's not alone. in st. louis last year, murders increased by 35% .

by 18% in san jose. in austin, 42%. detroit, 19%. and new york city saw an increase of 45%. >> you had the pandemic and all the suffering and the abandonment of communities that went into that, then you had this proliferation of guns. it creates the potential for more altercations for -- to become lethal. >> historically, crime in american cities rose sharply between the 1960's and 1980's, then fell from the 1990's through 2014, when numbers again began to climb. the 2020 surge, sharkey says, was notable. and calls for racial justice and police reform, he believes also played a role. >> police may decide not to get involved in an incident where they have some discretion on whether to respond or not. residents may also decide to check out and no longer call the police. >> in atlanta, the june 2020 police shooting of rayshard

brooks, a black man confronted while he slept in a parking lot, sparked weeks of protest. atlanta mayor keisha lance bottoms criticized the use of deadly force. the police chief resigned. and after two officers were charged following brooks' death, more than 150 other officers called out sick. dozens have since resigned. today atlanta's police department is hundreds of officers short. >> i don't really think the police is the answer. >> columbus ward has lived in the south atlanta neighborhood of peoplestown his whole life. this majority-black neighborhood has seen some of the city's worst violence. >> rayshard brooks got killed right in our neighborhood by police, so w do you trust in terms of how many people want to trust the police? >> it's like a war zone. >> ethel floyd has lived here for 57 years. >> it's a well known fact about the police, they only come after the fact. bringing imore police officers is not going to help. you don't need to go to add fuel to the

fire. >> resident after resident here tell us they're wary of an increased police presence but some of their neighbors in north atlanta disagree. this northern suburb known as buckhead was annexed by atlanta in the 1950s, and here, too, they've seen an increase in crime recently, which is why some residents in this wealthy and mostly white neighborhood now say the solution is to break away. [00:00:34][0.0] >> we feel we're living in a war zone in buckhead. >> bill white is leading the effort to create a separate city of buckhead, allowing them to use their own tax base to fund their own budget. white says their city would lobby to tighten bail and sentencing rules, and deploy its own independent police force. >> a massive police presence will be something that the new buckhead city police department will absolutely provide. >> buckhead's departure would take away significant resources from atlanta. by some estimates, this area comprises 40% of atlanta's property wealth, a large part of its tax base.

critics say that would hurt the city's ability to stem rising crime and inequality. >> i think what buckhead city will do will most certainly push the criminals away from buckhead, and everybody in buckhead loves that idea. >> how does taking those resources away help the rest of the city? >> well atlanta has done this to themselves. we're not we're not taking anything away from them. they have done this to themselves. >> it doesn't really kind of resonate with you until you go through something yourself. >> buckhead resident eliana kovitch backs the effort to break away after she and her boyfriend, jason eades, were brutally assaulted in a parking lot last june. >> i think the sheer terror of having someone put a knife in your face and tell you profanity and say to get on your knees and beg for your life, punch you and until you're unconscious, like i

dinot ask for that. >> what do you think it would take for you to feel safe right now? >> definely more of a police presence. [00:07:58] >> more police on the streets, sharkey says, would reduce crime in the short-term, but without addressing underlying issues would not stop cycles of crime over the long term. it also carries additional costs, he says, in the form of police violence, mass incarceration, and intensive surveillance, disproportionately impacting communities of color. >> we should be pushing police to do their job differently to build trust and legitimacy. we should also be investing in different community institutions and organizations and ask them to play a larger role in contributing to safe, stronger neighborhoods. >> you don't see it as an either or. this is a both and. >> absolutely. we've never made a different commitment focused on investing in communities as a response to violence and all of the challenges that come with extreme inequality.

>> but in peoplestown, they've made that investment in recent years and are starting to see a return. wax -- >> we have seen a decrease in violence through community collaboration, partnerships, and referrals, not increased policing. >> aaron johnson is a trauma responder for local nonprofit chris 180. since 2018, his program has partnered with others to step up early intervention here -- including wellness programs like this. all with a goal of stopping violence before it happens. efforts like yoga and mindfulness to help cope with trauma. training younger residents how to de-escalate conflicts. even food and mask distribution during the pandemic. while crime spiked across atlanta last year, this area has seen a 50% decrease. >> i believe that violence stems

from the lack of equitable resources, the ability to obtain these resources, whether it be financial resources, whether it be educational resources, it's the lack of resources. so when the trauma response network comes in and other agencies come into communities to combat violence, it's about bringing resources to communities. [00:01:07][40.2] -- to communities. >> more than two months later, alicia merrell's murder remains unsolved. no arrests have been made. and while vanessa cox-logan isn't opposed to more police help, her family and her community she says need more than that. >> what do you think it would take to make you feel safe right now? >> we need these cameras to be working. we need adequate wraparound services. i think that's what it's going to take. it really will take the entire village. >> outgoing mayor keisha lance bottoms recently announced plans to hire 250 additional police officers as well as expand investment in community groups. for the pbs newshour, i'm amna nawaz in atlanta.

judy: one of the more significant stories of these olympic games so far is not only who's winning medals, but why one of the biggest names in sports decided to step back. simone biles said it was concern for her own mental well being that led her to do so. this news has quickly sparked larger conversations around mental health, athletics and race. yamiche alcindor is here with our own. >> judy, shortly after simone biles made her decision, she talked openly about the need to protect her own mental health under intense pressure and a global spotlight. she has also talked about some of her struggles, her conflicting feelings about the games, and signs of depression. here she is yesterday at a press conference discussing the power

of prioritizing her wellbeing. >> you are not going to enjoy your sport and succeed as much as you want to. it is ok to sit out the competitions to focus on yourself. it shows how strong a competitor and a person you really are. rather than just battle through it. >> while her challenges are happening on the world stage, many can relate to the mental health struggles of the star athlete. joining us to talk about all of this, a sports writer for the athletic and a sociologist. more than 50 years ago he wrote the book the revolt of the black athlete. simone biles is a lot of things. she is a super star but also a black woman, also a survivor of sexual assault. talk about what you make of the significance of her decision to say i have to put my mental health first when you think about those identities she is carrying. >> it is powerful.

the fact she is a black woman, sexual assault survivor, it cannot be separated from what we are seeing. the reason she has not retired is because her continued presence is the only rvivor of larry nasser's who is still competing continues to put pressure on usa gymnastics. at the same time, that is a lot of pressure when you are 24 years old. on top of that, being a black woman who is the face of our country in these olympics, it is a lot. for her to set these boundaries, which is something we tell women you are not allowed to do, it is a powerful statement. >> simone biles said she did not want to retire because she was the only athlete left who had survived the sexual abuse of larry nasser who is now in prison. you have talked and written so eloquently about being a sexual assault survivor. talk about how difficult it is to navigate going forward.

but also the power of saying i'm going to allow myself time to heal. >> it is difficult. it is such an individual thing for everybody. everybody copes in their own ways. to see someone like simone, as a sexual assault survivor myself, not only power through, but take ownership of what was done to her and say that did not define her, and not only that, but she's going to be a champion, is something -- it is such an inspiration. she knows that she inspires young girls and women everywhere. at the same time, you cannot overstate the toll that could take on you mentally. on the other hand, for having survived everything she has and for being the greatest in her sport, you can't say anything but the fact she is the most mentally tough person. for her to say that she is having mental health issues right now, she is struggling, means she really is and we need to take her at her word for it.

>> simone biles said something that really struck me. she said we hope america still loves us. of course we still love her, still cherish her, but you have talked about this pressure black athletes face when they are carrying the aspirations of black america, but also the fears of white america. >> black athletes have never been perceived as legitimate within the athletic realm anymore than they have in any other institutional realm as an american society. that is why we are underrepresented in all power and decision-making positions whether it is president, general manager, coaches, in those sports we participate in. it is directly tied to perceptions and fears of black people in this society by the white mainstream.

along with that you have these phenomenal athletes to represent black society. the aspirations of black society. to demonstrate that what we lack in america, why we are not legitimately perceived and embraced is not because of a lack of capacity, but a lack of opportunity. we can do the same thing in the industrial realm and every other realm of american life that we do in athletics and out of the locker room if we are given the opportunity. then when you put together the constant sexual affronts women have to deal with, that is a tremendous amount of pressure. i'm so proud of naomi and simone for speaking up. it will make a difference. it will be the most consequential statement to come out of these games where people are expecting a lot of protest statements and so forth. this will be the highlight in that regard.

>> i want to zoom out here and stick with you for a moment. you have talked about other realms of society. talk about what simone has talked about, her experience as black woman, how that overlaps with the experiences of black women in america. especially as we deal with covid and the death of george floyd. >> the reality is in the mainstream of american society, privilege, sometimes the gloves come off. we do not have definitional authority. we have never been perceived as credible witnesses to our own outcomes irrespective of what field you are moving in. that is something black people have had to deal with while meeting the challenges of the specific arena. you might be trying to be a

great lawyerbut you have to deal with that. you are trying to be a great journalist, but you have to deal with that. it does not make any difference whether you are surrounded by outright white supremacists, you have to deal with it. this is something i have stated for quite some time. sport recapitulates society. you cannot have a nonracial sports institution in a society that has substantial countercurrent of race. this reflects a society why -- which is why it is important to black america that simone and naomi and these women who are dealing with these issues speak up. >> talk about the generational difference here. we have seen simone talk about all of this on social media. other athletes and other women on social media. you yourself tweeting some smart words. talk about it. >> our generation does tend to share a lot. we might over share.

i think that also is done with a service. when you have a public platform, as small as mine might be and as big as simone's might be, you understand your words can help inspire others, help others come to terms with their own standings in light of what has happened and their experiences. there is something to be said about our generation, younger generations, being aware of how important it is to speak these words, to have the conversation. the silence around it is so much of what has perpetuated the damaging parts of it. now tt we are having the conversation, that puts us on to making real progress here. >> talk a bit about the generational difference. what do you see here when you think about the fact you wrote

50 years ago, the black athletes revolt. >> i used a rotary phone and so forth back ithe day. today they have social media. this has tremendous definitional power for these athletes and women such as simone and others. the fact that social media has put in our hands the most powerful four letter word in the history of the english language, send, makes all the difference in the world. simone does not have to depend on a rotary phone or getting on the phone and telling people personally. she can put it up on her email account, twitter account, instagram, and it goes out to millions of people. that has made the difference for this generation. >> a powerful conversation for an amazing young woman. simone biles, we love her of course. thank you so much. >> thank you for having me. >> thank you. ♪

>> the air force's top officer is general c.q. brown, jr., the first and so far only black service chief in u.s. military history. nick schifrin sits down with general brown and first looks at his history and his priorities. >> when i'm flying and put my helmet on, my visor down, my mask up, you don't know who i am. >> it's an air force recruiting ad, ad-libbed by its top officer. >> whether i'm african american, asian american, hispanic, white, male, or female, you just know i'm an american airman kicking your butt. >> gen. cq brown jr. became air force chief of staff in 2020, and one of his priorities: diversifying the force. during last year's national disquiet following george floyd's death, he called out the military for the racism he

experienced. >> i'm thinking about the pressure i felt to perform error-free, especially for supervisors i perceive had expected less from me, as an african-american. i'm thinking about wearing the same flight suit with the same wings on my chest as my peers, and then been questioned by another military member, are you a pilot? i'm thinking about my mentors, and how i rarely had a mentor that looked like me. >> brown says air force priorities are making sure american aircraft can control the skies and strike anywhere and gather intelligence and protect military communications. much of the focus is in the pacific. brown urges the military to modernize faster and change its approach to be able to take on china's expanding military, including flying planes out of new bases, across the region. joing me now is general cq brown jr., chief of staff of the air force. good to have you. >> thank you. >> as we noted, while colin

powell was the first black chairman of the joint chiefs, you are the first black service chief. why do you think that is? >> one of the things i think about is that there's plenty that have probably been qualified. i think i've jt been the first to have the opportunity. i've been very blessed with the opportunities i've had throughout my air force career. in some cases, i think it's being that the rht place at the right time. and i'm just honored thave this opportunity. >> there was an inspector general report released last year that found across the board consistently over time, black airmen disproportionately negatively affected when it comes to promotion rates, development, leadership opportunities. and on punishment, the review found enlisted black service members 74% more likely to receive non-judicial punishment, 60% more likely to face court-martial's than their white peers. why? >> part of that is i think you look at the aspect of, we have not looked at ourselves as a service. i would say we also reflect the nation in some aspects. and from that well, taking a

-- we took a hard ok at ourselves. and what we found as we looked at the data, not only the data that you just highlighted, but the feedback we got from our airmen, resounding feedback from airmen. >> let's talk about solutions. i talked to chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, mike mullen, retired chairman, who uses a phrase ducks higher ducks, meaning white officers would elevate other white officers. is one of the solutions essentially breaking a boys club? >> part of the solution is actually having to first slate candidates. it does two things. introduce you to someone you might not know. it prepares somebody for future interviews. >> do you sense a resistance to that? >> no. i think many of our airmen and our leaders, our senior leaders in particular, theget it. and i think in some cases it may have been a blind spot for us

where we weren'really paying attention to it. as tragic that george ford's death is, and the other events that surround that, the fact that we're taking a hard look at ourselves, i think it has opened some eyes to some of our airmen who were just -- they were unconscious to it in some aspects. >> let's move to extremism. the pentagon is finalizing a report that will go to extremism in the ranks and also among veterans. part of that is defining the problem. defining what is extremism. how important do you think it is of the military decide that members of white supremacist groups and other extremist organizations are banned from being in the military? >> those that don't live up to our core values, those that don't stand up and hold themselves to the oath of office they take to the constitution, those are the ones that we don't

need in our military. >> it sounds look you're saying membership should not be allowed. >> membership of an extremist organization that goes against our core values, that goes against our oath is not what we need. >> should recruits' social media be looked at to find extremist tendencies? >> it will tell you about the character of an individual you're bringing into service. >> meaning it should be disqualifying if someone is using social media to express views that they're not willing to say to your face. >> well -- i think it is a factor we want to take a look at. >> let's move to china. the vice chairman of the joint chiefs admitted the u.s., quote, failed miserably in a game against china.

is this what you mean when you use the phrase you have used which is accelerate change or lose? ask it is. i mean, if we fight and try to do things in the traditional manner we've been doing as long as i have been in the air force, 30 six years, we will lose. that's why i wrote accelerate change or lose. because we cannot continue to do the same things the same way and expect a different result against an adversary, a potentl adversary, that has wahed us and studied us for the past couple decades. we've got to change our approach. >> let's take one aspect of that. the air force for years has relied on bases in japan and guam. and as you've said yourself, the chinese make a lot of missiles relatively cheaply that are relatively effective, and that means our bases are at risk of chinese missiles. so you're looking to spread out across the pacific. how is that going? >> what i found initially was the air force, we had a lot of good ideas and we did a lot of talk, not much action. there's a lot of action now. it is two parts. it's the physical aspect of

being able to move, but it's the mindset of our airmen. >> but it is not just mindset. japan is resisting more forces on japan, philippines, where the bases would be the closest to the mainland of china, there's political resistance to that as well. how do you overcome the political resistance? >> part of this is a long-term relationship we have with our allies and partners. like any relationship there are ups and downs. the key part is we have common interests with our allies. if tension starts to rise, we will be able to counter. >> in afghanistan, if the taliban seizes the most important cities, can the air force stop them? how important is it to have a base north of afghanistan? >> it does make it easier. it is more on station time.

it decreases our air fielding to be able to -- refling bill to be able to execute. >> thank you very much. ♪ judy: the united nations world heritage body "unesco" wants the government of greece to stop installing concrete paths around the iconic parthenon atop the acropolis in athens. much of the work has been completed, intended to make it more accessible for tourists, especially those who use wheelchairs. but critics call it criminal, and special correspondent malcolm brabant learned today that unesco itself is unhappy that it was not consulted before construction. here's his report from athens.

>> ancient, uneven marble paths, slippery when wet. acropolis then. acropolis now, super smooth 21st century cement. for most international travelers, the acropolis is an essential part of their bucket list. in greece, it's revered as the greatest national treasure and a potent symbol of democracy. this path has divided opinion like never before. some people see it as a sensible solution to help people with mobility issues, but others regard it as desecration, pandering to mass tourism and an international scandal. >> to me, it is horrible. i think that acropolis is really wounded by the cement corridors. >> despina koutsoumba is president of the greek archaeologists' union. she's also a specialist in restoration work, and one of 3500 historians behind demanding a halt to the modifications.

>> we have an archeological site of great importance and we take cement and we transform it into somethinbrand-new. this is totally unacceptable. >> this is a special moment for kelly loufaki, a paralympic fencer. it's the first time she's visited the parthenon since breaking her spine in a car crash. >> i'm proud because i'm a greek and i'm i feel that it's very accessible and friendly for me to do all of this with my wheelchair. >> world champion shot putter chejon fernandes is equally impressed. >> you can always see the acropolis where you are in athens from afar, but to come up close, you can feel the energy. you feel this inspiration. it's you almost can touch it. >> this is the first time fernandes has been here since breaking his spine playing rugby for greece. >> a little bit lost for words, because it is emotional that

after so many years not being able to come up here. you feel that we're making progress as a nation, we're making progress as a society, that we're becoming more inclusive, which is fantastic. >> the two and half thousand year old monument is one of the most important world heritage sites. former u.s. diplomat brady kiesling is fascinated by ancient greece. he's also an archaeologist who helps to map lesser known ancient sites. >> it's the combination of landscape and history and myth and human presence that makes greece one of the most interesting places in the world. >> for an archaeologist, his view of the concrete paths is controversial. >> look, the concrete walkways that the current government put in, they are not beautiful. no, they're not a monstrosity either. they are very practical when you have 10,000 people coming u there every day, many of them with mobility issues.

it is a crime not to give them a reasonable amount of safety. yes, the beautiful pink limestone, we've lost a little bit of it, but you can still see it. the overall picture of the place has not really been affected. >> a new elevator, which takes the wheelchair bound up the northern wall of the rock has also drawn fire. it is close to a temple known as the erectheion. and critics say the mechanism ruins a view that has been unchanged for two and a half milennia. among them iprofessor tasos tanoulas. until recently he was responsible for renovating the grand entrance to the acropolis called the propylaea. professor tanoulas sent me a video message by phone, urging unesco to intervene. >> there are things which must be done immediately and this must be stopped.

this is my concern and i think this is a huge crime, which shouldn't have happened ever. >> manolis korres is the archaeologist responsible for the concrete path. i asked him whether he had anything to worry about from unesco. >> nothing at all. nothing to worry. i think the colleagues there are always convinced that things are going well and that they accept that they are already a little bit misled by some fake news. >> the culture minister lina mendoni was also dismissive about the concerns. >> unesco has known about these restoration works since 2002. according to the unesco world heritage convention, each state should give notice before making any major changes to a monument. own already. secondly they are not major changes and in this case greece is not required to inform unesco. >> but today i was told by unesco that officials are certainly are not happy about the way in which the greek

authorities have behaved. unesco wants all work to stop until proper consultations have taken place. unesco is also concerned that it had to learn about the modifications from critics instead of from the greek state. the greek archaeologists union says it is happy for there to be better accessibility for those with mobility problems, but it wants the impact on the acropolis to be reduced. for the pbs newshour, i'm malcolm brabant in athens. judy: so glad to have that report. that is the newshour for tonight. join us online and again here tomorrow evening. stay safe and we will see you soon. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by. >> for 25 years consumer cellular's goal has been to provide serce that helps people connect. we offer no contract plans and

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