to learn more, visit safetyactioncenter.pge.com captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc >> nawaz: good evening, i'm amna nawaz. judy woodruff is away. on the newshour tonight: >> we will not forgive. we will not forget. we will hunt you down and make you pay. >> nawaz: one of the deadliest days for americans in afghanistan in a decade. u.s. military u.s. military personnel are among at least 70 killed in explosions outside the kabul airport, critically hampering a chaotic exit. ten, covid and police-- many law enforcement officers remain reluctant to receive vaccinations, prompting calls to mandate shots. and, the virus in africa-- record numbers of covid cases are being reported across the continent amid a limited supply

of vaccines. >> as long as we have this problem of inequity and access to vaccines, it means that the virus will be out there circulating. >> nawaz: all that and more on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> at fidelity, changing plans is always part of the plan.

>> the kendeda fund. committed to advancing restorative justice and meaningful work through investments in transformative leaders and ideas. more at kendedafund.org. >> carnegie corporation of new york. supporting innovations in education, democratic engagement, and the advancement of international peace and security. at carnegie.org. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions: and individuals. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you.

>> nawaz: an awful and bloody day in kabul today, as multiple suicide bombings at the airport killed 12 american service members: 11 u.s. marines, and a navy corpsman, and at least 90 afghan civilians. many more were injured, many critically. it was the deadliest day for american forces in the country since 2011. an affiliate of the islamic state group claimed that attack. all this, as the u.s. has now evacuated over 100,000 people from afghanistan, a mission that a top american general said will continue. at the white house, president biden promised reprisals against isis; and said the united states would "make them pay." again with the support of the pulitzer center, our jane ferguson reports tonight from doha, qatar. and a warning: this report contains graphic images that will upset some viewers

>> reporter: bodies lay in a sewage canal, running now with blood, just outside the kabul airport following the bombings. plumes of smoke could be seen as planes took off, the evacuation continuing through the carnage. and sirens could be heard as night fell. chaos in the streets quickly ensued as people tried to help those injured from the blasts. bloodied victims were rushed to hospitals witnses described what they saw. >> ( translated ): people were standing at the airport gate for evacuation when the blast happened. they ambulances are carrying injuries and deaths. my cousin was also wounded on his leg so we brought him to the hospital. >> ( translated ): it was time for the evening prayer when an explosion happened near the airport, i saw about 70 vehicles carry around 150 injured to the hospital. >> reporter: u.s. officials >> reporter: an affiliate of the islamic state, the so-called isis-k claimed

responsibility.“ k” stands for “khorasan”, an historic name for a region including afghanistan and parts of iran. thbiden administration said they've been sounding the alarm about the risks involved for days. at the pentagon, the commanding general for u.s. operations in the region spoke by remote from his headquarters in tampa. marine general kenneth mckenzie was asked whether he trusted the taliban to help secure the airport, an insurgency that the u.s. was bombing less than two weeks prior >> you've heard me say before it's not what they say, it's what they do. they have a practical reason for wanting us to get out of here by the 31st of august. and that's they want to reclaim the airfield. we want to get out by that date too if it's gonna be possible to do so. so we share a common purpose. as long as we've kept that common purpose aligned, they've been useful to work th. >> reporter: the taliban condemned the attack and said the u.s. was responsible for the

security where it occurred. >> it is again, it is because of foreign forces, the presence of foreign forces that such attacks take place. >> reporter: the first explosion occurred near the abbey gate, where a mix of british and american soldiers were stationed. we filmed around the area a few days ago. just days before the blasts, despite previous warnings from the u.s. and allies about possible complex attacks. the second blast happened near the baron hotel, also close to the airport. >> an explosion just happened, everyone is running. >> reporter: najibullah quiresshi, a reporter working with pbs “frontline”, was near the airport when the first explosion happened. >> even the taliban was warning people to not go near by the airport. but the people were still trying to flee the country. so this is what happened and this is i can say, the first explosion after the taliban took over kabul. >> wherever isis sees an opportunity to inflict harm and unleash carnage against anybody

who does not subscribe to their obscurantist ideology and theocratic doctrine, they will do so. >> reporter: michael weiss is senior editor at newlines magazine. he says his greatest national security concern is how the remaining americans will now escape. >> now, as we can see, isis-k with the ability to penetrate deep into the heart of the capital of the country. what happens if one or more of these actors, particularly isis, goes around taking american hostages? you know, are we going to see videos of americans on their knees in front of a black flag like we did in 2014 and 2015? and are we going to see it on the anniversary of 9/11, no less? these, unfortunately, are contingencies that we have to now entertain. >> reporter: allies involved in the evacuation reacted to the attack. while in ireland, french president emmanuel macron said the situation is “profoundly deteriorating”. >> i think de facto all of us are put in a situation where we cannot protect all the afghan people we waed to protect.

what we want to do with the americans is work hard and well untithe very last minute to do the maximum operations and to be sure about security and safety of our own people. >> reporter: some countries announced today that they've ceased evacuations, others pledged to continue operations. >> clearly what this attack shows is the importance of continuing that work in as fast and efficient manner as possible in the hours that remains of us and that's what we're going to do. >> reporter: the united nations is planning a joint meeting on the afghanistan crisis on monday. >> nawaz: this evening, president biden spoke from the east room of the white house, responding to today's terrorist attack in kabul and defending his an for full u.s. withdrawal. >> biden: to those who carried out this attack, as well as anyone who wishes america harm, know

this: we will not forgive. we will not forget. we will hunt you down to make you pay. i will defend our interests and our people with every measure a my command. over the past w weeks, i know many of you are tired of hearing me say it, we've been made aware by our intelligence community that the isis-k, an arch enemy of the taliban, people who were freed when both those prisons were opened, has been plnning a complex set of attacks on united states personnel and others. this is why from the outset, i repeatedly said this mission was

extraordinarily dangerous and why i've been so determined to limit the duration of this mission. as general mckenzie said, this is why our mission was designed -- it was the way it was designed to operate. operate under severe stress and attack. we've known that from the beginning. as i've been in constant contact with our senior military leaders -- and i mean constant, around the clock -- and our commanders on the ground throughout the day, they made it clear that we can and we must complete this mission. and we will. and that's what i've ordered them to do. we will not be deterred by terrorists. we will not let them stop our mission. we will continue the evacuation. i've also ordered my commanders to develop operational plans to strike isis-k asets, leadership, and facilities. we will respond with force and precision at our time,

at the place we choose, in the moment of our choosing. here is what you need to know: these isis terrorists will not win. we will rescue the americans there. we will get our afghan allies out. and our mission will go on. erica will not be intimidated. and i have the utmost confidence in our brave service members who continue to execute this mission with courage and honor to save lives and get americans, our partners, or afghan allies out of afghanistan. >> nawaz: and newshour special correspondent jane ferguson joins me from doha. good to see you. this area where the explosions took place today, you know it well. you were there just a day or so ago. tell us a little more about this area and describe it for us. >> reporter: it was always an extraordinary scene, amna. you had basically -- basically it was initially a road surrounding the airport, or towards the entrance of the airport.

on one side of the road, you had a compound that had been a hotel. called the baron hotel. it was really a hotel run by a security firm, so it was a specialist secure hotel. it hosted the british forces when they had come in. outside the abbey gate, the main gate to that hotel on the street, that's where we saw swarms of people, where we had been filming all week. massive amounts of civilians were showing up. just down the street, maybe 30, 50 yards, there was a deep canal, surrounded by razor wire that american soldiers were trying to use to get people into the airport. as a scene, i had never seen anything like it before because you saw service members from ma different militaries there mingling with the public. the public, obviously very stressed and panicked to get out of the country, but t belligerent. very cooperative with the soldiers. i saw soldiers from canada, france, italy, and

germany, and the main ones being from the united states and the u.k. forces. on the outer perimeter, you also had taliban fighters, who were somehow trying to control the crowds. but they were largely just a little bit further down. there was no checkpoints, as such, for people coming in that would have stopped them or frisked them on searched them. there were no dogs, metal detectors, it was a much more chaotic scene. >> nawaz: jane, we know that isis-k has claimed responsibility. what do they gain from an attack like this at this time? >> reporter: this is an attack that is a win/win from their perspective. they're the arch enemy of taliban. they fight over territory, fighters, and money. and essentially -- and land and resources. they have been fighting them for a long time. this helps them make the taliban look like they're less in control of the capital. and it also means they get

these incredibly high-valued targets by hitting american soldiers. for them this is an opportunity that wouldn't have presented itself quite so easily before. this is a huge victory from that perspective for them. now, in terms of trying to make the taliban look like they have less control over the city, it is important to remember the taliban themselves have even sort of hinted that they did not expect to take kabul so quickly. since they have taken it, they haven't yet formed a government. and things in the city seem relatively calm -- the airport is chaotic, but with that being said, it is important to remember any opposition they could have faced actually melted away. the taliban didn't win the city, theyidn't fight for it. their control over the city is not necessarily secure, it is not necessarily guaranteed, and this is a message from isis to the taliban, as much as it is to america, that they can't take anytng for granted in terms of territory and the capital city of kabul. >> nawaz: jane, is there any way to know, does this

mean more chaos in the final days before the u.s. withdrawal? >> reporter: it is certainly not looking good. president biden has committed to trying to continue bringing americans out of afghanistan. how they're going to do that is going to become even more of a logistical challenge. they'll have to get the crowds away from the airport somehow. and all the while in the background, there is fear that growing conflict between isis and the taliban could escalate in the city. we're seen not the urban warfare scenes that were predicted whenever the kabul would enter the city, but there is a fear of open fighting between the two groups, which would lead to incredible insecurity across afghanistan. >> nawaz: that is special correspondent je ferguson who just evacuated from afghanistan herself in the last couple of days, reporting from doha, qatar. thank you, jane. >> reporter: thank you. >> nawaz: and >> nawaz: our lisa desjardins joins me now, following the

president's remarks. years. what did you make of what the president had to say? >> reporter: this was a real insight into his thinking, something we've wanted to see for days. this was the senator joe biden, who was the chairman of the foreign relationships committee. this is an area he has a great amount of depth on. however, one thing i noticed, he was very blunt about where his thinking was coming from. people were thinking where was his thinking come from. he said they were unanimous to do this. should they have stayed long? it was unanims no. and he stressed it is this sort of strange dance with the taliban that is under way right now that is part of his thinking, that, in fact, he wants to leave by august 31st because the taliban, in his words, that coordination has alwed people to flow to thairport in a pertinent way. i also think it was notable that you have that joe biden who was reaching out as te

mourner-in-chief. it felt palpable to me what he was saying about the loss of a doen american service members. but at the same time, he was saying we will not forgive, we will not forget. a lot of questions remain about what that means, what exactly his response will be to whomever carried out this attack. >> nawaz: this is clearly, so far, one of the biggest days of his presidency, we say so far. but what does it mean politically moving forward? this is not necessarily what they expected to be dealing with at this stage? >> reporter: the stakes on every level are so high. republicans see it as an opportunity to say prescpresident biden is not the man you elected. you cannot trust him. he is saying things that may not be the same as people on the ground are saying. democrats are sort of holding their breath. many privately are saying we're worried, they're advising the president, some publicly, to extend the deadline, even though he hasn't. that's remarkable for democrats to come out and say, we think you're making a mistake on this

majo decision. margins in the house and the senate are very close, and president biden wants to get through his very ambitious agenda, he needs public momentum behind him, and there is a loft questions about how this affects that precisely. when congress comes back, it was on recess right now, we'll have hearings and a lot of discussion about this, a lot of questions for him and his administration. right now it is still a realtime disaster and a lot of lives at stake, and that's what you heard from the president. >> nawaz: a lot on the president's agenda, but clearly a devastating day for a personally invested president. lisa desjardins, thank you. >> reporter: you're welcome. >> nawaz: and now for >> nawaz: for more on how the evacuation mission might be effected by today's attacks we get two views. retired colonel mike jason had a 24-year career in the army. in 2012, he was a battalion commander in northern afghanistan. he is now interim executive director of allied airlift 21, which seeks to support the u.s. government's efforts to evacuate

afghans who worked with the america over the past 20 years. and lisa curtis was a senior director for south and central asia on the national security council staff during the trump administration. she was a c.i.a. analyst in the 1990s, and served in u.s. embassies in pakistan and india. she's now a senior fellow at the center for a new american security. thanks and welcome to you both. we appreciate you being here. colonel jason, i want to start with you and get your reaction to the remarks from the president, and him saying he does not regret doing what he has done and evacuating, staying these extra days, and he is sticking to the august 31st deadline. >> thanks for the opportunity. working this non-profit group of veterans right now, doing our best to connect and get our allies out and facilitate the evacuation, what i looked for tonight in the remarks from earlier, general mckenzie and the president, was a commitment to finish the mission or at least keep going. after today's attack,

that's what i was looking for. that's all we needed. we've got at least five more days and we can put more people on airplanes. that was critical, and that gives us a little more oxygen. >> nawaz: lisa curtis, what about you? what did you hear from the president? did anything surprise you? and particularly the strong pledge to retaliate, to go after whoever is behind today's attacks. >> yeah. the president was very resolute. as you said, he committed to hunting down the perpetrators of the attack. and he committed to finishing the evacuation. and that did surprise me. i thought that he might speed up the evacuation process or just shut it down, quite frankly. because i think the reason he has been so adamant about sticking to the august 31st deadline for withdrawing u.s. troops because he feared such an attack as we saw today. but now that it has happened, i think, you know, he knows that we

need to, you know, hunt down the perpetrators and we need to continue the mission. we can't be cowed down by the terrorists. he was very clear about that. and he was clear he is listening to his military advisors. we know that he hadn't listened to his military advisors about the drawdown decision, drawing down to zero, but he was very clear today he is listening to them and taking their advice. >> nawaz: colonel jason, what about this risk balance at this point, though? we know the threat persists. general mckenzie said that in his briefing, and president biden said the mission will be seen through. in the next three or four days, doesn't that put more u.s. troops in harm's way? >> of course it does. the president said it, this is an extremely risky mission. i'm not going to question the commanders on the ground, but i've been on the other side. it is a very, very careful balance of force

protection and achieving the mission. and they have an incredibly tough job. i think we heard a previous segment, a description of having to be there. i think general mckenzie talked about it in his press conference again. i've been at those checkpoints. you have to pat people down and be in the crowd. if we're going to achieve the object, our moral obligation of getting our allies out, we have to do it with the people and process them and get them on aircraft. that's what our commanders are doing on the ground. extremely risky. they're not sleeping. 20 minutes, an hour of sleep a night. they've been there over a week. very challenging conditions. it is hot and it is dangerous. but, again, i'm heartened to hear that our national leadership is committed and we're going to keep going. and those commanders will ve to balance that risk for five more days. >> nawaz: lisa curtis, what about the complicated matrix on the ground between the perpetrators of these attacks, isis-k, and the taliban who have been fighting the u.s. for the last 20 years, and now

are working with them to help evacuate american forces. explain that to us a little bit, and how the u.s. is going to manage this. >> well, we have been getting indications that some kind of attack was being planned, likely by isis-k. and we know that they have the capabilities to conduct this kind of attack. so nobody was surprised, i think, by the attack, and the fact that isis-k claimed it. and i think the president was very clear that we are working with the taliban, and that this attacker happened to get through, but the u.s. will continue to try to work with the taliban in getting as many americans an afghans out of the country moving forward. so i think that the president was very clear on the difference between the taliban and isis-k. and that they are mortal enemies, and they do fight each othe so it is a complicated

scenario that we're facing. and, unfortunately, these attackers got through and we've lost 12 of our extremely courageous marines, 15 others wounded, one naval medic also was killed. so this is a very sad day for the united states. but i think the president did the right thing in showing a resolve in moving forward and staying committed to the mission and not allowing the terrorists to deter us from finishing the mission we started. >> nawaz: lisa, i want to stick with you for just a minute. there is an estimate in leaving at the pace we are, the u.s. could leave behind some 250,000 war-time allies. is there any moral obligation beyond the 31st to continue to try to get them out? >> i think we do have a moral obligation to get as many afghaallies as we can out. clearly we're not going to

be able to get everybody out by the time u.s. soldiers start returning home. but there is still an ability. it won't be as easy, obviously, but the u.s. can still try to get afghans out, even after our forces are no longer controlling the airport. there are other countries there that we can work with, countries like qatar and uzbekistan, and we can look to their assistance in helping us in this endeavor. and with the taliban, we do have leverage with the taliban. the president alluded to this. they want to be -- they want international recognition. they want access to financing. so we can continue this mission of getting our afghan allies out, even when u.s. forces return home >> nawaz: colonel jason, in the final minute, i want to ask you, because you've been working to evacuate some 20,000 . what does that look like in the days ahead.

it was already so difficult for people to make it to the airport. how does the us. do it in these final four days? >> i want to recognize the courage of the 60 afghans and their families that gave their families today. they gave everything to us for 20 years, and lined up at the gate for a chance at a better life with something left. there are 60 dead afghans that are more than likely our allies. that's the courage. they will be back the minute the gate is open. they'll be back tomorrow. and there are many organizations like ours, "no one left behind," we're all working together. i have 250 volunteers working 27, talking and trying to guide them through this danger. we've documented over 28,000 afghans, and their family members, and individually we recorded all of their records, that are trying to get out. that's the record, and that's the promise. that's what we have turned over, and we continue to

cooperate with the united states government, and we're prepared to work with non-government organizations or humatarian organizations, but we will keep that record. and we have the moral obligation to continue to working down that list until we get everybody we can out of danger. >> nawaz: that's is retired colonel mike jason and lisa curtis joining us tnl. tonight. thank you both fof your time. >> thank you. >> nawaz: in the day's other news, a top covid-19 model projected nearly 100,000 more deaths in the u.s. by december first. researchers working on the model at the university of texas also said the number could be cut in half if more people wear masks. al today, illinois became the latest to issued an indoor mask mandate. and, democratic governor j.b. pritzker ordered health care workers and educators to get vaccinated or get tested weekly as hospitals fill up. >> our current vacnation

levels are not enough to blunt the ferocity of the delta variant hospitalization surges in some regions. hospital administrators are aking for more help to manage the sheer number of incoming patients who i'll emphasize >> nawaz: in texas, republican governor greg abbott imposed a ban on state or local mandates requiring vaccinations. and, overseas, the world health organization reported vaccinations in africa have tripled in the past week, but, only 2% of the population is fully vaccinated. we'll focus on afra's plight, later in the program. israeli prime minister naftali bennett was to have met today with president biden at the white house. that was delayed until tomorrow, after the bombings in afghanistan. meanwhile, israel eased commercial restrictions on gaza, to allow the flow of more goods. palestinian protests against the israeli blockade had led to clashes this week that killed one palestinian and critically injured an israeli policeman.

a new tropical storm is forming in the caribbean tonight, and could grow into a major hurricane that strikes the u.s. gulf coast this weekend. the system was passing jamaica late today and heading toward the cayman islands and cuba with up to a foot of rain. it's on track to reach the central gulf states on sunday. seven u.s. capitol police officers sued former president trump today, accusing him of incing the january 6th assault on the capitol. the federal suit also names his ally roger stoneplus the trump campaign and members of the far- right "proud boys" and "oath keepers." two similar suits have been filed recently by democrats in congress. there's more fallout from the sexual harassment scandal that drove new york governor andrew cuomo from office. tina chen resigned today as president of "time's up", an advocacy group that targets sexual misconduct in the workplace. she had admitted that private consultations with cuomo were more extensive than first acknowledged. she said today that her continued tenure had become a painful and divisive focal

point. in economic news, new claims for jobless benefits rose slightly for the first time in five weeks, to 353,000. and, on wall street, stocks gave a little ground. the dow jones industrial average lost 192 points to close at 35,213. the nasdaq fell 96 points. the s&p 500 slipped 26. still to come on the newshour: the chief of miami police on mandating vaccines for law enforcement officers. covid cases spike across africa amid a limited supply of inoculations. we visit texas to examine the nationwide trend of criminalizing homelessness. plus much more. >> nawaz: following the full

f.d.a. approval of a covid-19 vaccine, an increasing number of cities and states are now mandating employees roll up their sleeves to get vaccinated, or submit to weekly testing. but as william brangham reports, there's been some intense pushback from law enforcement and first responders across the country. >> brangham: that's right amna. in chicago, responding to that city's october vaccine mandate, the head of the police union said his members won't comply. "this has literally lit a bomb underneath the membership." he said, "we're in america, g-- damn it. we don't want to be forced to do anything, period. this ain't nazi f-ing germany." similarly, in los angeles, a city fire department captain went online and blasted the imminent vaccine mandate for all city employees: >> this is not a political issue. this is not left-right. this is not democrat-republican. this is not vax-unvax. this is a fight for freedom of choice.

free will. this is a fight against tyranny. >> brangham: joining me w is a police chief who does support vaccine mandates for frontline workers. art acevedo is miami's chief of police. chief acevedo, great to have you on e "news hour." you heard these criticisms before. explain why you think we should have everybody vaccinated on the front line? >> because we know we're out making public contact as first responders, and our number priority is health and well-being of the workforce and the public itself. we would hate to spread a deadly virus to a member of the community. i believe in the vaccine and the science. quite honestly, when you look at the data, less than 1% of people who have died from covid are people who are vaccinated. you've got to go with the odds. and the odds are that you're much safer when you're vaccinated, and so is the public. >> brangham: i know in

miami, you guys have not instituted a mandate yet. that is a city decision. but you're getting pushback already from your union. i'd like to read a quote: "it is the stance of the miami fraternal order of police that vaccinations are a choice that should be made personally without coercion or threats. should chief art acevedo attempt to mandate vaccines, we will be forced to challenge said mandate." how do you respond to that? >> we're public servants. and vaccines have been required, whether it is school, employment, the military, and i would say unfortunately here in miami, with the uptake due to the delta variant and the reality of the delta variant, and now with the approval -- formal approval by the f.d.a., we're starting to see more and more employees saying, hey, i'm getting vaccinated. so we're still hopeful common sense will win the day, and we wouldn't have to mandate them, but i

think that the time will tell where we go as a city and a nation. >> brangham: florida is suffering record-high cases, near-record daily deaths, the hospitals are full, funeral homes can't keep up. what is your sense as to why this resistance exists among the rank-and-file? >> i wish i knew the answer to that. it is just another indication of the division in this country where we politicize everything. i encourage people when you want to find out the weather, you go to a meteorologist. when you want to find out about what to do in terms of a vaccine or a virus or a public health issue, you go to the doctors and the scientists. so luckily, again, with the f.d.a. approval, i think that people are starting to get more comfortable with it. and i'm hopeful that common sense will win the day moving forward. >> brangham: do you think this is all partisan politics, though? i have heard from a lot of

people, there are people out there who may not consult the c.d.c. or epidemiologists or public health officials. do you feel like you guys have done a good enough job trying to assess rank-and-file's questions about the vaccine and trying to address those questions? >> yeah, we are. we're paying attention to the information, and giving information to folks. but to say that it is not a political issue -- i listened to the sound byte you played earlier. you would think it was the beginning ofthe revolution just because you want somebody to get vaccinated, where the data and the science shows -- look, vaccinations are not a new science. i'm starting to print and tweet out letters that i do for all peace officers that come to my attention that have died. i have always done line of duty death letters, and i have signed hundreds of letters for active -- >> brangham: for law enforcement who died of covid? >> of covid. who died.

i did 10 a couple of days ago, six last night, and i did two more today. so they're just adding up. and i can tell you, as i speak to my workforce, i don't thk we're going to have to mandate. because i just got off the phone a little while ago with a member of our department that was very hesitant for whatever reasons. and he has been in the hospital. and he says, chief, the second i get back to work, i'm already telling my friends, this is the worst thing i've ever experienced in my life. i came close to dying, and i'm going to get vaccinated in exactly about 90 days, as soon as i can because i dodged a bullet, and i don't want my friends to go through this, and i don't want to see a friend die. >> brangham: a lot of the union chiefs and other representatives have been saying if you mandate this kind of a thing, you're going to see people not showing up for work. do you worry that might be a downstream consequence? when you need police the most, you might not have them. >> whether you have them out with covid or they're

being buried from dying with covid -- it is an issue either way you go. i know the collective heart of the american policefficers. they're dedicated, brave, professionals, and i'm confident whatever decision is made across the country from different departments and different places, folks will make the right decisions for the right reasons. again, because of the fact that we've had pfizer now approved formally, and moderna, to my understanding, is going to be approved very shortly. the comforlevel is going up, and i think hopefully in the next matter of weeks, a couple months, you'll see many more people. we're experiencing that here already, and that gives me a lot of hope. >> brangham: art acevedo, chief of police the city of miami, thank you so much for being here. >> thank you. >> nawaz: record numbers of covid-19 cases are being reported across africa, as the delta variant pushes hospitals

on the continent to the breaking point. i.c.u. beds and oxygen are in desperately short supply. vaccines are increasingly scarce, and according to the world health organization, vaccinated by the end of this year. special correspondent isabel nakirya begins in kampala, uganda. >> reporter: asumpta bahenda has been trying to wash away her near death experience for two months now. she suffered from a severe case of covid-19 in june. >> i started feeling like i was going to die. >> reporter: an ambulance evacuated her more than 170 miles from western uganda to the capital kampala, but finding a bed in a hospital was almost impossible. with damaged lungs, asumpta needed immediate admission to an i.c.u. when she finally found a bed in a private hospital, oxygen was in short supply. >> there's a moment when they were rationing oxygen, they would come and remove you, and take it to somebody else who's struggling. >> reporter: uganda is going

through a severe second wave. when cases shot up, the lucky few only got beds when a patient died. it seems almost everyone lost someone close to them. >> they told me your friend has gone, but you have to fight for your life. >> reporter: public hospitals across uganda ran out of personal protective equipment during the height of the pandemic in june. irene nakasita managed to get a hospital bed some 25 miles out of the capital, but therwere no doctors on hand to monitor her deteriorating condition. >> i said i can't take chances with my life anymore, i need to get out of the facility whether discharged or not. because i had actually not seen any professional doctor walk to me to support me. throughout, there were only nurses. >> reporter: the limited supply of vaccines is another issue. asumpta and irene had received only the first doses one dose

of covid-19 vaccine and were waiting to get their second doses, when they were infected. uganda has vaccinated just about one percent of its population of 40 million. so f, it's received less than two million doses of covid-19 vaccines. not nearly enough to vaccinate half the population, which the government says it wants to do before fully reopening the economy. cases are soaring in neighboring tanzania, but it's open for business. the country's former president john magufuli, who died of covid in office in march, was skeptical of the virus. he downplayed the risks of covid-19 and even shunned mask wearing in favor of healing prayers and traditional herbal remedies. but under a new president, tanzania has made a dramatic turn around, and reversed policies on covid-19. it started to release data on

coronavirus infections. and tanzania is now ramping up vaccinations with its first shipment of vaccines from the united nations global “covax” program. >> ( translated ): my fellow tanzanians, i thank all of you who are here today to support me and show tanzanians that the vaccine is not a disaster. >> reporter: but not all tanzanians are signing on. silvia senya spent 22 days in emergency care with covid-19 and almost lost her unborn baby. she's not convinced the vaccines are safe. >> ( translated ): i will wait, i won't get the jab right now. >> reporter: in the democratic republic of congo, despite increasing cases of the coronavirus, there's growing skepticism and deep mistrust of vaccines. the country has returned more than a million vaccine doses

donated by the african union, because so many congolese have refused to get the shots. many people have taken false messaging and conspiracy theories to heart. >> ( translated ): the covid-19 vaccine has been rejected by most congolese and some foreigners for a good reason. the spirits of our ancestors are using it to punish whites. it is something that we don't fully understand but the goal of those foreigners is to destroy africa. >> ( translated ): some passengers i've met have warned me against taking the covid-19 vaccine. they keep telling me that i will die aftegetting the jab. many people have told me the same thing so i've decided not to take it. >> reporter: public hospitals in d.r.c.'s capital kinshasa are ill equipped. the country battled the ebola epidemic for years, depleting its healthcare system. hospitals are running out of protective gear but some health workers are determined to keep

taking the risks to save lives. dr. emily lebughe came to work even after contracting covid-19. >> ( translated ): i had a fever and decided to treat it with acetaminophen. but i had to keep on working because thcommunity and the covid-19 unit needed me. >> reporter: in west africa, in nigeria, the highly transmissible delta variant is setting off a spike in daily coronavirus infections. and the number of actual cases may be much higher than reported, signaling the start of a third wave, says doctor emmael okpetu. >> when you look at the population of over 200 million plus, still have not tested enough. so it is possible we have a lot of missed cases. >> reporter: south africa has reported the highest number of cases and the highest number of deaths from covid-19 in africa. it also has one of the highest vaccination rates on the continent.

at 6%, it's still far from the target. university of capetown researcher benjamin kagina says access to vaccines is vital. >> as long as we have this problem of inequity and access to vaccines, it means that the virus will be out there circulating. >> reporter: africa has vaccinated just two and a half percent of its 1.3 billion population, despite a surge in cases, with most of the countries depending on donations from wealthy nations. the u.s. recently donated millions of doses to nigeria and south africa. india played a major role in bringing in millions of doses, but the country put a stop to vaccine exports for its own domestic use in april. african union envoy on vaccine acquisition strive masiyiwa is pushing diplomats to release vaccines.

>> those are being politically restricted. it's not the manufacturers but it's political. >> reporter: despite promises from more wealthy nations to send vaccines to africa, more than 80% of the doses have gone to people in high-income and upper-middle-income countries. the w.h.o. says most people in the poorest countries will need to wait another two years before vaccines are available to them. for now for asumpta, and millions of other africans, the deck seems stacked. they will keep waiting for their vaccines, while new waves of covid-19 sweep across the continent, putting their lives at risk. for the pbs newshouri'm isabel nakirya, in kampala.

>> nawaz: now, amid a housing affordability crisis, cities across the country have been struggling over what to do about austin, texas is one of them: two years ago, it decriminalized activities related to homelessness. then this year, citizens voted to re-criminalize them, that as the texas legislature banned public camping statewide. stephanie sy reports on the movement to criminalize >> sy: until very recently, this spot under a north austin bridge was home for freddie williams. is this where you were living? >> yeah, this is it. >> sy: for two years, the 47- year-old camped here, until getting in a fight with another camper that escalated. he says he left to avoid arrest. so this is just kind of what was left and then people kind of rummaging through -- >> pretty much. >> sy: -- to see what they could find of value. >> yeah. > sy: a form oil worker, williams says he once had a job, a home, and a family. but his divorce led to drinking, which led to losing his job. he cmitted forgery, which landed him in prison. since getting out, he says he's

struggled to find work and housing, and continues to struggle with drug abuse. >> it's crazy how i felt like i had everything, i had it all figured out, had everything together, man, and you know, you get that monkey wrench thrown in there and you figure out that you really don't know what's going on and try to, try to plan stuff man and your plans never work out. >> sy: what would it look like right now for you to have a second chance? would that be housing? would that be a job? what do you need? >> both. a house and a job. >> sy: one of the country's fastest growing big cities, austin is also one of its least affordable, with a median home price that recently hit almost $575,000. as the city has grown into a tech and culture hub, the problem of how to help the more than 2,000 unsheltered people has divided the austin. >> the most important thing in getting people shelter or housed is having shelter or housing available. >> sy: dianna grey oversees the city's efforts to address homelessness.

she asked to speak remotely, amidst a surge in covid cases. >> the thing that is most correlated with an increase in homelessness is an increase in housing prices. while lack of affordability isn'the sole cause of homelessness, it is what we see drive increases over time. >> sy: two years ago, austin's liberal-leaning city council effectely made it legal to camp and sleep in some public places and panhandle. it w part of an effort to stop the revolving door from the jails to the streets, and to better help unsheltered residents connect with services. that move, along with covid-19, which reduced capacity at shelters, made the city's homeless population visible to all. many austinites coiled. >> proposition b passes. >> sy: in may, voters by a wide margin approved a measure, which

prohibits unsheltered people from sleeping in public-- something doing what advocates say they can't help but do-- now austin police can issue citations with fines as high as $500 for sleeping on the streets, or even lying on a park bench. if violators fail to move or show up in court, they could be arrested. >> what we've seen has caused trauma and have caused all sorts of unwarranted and unwanted chaos on our streets and in our city. >> sy: amanda rios supported prop b. she and her husband have lived in their home in northeast austin for around 14 years. because of their proximity to the highway, there have always been some meless people nearby. but after the city stopped enforcing ordinances against public camping, she says things got much wse. >> i go to the library and i see trash. i can't go to the park because there's homeless tents, there's drug needles, there's drug deals going down in the middle of the day, you know, i mean, even

where we live. here in front of our home for about a month, we heard and saw a woman being sex trafficked and we saw the men going in and out of her tent and we saw her and we heard her cries. and my husband, my children's window is close to the street. and they heard her. >> sy: there are laws against drug and sex trafficking, and their enforcement has direct connection to prop b. but rios says criminals exploit the homeless, and hide among them. >> i know people who were in drug trafficking. they were arrested and it started an avenue for them to get help. and so they went to jail and because of jail, they were able to change their life around. >> sy: at amanda's home we met cleo petricek, who last year co- founded “save austin now”-- a bipartisan political action committee that got prop b on the ballot-- and is now suing the city to enforce it. she's a democrat and former

probation officer, and says low- income communities like this one face far greater impacts from allowing homeless people to set up camp. we spoke to her in a park where an encampment had cropped up. she says the homeless themselves shouldn't have to live like this. >> i felt like no one was being served by the inhumanity of the conditions that they're in. this is not california. this is texa we have high heat and we have frozen winters. we have had homeless individuals freeze to death. and we've also had homeless die from the heat. >> sy: she believes prop b is about getting homeless people the help they need, even if it means possible arrest. >> i'm a former probation officer. i do not believe we should be building more prisons or we should imprisopeople who have mental health and drug issues. they should be in mandatory help or drug treatment, absolutely. the problem is, if you don't have that component, the compulsory element of forcing them into that, who will receive that service if they're not

>> a lot of people continue to have misconceptions about what prop b was and what it's going to do to people experiencing there's no money or help associated with it. it's purely to criminalize people for, again, unavoidable acts associated with extreme poverty. >> sy: chris harris works on the criminal justice project at texas appleseed, an austin-based non-profit that focuses on issues of social, economic and racial equity. in 2019 he pushed for decriminalization, citing a city auditor's report that said 18,000 citations were issued from 2014 to 2016 for activities related to homelessness. 90% of violators failed to show up in court, and of those, 72% were issued warrants for arrest. >> while you have a warrant, you can't get an i.d. guess what you can't get when you don't have an i.d.? anything. you can't get a job. you can't get housing. you even-- some services are cut off from you. so it actually made the problem worse for a lot of folks. >> sy: he also says allowing camping on the streets led to an

outpouring of resources to address the problem. >> we understand now the full extent of the homelessness crisis that we face. and it's driven volunteers, donations, city investments, private investments into housing, into services in an unprecedented fashion. >> sy: earlier this year, the city unveiled a plan to use $106 million in federal funds to dramatically increase rental assistance, build more long-term housing, and open new temporary housing shelters. >> sy: adam cartwright and marcia “marcie” collard were each homeless for five years, most recently in downtown austin. >> we had so many people throw glass bottles from the cars at our tents and said, y'all white trash. y'all need to get a job. y'all need to get housing.

you don't need to be out on the street. >> or someone would yell out, go home. it's, like, this is actually our home. >> sy: then, earlier this month, their camp was cleared and they were offered a room in this converted hotel, as well as case managers to help them find permanent housing, and deal with any other issues-- like mental health or addiction. dianna grey, the city homeless strategist, says around 90% of those who've been offered housing under the city's new efforts have accepted it. but there simply isn't enough for everyone who needs it. >> this is the entrance. >> sy: right here? >> yeah. >> sy: without an offer of housing, freddie williams is now planning to camp in these poison-oak-infested woods to avoid a run-in with police. >> the people that have voted to put this proposition b into place, they were just tired of seeing us, that's all that mattered. they didn't care about us being homeless or whatever. they just didn't want to see us. >> sy: are there are a lot of people like you that are going to be trying to hide in the woods, basically? >> the majority of people that

was under the bridge over where i was at, they're scattering right now. >> sy: hiding out of sight, and advocates for the homeless, worry, out of mind. for the pbs newshour, i'm stephanie sy in austin, texas. >> nawaz: and that's the newshour for tonight. i'm amna nawaz. 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. >> our u.s.-based customer service reps can help you choose a plan based on how much you use your phone, nothing more, nothing less. to learn more, go to consumercellular.tv

>> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and friends of the newshour. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org

[dramatic music] - llo, everyone. and welcome to "anpour & company." here's what's coming up. - i think our common challenge which we very mu agree on is the need to demonstrate together that democracies can deliver. - anthony blinken in berlin. the secretary of state's deputy, wendy sherman, joins me about reviving the iran deal she helped negotiate and the challenge of china. plus, [hip hop music] where hip-hop meets shakespeare. i talked to the highly influential british rapper, author, and activist akala. then, [choral music] love and loss. clint johnson from the san francisco gay men's chorus talks to our michel martin about the power of song