captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc >> woodruff: good evening. i'm judy woodruff. on the newshour tonight: covid on the rise. a sharp increase in cases prompts authorities nationwide to push harder for masking and vaccinations, as president biden moves to require federal workers to get a shot or regular testing. then, an olympics like no other. 18-year-old sunisa lee wins gold in the gymnastics all-around in a historic first, amid resistance to the games in japan. and, hunting wolves. new laws permitting the killing of gray lves to protect livestock in several states spark outcries from conservationists.

>> to open up wolf killing now on a year-round basis and let everyone jump into the game-- i don't see it translating into more saved or protected livestock. >> woodruff: all that and more, on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for t pbs newshour has been provided by: >> before we talk about your investments-- what's new? >> well, audrey's expecting... >> twins! >> we'd be closer to the twins. >> change in plans. >> at fidelity, changing plans is always part of the plan. >> johnson & johnson. >> bnsf railway. >> consumer cellular. >> financial services firm raymond james.

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>> woodruff: president biden has made a fresh and urgent appeal tonight for americans to get vaccinated againstovid-19. he's also put some 2.7 million federal workers on notice: they now have a big decision to make about getting their shots. white house correspondent yamiche alcindor begins our coverage. >> alcindor: today at the white house, president biden announced that all federal employees and contractors are required to be vaccinated against covid or undergo weekly testing. >> masking is one defense against the spread of vid-19, but make no mistake, vaccines are the best defense against you getting severely ill from covid-19. >> alcindor: president biden also called on states and localities to use federal funds to pay anyone who gets vaccinated $100. >> i know that paying people to get vaccinated might sound unfair to folks who've gotten vaccinated already, but here's

the deal-- if incentives help us beat the virus, i believe we should use them. >> alcindor: and small and medium-sized businesses will now be reimbursed for offering their employees paid leave to get their family members, including their kids, vaccinated. meanwhile, the new requirement for federal workers currently does not include those in the u.s. military. but, the president is calling on the department of defense to look into how and when they could be added to the list. and, the white house says federal employees who choose not to get vaccinated will not be fired. the president's decision comes at a time when the highly- transmissible delta variant is rapidly spreading across the country. the centers for disease control and prevention reports that nearly 50% of u.s. counties have a high level of community transmission. that means more than 100 new cases per 100,000 peop in the past seven days. and on tuesday, the c.d.c. updated its mask-wearing

guidelines, including for those who are fully vaccinated. the agency recommended wearing masks indoors, particularly in regions where transmission is high. according to the “new york times,” all of new york city and nearly every county in florida, louisiana, and arkansas, currently fall under the c.d.c. mask mandate guidance. in florida, new cases over the past month have surged to an average of more than 10,000 per day. in louisiana, daily infections over the course of two weeks are now over 3,000, and hospitalizations have increased by 180%. the updated c.d.c. guidance has sparked outrage and confusion for many across the country-- including among members of congress. on capitol hill yesterday, physician and republican senator of kansas, roger marshall, told reporters that he believes masks are ineffective against covid. >> in a perfect world, if you lived in a vacuum, maybe the mask would help some. but there is certainly no, no

benefit that i can see, once you've had the vaccine, or if you've had the virus. i think there is certainly some downsides to them. there is psychological problems that they create, especially for our children and our senior citizens. >> alcindor: and earlier today, house republicans again blasted speaker nancy pelosi for reimposing a mask mandate for members on the house floor. minority leader kevin mccarthy: >> every time the c.d.c. releases new guidance, not only does it contradict information they have already released, but it punishes americans who have already done everything they were asked to do. they were told to be vaccinated, they wouldn't have to wear a mask. >> alcindor: the partisan attacks underscore just how deeply divided the country remains, as the nation scrambles to contain the virus. for the pbs newshour, i'm yamiche alcindor. >> woodruff: also today, israel became the first country using western ccines to offer oster shots. they're being offered to those

over 60, who've already been vaccinated. we turn now to dr. paul offit. he is the director of the vaccine education center at the children's hospital of philadelphia, and he is a member of the f.d.a. vaccine advisory board. dr. offitt, welcome back to the newshour. let me first ask you your reaction to president biden now ordering federal employees, over two million of them-- almost three million-- to either get vaccinated or get regularly tested. >> well, i think it's the the right thing to do. you could argue he didn't go far enough. i think if you're ing to have a vaccine mandate, you shouldn't allow people not to get vaccinated. you know, these are federal emoyees. i think when you get vaccinated, you're showing that you care about whether or not you catch and transmit this virus, knowing that there are people in this country who can't be vaccinated because they're too young or because they have, you know, chronic diseases. and so i think if you're going to be a responsible member of society, then you should get vaccinated. and i think if you're going to be a federal employee, you should act like a responsible member of society, and if you're

not willing to do that, then i think you shouldn't be able to be a federal employee. so i think, frankly, he didn't go far enough. >> woodruff: and another piece of what the president said today, dr. offitt, is saying that he wants states, he's urging states to give 00 to people who are newly vaccinated. is that the kind of incentive that will work at this point, do you think? >> i guess we'll find out. he's choosing the carrot and the stick. i mean, it's a little sad that we actually have to pay people to do the right thing. it's clear that vaccines work and are safe. i mean, more than 160 million americans have already received these vaccines. but, you know, if it works, great, because we don't have enough people who are vaccinated. there are probably 100 million people out there who still need to be vaccinated and if we can get them vaccinated then we don't have to talk about masking and social distancing. but right now we're not there. it's sad, frankly. >> woodruff: you're saying it's sad. we are a year and a half into this pandemic. right now, who or what haltz the upper hand? is it the covid and all of its

variants, or is it the vaccine? >> well, right now, it's the virus. i mean, you know, yesterday we had 84,000 cases of covid, which is just the tip of the iceberg of the number of people who may actually have it because not everybody gets tested. we had over 500 deaths. last summer we had a fully susceptible population and no vaccine. why are we seeing the same kind of numbers now that we saw last summer? i think the answer is it is a much more contagious virus. the delta variant is much more contagious than the one transmitted last summer. we also have ia critical percentage of the population that is still not vaccited. and i think we've loosened our behavior. we're not as good i think this summer as last summer about masking and social distancing. you see the republicans walking down the steps proudly not wearing a mask when they were asked to wear a mask inside, it's like "friends of covid." a child of the 50s, i remember the polo virus, and i remember our fight against polo virus.

there were no "friends of the polio virus." i feel like there are friends of 0 ars-cov-2. vaccine denialist or claiming freedoms they don't have or purveyors of misinformation. it's hard to watch. this virus has a lot of friends out there that alloit to continue to spread and continue to do hard and worse, continue to create possibly variants that more and more resistant to vaccine-induces immunity. >> woodruff: you had just two days ag, dr. offitt, the c.d.c. issuing new guidelines, saying americans, if even if you're vaccinated, you should start to wear masks again indoors or even outdoors in crowdedly spaces if you live in a place where there are high transmissions. president biden misspoke about this this afternoon at his press conference saying if you're vaccinated you don't need to wear a mask. the c.d.c. says you do it if you're in a high-transmission

area. is that clear guidance to the american people? >> i think it's clearer. i think prevusly when the adminiration said if you are vaccinated, you don't need to wear a mask ipdoors. that assumed everybody heard that, and that everybody would follow that. i'm sure when i walk into the store around the corner and there are 50 people, many are not wearing masks will and i'm sure many who aren't wearing masks also aren't vaccinated. the delta variant really has changed things. if you look at the virus that was circulating last summer, the d614-"g" varpt, this virus, you shed 1,000 times more virus from your nose and throat if you're infected with the delta variant than that previous virus. that really has changed the game here. i think if you are indoors around a lot of people, it's just prudent to wear a mask, even if you're vaccinated, because even if you're vaccinated, you still could have an asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic and be contajous. make sure if you're vaccinated it's extremely unlikely you would suffer severe or critical disease. so get vaccinated so you don't

have to be hospitalized or die from this virus. it's amazing that we have to make this case. is it not clear enough that the percentage of people who are hospitalized or killed by this virus are all unvaccinated? >> woodruff: but i codo want to ask you about the science behind that. you hear rpublicans, members of congress saying, "i don't see the evidence for that. e c.d.c. hasn't shown us exactly where this data came from." and there are rumors going around and that it came from something in india. do we know what the science is that led to this turnaround? >> no, i think you're right, judy. i think it would help if the c.d.c. put out exactly what evidence they're basing this on. it's not surprising-- frankly, for any mucosal virus, whether influenza or upper restops viruses like this one, that the vaccine would preact you against moderate to severe to critical disease but wouldn't necessarily protect you against asymptomatic infection or mildly symptomatic infection. you're right. i think it would be valuable for all of us to be able to see the

data. >> sreenivasan: dr. paul offitt, the director of vaccine enemy center at children's hospital, and a member of the f.d.a. advisory board. thank you very much, thank you. >> woodruff: and the rise in covid cases has been happening in every state. but in several states, and a couple of regions in particular, the surge has been especially painful. that includes missouri, where there has been much discussion and debate about how to respond. amna nawaz looks at that part of the story. >> nawaz: the confusion and frustration over masking mandates that have frequently played out around the country erupted in st. louis county on tuesday night. tensions boiled over during a county council meeting that focused on whether to roll back new mask mandates. just the day before, a mask mandate was issued, requiring them for everyone over the age of five. the public health official called to testify during that meeting faced racial slurs, verbal attacks and, he said, even physical intimidation as he was getting ready to leave. dr. faisal khan is the acting director of the st. louis county

health department who testified, and he joins me now. dr. khan, welcome to the shower. and thank you for making the time. give me a sense of what it was like in that room that night when you walked into the council meeting to talk about why you think a new mask mandate is recommended? what was it like in the room. >> thank you, amna. as a public official, it is my responsibility to respond and show up and answer questions posed by the legislative branch and elected officials whenever summoned. and so i went to the meeting armed with the facts and the information pertaining to the rationale and the urgency behind the public health order issued recently. and so when i walked into the room, i noticed a growing crowd with a palpable sense of unease and anger that was-- that was seemingly boiling over. >> and tell me a little bit about how that message went over, as you talked about the need for the mandate, what was the case you were making?

what have you seen on the ground there that tells you a mask mandate is necessary now? >> all indications are that the community transmission of the delta variant is at an all-time high in missouri. we are now showing up as a bright-red hot spot in the heat map of the region, along with the states of arkansas, mississippi, and louisiana. the crisis that erupted related to the delta variant in southwest missouri has made its way to the st. louis region, so we were trying to be proactive and act in as efficient and as rapid a manner in imposing a mask mandate to try to stem the same 10r9 of situations that our colleagues in southwest missouri would have experienced. i fear now that with increasing hospitalizations and increasing pediatric hospitalizations, we will see some of the worst-case scenarios played out over late summer and early fall. >> you said you were berated during your testimony. you were pushed, as you were leaving.

you faced absolutely unacceptable racial slurs directed at you as wel. but i watched some of the hearing. there's clearly a growing sense of frustration among people who don't think that they're getting straight guidance or feel they're getting shifting guidance from health officials, such as yourself. have you ever seen this level of frustration among people in receiving that kind of public health information? >> no, not in my experience. however, i will say that it is perfectly understandable that people are angry, people are frustrated, and they're very worried about what might come next. they're worried sick about child re issues and jobs and being able to return to some semblance of normality. and their frustration, in some part, stems from the changing and evolving public health guidance, you know, from november last year to may this year to july now with this public health order. and our answer to that is, look, we are not the enemy. the virus is the enemy.

and so faced with this vicious enemy on this battlefield, if i may state it that way, it is changing tactics. it is did ploig new weapons in the form of variants and our responsibility is to be flim bell enough to counter it. when we reassure the public and issue new guidance, it is only intended to counter the existing threat that has emerged most recently. is it. >> so cases are rising in your county, as they are in a number of counti across the country. people are clearly frustrated. many don't want to goack to mask mandate what do you, as public health official, do now? >> so, you know, our request of people is, listen, it does not matter whether we debate the semantics of is this a mask advisory, or is it a mandate? just wear a mask if you're going to be indoors with lots of people. please. especially in public places. please consider getting a vaccine, of course, for yourself, as well as all your

loved ones and all your neighbors. but, please, listen to prudent public health advice because this virus will not respect your civil rights or your notions of independence. this will not respect boundaries of city, state, or county. we cannot simply will this virus away. it will cause more misery and death. >> we should point out other elected officials in your county oppose this mandate and there's still some confusion over whether or not there is actually a mandate in place in your county right now or not. what do you think will happen? what do you think the next several weeks, few months could look like in your specific county that you serve? >> so, you know, once again, regardless of what people's opinions may be over whether theyhoose to wrangle this in court, et cetera tit really does not matter. the public health urgency is to get everybody to wear a mask, whether they want to consider it a mandate or whether they want to consider it an advisory is entirely up to them. it really does not matter.

from our perspective, in public health, we respect everyone. we serve everyone. the virus doesn't discriminate, and neither do we. >> dr. khan, finally, should say the assaults you faced, is not unique to you as a public health official. are you in any way worried about your safety or your family's safety right now? >> i'm not unique on that list, as you mention. my idol in public health, dr. anthony fauci, the great man himself, has received a lot more vile abuse directed his way. and so i count myself fortunate in that i'm able to work in public health and serve people. its highly regrettable that it's come to this situation, and the fact that i have had to request dcialg security for myself. i'm not the least bit worried, nor am i going to walk away from the mission of public health. dr. fauci inspires me every day with his example. >> dr. khan, we hope and you your family stay safe.

and we thank you for making the time to be with us tonight. that's dr. faisal khan, acting director of st. louis county department of public health. thank you again. >> thank you. >> woodruff: in the day's other news, e u.s. economy is now larger than it was before the pandemic. the commerce department reports growth reached an annual rate of 6.5% in the year's second quarter. separately, first-time claims for unemployment benefits fell to 400,000 last week. the biden administration will allow a nationwide ban on evictions imposed during the pandemic to expire saturday. last month, the u.s. supreme court signaled the only way to

maintain the moratorium past july is if congress approves it. today, deputy white house press secretary karine jean-pierre said that leaves president biden no choice. the supreme court's ruling >> in light of the supreme court's ruling, the president is going to work with congress to make that happen. and if that's something they're working on, well, we'll probably hopefully be working closely with them on that. >> woodruff: a u.s. census bureau survey has found that 3.6 million people could face eviction in the next two months. in northeastern afghanistan, the taliban says flash floods killed 150 people overnight in a mountainous region. it is the latest such disaster this summer. just nine days ago, extreme flooding hit central china. today, officials raised the death toll there to 99. the area got a year's worth of rain in three days. a powerful earthquake struck off the coast of alaska last night. the quake hit 56 miles offshore, with a magnitude of 8.2. but it caused only minor damage. sirens wailed as people evacuated the coastline, heading for higher ground.

tsunami warnings went out, but were canceled later. the u.s. congress gave final approval today to $2 billion in emergency spending for capitol security. it followed tuesday's dramatic testimony by capitol police who battled a pro-trump mob on january 6. democrats and republicans have fought over investigating that day, but they came together today-- 98 to nothing in the u.s. senate. >> we must support those who supported us. that's not just a political or economic responsibility. that's a moral responsibility. >> this has been a lot of work, working together, but it also shows that we can work together in a bipartisan way and put the country first, and this is-- this is evidence here. >> woodruff: later, the bill easily passed the u.s. house of representatives. it also authorizes another 8,000

immigrant visas for afghan citizens who have aided u.s. troops. former roman catholic cardinal theodore mccarrick has been charged with sexually assaulting a teenage boy back in 1974. court records say it happened at a wedding reception in massachusetts. mccarrick is 91. he was defrocked in 2019 after the vatican found he had molested men and boys for decades. at the tokyo olympics today, a new star emerged for the u.s. sunisa lee captured gold in the women's all-around gymnastics competition. at 18, she is the youngest member of the u.s. team, and the first hmong american-- an american of laotian descent-- to make it. we'll return to this later in the program. first lady jill biden is having a medical procedure this evening, to remove an object from her foot. the white house says she stepped on something sharp last weekend,

during a stop in hawaii. the procedure is being done at the walter reed military hospital in bethesda, maryland. on wall street today, stocks managed modest gains. the dow jones industrial average was up 153 points to close at 35,084. the nasdaq rose 15 points. the s&p 500 added 18. and, inventor and info-mercial pioneer ron popeil has died in los angeles. he was a television mainstay in the '70s, '80s, and '90s, selling his ronco-brand gadgets-- everything from a food dehydrator to the veg-o-matic. the ads made him a pop-culture icon, parodied on "saturday night live" and "the simpsons." ron popeil was 86 years old. still to come on the newshour: an american gymnast wins all-around gold in a historic first, amid resistance to the games in japan. new laws allowing for the

killing of gray wolves spark outcries from conservationists. and, a detroit artist reconsiders who is worthy of a portrait. >> woodruff: tokyo today registered its highest number yet of covid-19 cases, double what it was a week ago. and, amid american triumphs in the gym and the pool, the reigning world champion pole vaulter, american sam kendricks, was forced to leave his quest after testing positive. for the host nation, much of the japanese public is split between cheering the medal count and fearing a surge in infections; and, opposition that began last year after the games'

initial delay has only grown. special correspondent phoebe amoroso reports from tokyo. >> reporter: even on the opening day of the one-year- delayed olympics, protestors took to the streets calling for their cancellation. one recent poll found 78% of the janese public say the games should have been postponed again, or cancelled altogether. >> ( translated ): i've never seen a government that doesn't listen to the voices like this one. they follow whatever the i.o.c. wants; it's unacceptable. >> reporter: the motto of these games is “united by emotion.” but, flings on the street show more emotion than unity. >> ( translated ): i want the prime minister to resign immediately. even though the games are being held without spectators, infections are spreading among athletes and staff. having no spectators doesn't mean it's safe. >> reporter: others are excited to be hosting the once-in-four years event. >> ( translated ): of course, it's important to keep the coronavirus in mind, but the

athletes have trained to achieve their goals, and i think we should support and cheer for them. >> reporter: organizermade it clear that the games were going ahead, and the japanese government has tried to reassure the japanese people that their safety is a priority. >> ( translated ): our fundamental approach is to take countermeases to prent olympic athletes and staff from getting infected, so that they feel safe to be part of the games, and so that we can protect the lives and health of the people of japan. >> reporter: the prime minister's words did little to reassure these protesters, who continued taking to the streets, even during the opening ceremony. these streets aren't filled with cries of celebration, but shouts of protest. many of these people have been demonstrating for months, and they say they're angry that their concerns have fallen on deaf ears. it's the spread of the pandemic that protesters say is their biggest concern. the country has now recorded more than 15,000 deaths from covid-19, and its healthcare

system is under pressure. there is a shortage of medical staff and hospital beds for severely ill covid-19 patients. during the last wave of infections, some regions ran out of beds altogether. amid a vaccine supply crunch, only 26% of the population is fully immunized. mari works as a nurse in tokyo. >> ( translated ): we are at the point where we can't hospitalize patients who would normally be hospitalized due to a lack of beds. we have to ask them to come again the following day instead. we are not able to provide the healthcare that we are normally capable of. >> reporter: mari says she and her colleagues are worried the games will lead to a further loss of life. >> ( translated ): it's really happening in this situation? that's the general reaction at my workplace. we're not even angry anymore. we feel disappointed and defeated. we feel like we've been used as disposable resources. >> reporter: the restrictions on daily life during the pandemic

are fuelling further resentment toward the games. as part of tokyo's state of emergency, peoplhave been asked to stay home bars and restaurants must shut by 8:00 p.m. and refrain from serving alcohol. kosaka opened a bar in october last year after japan's second wave had passed. but the third wave soon struck, and he was forced to close. his bar sits empty, while thousands of olympic competitors and officials are allowed to enter japan without quarantine, and travel across the country for the games. >> in this country, there is a democracy system, we can vote for someone but actually, in this situation, the leader has a double standard policy. so personally, i am angry. >> reporter: the cost of the games is an issue for members of hangorinkai-- “no olympics 202”" in english.

it was formed back in 2013 when japan first got the bid to host the event. >> ( translated ): in 2013, it was only two years after the 2011 earthquake and clear disaster. there were still many people evacuated, without any clear vision for their future. it was not a time for the olympics; the recovery was not making any progrs. some people were so concerned about the radioactive contamination that they even evacuated from tokyo. >> reporter: their voices joined a global movement, increasingly critical of the olympics. it's growing harder to find host cities, due to the billions in costs that often balloon beyond budget. >> ( translated ): the olympics as a whole, all around the world, is forcing many people from the land they live on, to make space to build venues; it's spending a huge amount of taxes; it's destroying the environment; and it's leading to

stricter policing. it's an international event that is truly all pain, no gain. >> reporter: with japan among the leers in the medal count, some of the opposition is softening. but medical professionals are worried about group celebrations, heightening the risk of the virus spreading. they warn that as a festive atmosphere builds in japan, these olympic games could end in tears. for the pbs newshour, i'm phoebe amoroso in tokyo. >> woodruff: the u.s. olympics team has had plenty of nice moments to celebrate over the past 24 hours. one of the brightest is sunisa lee's gold medal in gymnastics today. john yang looks at her accomplishments, and how it is resonating in hmong american communities. >> yang: judy, some of today's

most inspiring olympic pictures come not only from the tokyo games, but also the suburbs of st. paul, minnesota-- a watch party that became a jubilant celebration when the minnesota native clinched the gold in the individual all-around competition. ( cheers and applause ) lee, who is 18 and still nursing a fractured ankle, went to tokyo aiming for silver, assuming her idol and teammate simone biles would win gold. today, she hit routine after routine, even nailing the floor exercise she and her coach and changed just this morning. afterward, lee reflected on her road to the olympics. >> the past two years have been absolutely crazy, with covid and just, my family and everything else. this medal definitely means a lot to me, because there was a point in time where i wanted to quit and i didn't think i would ever get there, including injuries and stuff. there are definitely a lot of emotions, but i'm sure proud of myself for sticking with it and believing in myself, because this medal would not be possible

without my coaches, the medical team, my parents. and it just is so surreal, and i haven't even let it sink it yet. >> yang: lee has said she trains everyday for all first-generation americans whose parents came to the united states with so little, and wanted to win for all hmong americans, who she feels are unseen. among those at the watch party-turned-celebration? bo thao-urabe, the founder and executive director of the coalition of asian american leaders. the proud wearer of a suni lee autographed t-shirt. thank you for being with us. tell us what it was like this morning at that watch party. i understand suni facetimed with her family before the medal ceremony. >> yes, she did. i understand that that is a ritual that she and her sister have to connect on facetime, just to check in. and so that was a really nice

moment when she was just about to head to the ceremonies to get her gold. and she did a quick facetime with everybody in the room. so it was really special. >> it must have been very exciting to be able to watch that. >> yes, absolutely. it was exciting. everybody was just-- you ow, it's historic,ight, to have the first hmong amerin, asian american woman take home the, you know, the gold. that was just-- yeah, so historic and epic, as i said. >> you know, before today, i think a lot of casual olympic watchers may not have been familiar with her. tell us a little bit about her, and about her personal story. >> yes. i mean, i think suni is first-generation hmong american child, and so her parents, like me, came as refugee children to

this country. and so many of us came with really no more than, you know, the bags we could carry in our hands and started our lives here in america with just great ambitions that our parents had about the future here. and i think her father has told the stories of how-- how much they have worked to get-- support her and really to believe in her dreams, even building, you know, the beams for her out of wood that they had at home because they couldn't afford to buy it. so it's really an american story. and we couldn't have really could not be prouder of suni and her parents. >> and the hmong, obviously, an ethnic group would a homeland, suffered genocide, displacement in the closing days of the vietnam ar. suni talks about the hmong community in america being

unseen. what does this-- what does this gold medal mean for the hmong community in america? >> well, i think, you know, it's a community that is maybe not always thought about because it's both small, spread out, and also it's a community that doesn't have things written in history because it's an oral culture. so stories that we been our ancestors are passed down through generations by mouth. and that means that it's really up to all of us to carry that forward. and i am, you know, so grateful for suni for really embracing all of who she is and to always say that she is hmong and that she carries that with her and that is i think so-- that's what makes her so special because sometimes our young people don't always understand and don't know that story. but i see her, and she is proud

to say she is hmong american, and she carries that story, the story of her parents and her ancestors, and that has given everybody so much just inspiration and support. so grateful for seeing her have this big win, and it's a big win for all of us, but for her to have this moment is so special. >> and she did talk about wanting to win for the hmong community in america. in this week, where we talk out the personal pressures on the olympic athletes, did that-- did she carrythat like a burden or did she carry it like-- was it a lighter burden for her to do this for her-- the hmong community? >> well, i don't think there's ever a lighter burden when you are the first to anything. and so it must have felt heavy. but i hear her talk about it, and it was motivation more than

a burden. and i hope that she felt that, that she could have gotten anything or not placed and we would have been so proud of her for being the first, right, to get to the olympics, and for really believing in her dreams, and for being so, you know, having a passion and really going after it. that will doesn't really matter who she is, but i think the fact that she always remembered who she is and that she brought that with her made all of us feel like we were there, and that she did it for us, too. >> and i imaginehat her family and all of you in the hmong community in the twin cities are planning a big homecoming when she gets back. >> we're talking about something ( laughs ). am we're waiting for her when she gets back. >> great. thank you very much. bo thao-urabe, thank you very much. >> thanks for having me.

>> woodruff: the re-introduction of the gray wolf in america considered one of the great conservation victories of recent decades. but now, more than 50 wildlife groups are asking the federal government to put the wolves back on the endangered species list. as william brangham reports, it's an effort to push back against states that are now expanding wolf hunting. >> most of them are angus cows. >> brangham: clayton mecham and his family have been cattle ranching in south central idaho for four generations. it's a tough business. >> your profitability is so low, any little hiccup in it is a big blow to the bottom line. >> brangham: his cattle graze across more than 70,000 acres each summer, and on top of drought, disease, and rising

feed prices, there's another threat... ( wolf howls ) ...gray wolves. >> we had, i think, six or eight that we know of, that were confirmed kills from wolves. but, i mean, that number could be in the teens, even, because up in these mountains and you lose something, we typically get up and check them once a week, see if there's anything sick or take salt to them d just check in and make sure everything's okay, make sure they're where they're supposed to be, and you'll come up on one that's half-eaten already. >> brangham: ranchers say these predators are not only killing their livestock, but they also say wolves just prowling around can stress livestock, which can affect their reproduction and their weight. >> when you sell them, you get paid on the pound. so, for every pound you've lost that summer,ou know, that's another hit to your pocketbook. >> this is the band of sheep, piled up. >> brangham: so this isn't a wolf biting and killing each one of these? they're just driving them off a cliff? >> yeah. >> brangham: complaints from ranchers pmpted state senator van burtenshaw-- he's a rancher himsel- to sponsor a law that significantly expands wolf hunting in idaho. >> there's a wave of wolves coming in, and we just want to

slow that wave down, minimize our costs and bring back the ranching family. >> brangham: i was looking at some of the data about confirmed wolf kills of livestock, and the numbers still seem relatively small when you compare it to the total population. it was like well under 1% of the total livestock that were confirmed to be killed by wolves like that. data seems to indicate it isn't such a problem. >> what's 1% of 1 million head of cattle? and so, it depends on who you are. i guess if you can afford it, you can afford it. if you can't, you're chewing in on your bottom line. >> brangham: idaho's new law allows individual hunters to kill an unlimited number of gray wolves, up from 1per person last year. it allocates money to pay federal wildlife officials and private contractors to kill wolves that prey on livestock, and it allows people to pay $1,000 bounties to hunters for each wolf they kill. other states are following suit. montana passed a similar set of laws this year, and expanded

hunting in wisconsin this year already reduced that state's wolf population by 30%. these measures are being condemned by conservationists. people like james holt. he's a member of the nez perce tribe, whose reservation is in northwest idaho. >> to eradicate wolves, when we've seen them going to the appropriate locations throughout the land, i think it's foolhardy. it has to be reconsidered. >> brangham: the legislators behind this law say they don't want to eradicate the wolves, and that if the wolf population starts to dip too low, they'll stop and reconsider at that point. does that reassure you at all? >> no, it doesn't. >> brangham: gray wolves in the u.s. were essentially eradicated once before. by the 1930s, they'd been trapped, shot and poisoned to near-extinction in the lower 48 states. in 1974, the federal government put them on the endangered species list, and 20 years later, the gray wolf was reintroduced to idaho and yellowstone, with crucial help from the nez perce, and

particularly holt's uncle levi-- that's him, second on the left. >> in many ways, the story of the wolf is our story, and our right and freedom to be on the land is just as important as that of the wolf. so, we've alwa taken that relationship seriously. >> brangham: gray wolves have since rebounded, from rtually none to more than 7,000 today, mostly in the west, northwest and great lakes regions. holt says, the return of this apex predator has brought huge benefits to local ecosystems. >> they had done a wonderful thing by allowing wolves back onto the landscape. it really started to right many areas in our homelands that were sick and ailing. it brought some species back that-- the scavenger species that relied on kills by wolves. >> brangham: as the wolf population rebounded, the federal government removed it from the endangered species list, first in idaho and montana in 2011, then across the

entire lower 48 states earlier this year. retired wildlife biologist carter niemeyer says widespread hunting and trapping aimed at wolves could inadvertently snare other species. >> black bear, deer, elk, calves... all of them could trigger this. >> brangham: but he also says hunting wolves just doesn't work. and he should know. in the 1990s, he killed, trapped and relocated wolves as part of government efforts to reduce conflicts between wolves and ranchers, and he was on the u.s. fish and wildlife team that traveled up to canada and captured live wolves there for reintroduction into idaho. >> to open up wolf killing now, on a year-round basis, and let everyone jump into the game? it's not going to result in a

whole lot more dead wolves. i don't see it translating into more saved or protected livestock. we've been killing wolves now since the mid-1980s, starting in montana, idaho and wyoming, and we sti have wolves in all of the same places. you take out a pack, another pack moves in. >> brangham: and you don't think in the end it will be successful? you think the wolves will survive? >> i do. it's a slippery slope. it's-- it's-- when you find out it's not working, what are you going to do next? are we going to reintroduce intoxicants? are we going to encourage poison? are we going to hand out aerial hunting permits to everybody who flies an airplane or helicopter? that's what bothers me, is we were just going down a road that we shouldn't even be approaching. >> brangham: some ranchers are trying alternative solutions. sheep rancher brian bean works with kurt holtzen, of the non-profit “wood river wolf

project,” to use non-lethal ways of keeping the wolves at bay. >> this is a protective collar. it's two layers of leather and kevlar. >> brangham: so this is for the guard dogs to wear. >> yeah, it's for the big white american dogs, the big guard dogs. >> brangham: in addition to guard dogs, herders stay with the flock at nearly all times. wolves tend to stay away when humans are around. and, they use lights and loud noises as further deterrents. bean says, if they can steer wolves away from livestock, they'll be more likely to stick to their natural prey-- which are mostly elk-- and then ranchers and wolves can both share these lands. >> we know that non-lethal works. at least it works for us in our country-- and by the way, if it can work here, it's going to be able to work most places. >> brangham: if your system works by and large, why has it not been adopted more widely? >> there are folks out there that tried it, you know, for half a season or a season. and they, you know, they found

it to be less effective than they would have hoped. i got to tell you, it took us two to three years to get good at it, just to-- >> brangham: --work out the techniques, the placement. >> to know what the hell you're doing, because, you know, it's complicated. >> brangm: but senator burtenshaw doesn't think non-lethal methods are viable for most ranchers. >> if they hado hire more and more men, or women, or whatever, to run around the ranges to try to scare wolves off, it would be a phenomenal cost. >> brangham: one thing is clear, for now, these wolves aren't going away, and they're likely to expand their range. so, ranchers will have to figure out how to live with these wolves for years to come. for the pbs newshour, i'm william brangham in central idaho. >> woodruff: in art history, we are familiar with portraits of royalty and the powerful,

the rich and famous. a young detroit artist is part of a re-thinking of who deserves a place in the picture. jeffrey brown reports for our arts and culture series, "canvas." >> brown: a young man in a painting titled, “light on brother.” a woman in a study in black, called “that beautiful color.” a couple outside on a fearful night-- “the american dream.” portraits of family, friends, acquaintances, and himself-- by 33-year-old artist mario moore. >> i want you to almost feel like that person is standing before you. >> brown: the presence. >> the presence of that individual, that captures you to stop and look. because that's really what painting is about. it's like, how do you get somebody to stop for a really, really long time and sre at this thing that i made? >> brown: 32 of moore's paintings are now on view in an exhibition at detroit's charles wright museum of african american history.

it's called “enshrined: presence d preservation.” >> one thing that i'm always interested in is, what are we going to look back to as time moves forward? how do i make a claim, to say that i was here and these people were here, when we look back through art history? this is the family church right here, the church we go to. >> brown: moore, a detroit native and graduate of its college for creative studies, as well as yale's master of fine arts program, has been around art all his life: his father worked as a security guard at the detroit institute of arts, and his mother is an artist. >> it wasn't just myom. it was also her friends and her colleagues and the work that they were making, very different kinds of artists. so i was going into studios, smelling all the paint, sniffing all the stuff i shouldn't sniff. >> brown: even as a little kid. >> even as a little kid. >> brown: today, he works in a studio in an innovative using

development called true north, where he's preparing for a gallery show opening this fall in new orleans. there's a "civil war" theme, but as always, he focuses on the individual, especially the individual black man or woman, within a larger present and past. >> when i was younger and i would go into museums and i would see these incredible paintings, these european paintings, i nev thought about the individuals as white. i just thought about them as, you know, humanity. it's this human story. might be from the bible. it might be something mythical. but race never came into my mind until i got older. and then i started to see a missing link, like, well, if this is supposed to be a broad human story, where is everybody else? >> brown: while on a fellowship at princeton, moore sought out and then painted workers who make the university run behind the scenes, giving them a front- and-center presence. he's also addressed thtrauma of violence against young black men and women, as in this

painting: a nd of "self- portrait in parts," that he compares to cut-out dolls. >> i had an older sister. i ed to play with her dolls. and then, you got the little touts and you could put clothes on them so you can kind of switch it up. but, for me, it was a way to talk about how these specific items and this individual are all seen in different ways. but then collectively, when they're put together with the black male body, does that hoodie change? now, does that hoodie mean something else? right, is it now a threat instead of a comfort? >> brown: in some cases, it's his own family history being explored, within the larger context of his city. >> this is one of those areas where it's a lot of empty space. it's a lot of urban wilderness. >> brown: moore took us to the bricked-up site on a mostly-abandoned block where his great-grandfather once had a diner.

>> my grandma would talk about people entering and there'd be windows so you can look out, so i can only imagine that this would be the entrance. this is my grandmother here. that's her sister. that's my grandfather in the background. >> brown: working from old photographs, he pieced together the look and feel of the place to make this painting. >> it became a real kind of personal investigation into what was here, and was here through my family. and then also to talk about this idea of ownership in black-owned businesses, and what's happening today with that same kind of concept. >> brown: black-owned businesses in this era, lost because of changes in the city, up to today. >> up to today. and today, now is a different situation, with some similarities, but specifically dealing with covid, right,

that has made something specific and hard to deal with for all businesses, but has been harder on small black-owned businesses. >> brown: in 2017, doctors found a tumor on moore's brain. the surgery, a successful one, became another subject for his art, as did the forced rest and need to slow down for his physical and mental health. imrtant subjects, all. but for the artist himself, it's the very act of painting that is most important. >> i'm a painter! ( laughs ) and i think this gets lost on a lot of people, because we live in this digital world. right, so, a lot of the work that people are seeing, they're seeing it through a screen, they're seeing an image, and not necessarily a painting. so, when i'm thinking about kerry james marshall, when i'm thinking about diego velasquez, who i think is the greatest painter in history, it's the way that he handles the material of paint. there's all this magic in the way that it's made. and i'm so excited about that same thing.

it's like, yeah, i want to talk about these stories, right. so painting, like, takes you on that journey. >> brown: “presence and preservation,” through the application of paint on canvas. mario moore's exhibition runs through september 19, before traveling to los angeles. for the pbs newshour, i'm jeffrey brown at the charles wright museum of african american history in detroit. >> woodruff: whatta i wonderful piece. and that is the newshour for tonight. i'm judy woodruff. join us online, and again here tomorrow evening. for all of us at the pbs newshour, thank you, please stay safe, and we'll see you soon. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> architect. bee-keeper. mentor. a raymond james financial advisor tailors advice to help you live your life. life, well-planned.

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hello everyone. and welcome to "amanpour." here is what's coming up. >> special report from cuba, confronting the most serious freedom protests since the castro revolution. from havana the foreign ministry of u.s. affairs joins me. then, apocalypse now as extreme weather delivers its rampage. an activist group making the legal case for our planet. ceo of climate earth joins me. plus. >> our old approach to locking as many people up for as long as possible does not make us safe. >> san francisco's district attorney tells why crime there is rising and what he's doing about it.