to learn more, visit safetyactioncenter.pge.com captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc >> woodruff: good evening. i'm judy woodruff. on the newshour tonight: an era of uncertainty. president bin addresses world leaders at the united nations. we talk with bill gates about the threats of covid and climate change. then, a grim milestone. the united states surpasses the number of lives lost to the 1918 flu. we reflect on the different response to a pandemic today. and, back to prison. how inmates sent to do their time at home during the pandemic now face a return to jail. >> there's no way that you could practice social distancing when you got two men, and sometimes

three men, inside of a cell, stacked on top of one another. >> woodruff: all that and more, on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: ♪ ♪ ♪ >> pediatric surgeon. volunteer. topiary artist. a raymond james financial advisor tailors advice to help you live your life. life, well-planned. >> for 25 years, consumer cellular's goal has been to provide wireless service that helps people communicate and connect. we offer a variety of no-contract plans, and our u.s.-based customer service team can help find one that fits you. to learn more, visit www.consumercellular.tv. >> johnson & johnson.

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>> woodruff: president biden today delivered his first speech to the united nations as part of its annual general assembly. most world leaders are back in person this year, after last year's largely virtual event. mr. biden touted diplomacy and the endurance of democracy, as he faces tensions with old allies, and global challenges like covid and climate change. nick schifrin is in new york tonight. >> schifrin: in the largest international summit in two years, president biden said he was launching a new era of american diplomacy. >> i stand here for the first time in 20 years, the united states not at war. as we look ahead, we will lead, on all the greatest challenges of our time: from covid to climate, peace and security, human dignity and human rights. but we will not go it alone. >> schifrin: and the president tried to reassure a skeptical world that american democracy was reliable.

>> the authoritarians of the world, may seek to proclaim the end of the age of democracy. but they're wrong. the truth is, the democratic world is everywhere. democracy remains the best tool we have to unleash our full human potential. >> schifrin: but today, the decidedly-undemocratic taliban control afghanistan, and many senior western europeans say the u.s. isn't listening to its allies-- over afghanistan, covid vaccine intellectual property, trump-era tariffs still in place, and last week's announcement the u.s. and u.k. would provide nuclear-propelled submarines to australia. yesterday, france's foreign nister, jean-yves le drian, said biden's policy was no different than trump's "america first." >> ( translated ): we thought unilateralism, unpredictability, brutality, and not respecting your partner was part of the past. but it continues. and contrary to everything that is being said openly and in public, this is what is surprising and shocking. >> schifrin: american officials believe the dispute will blow over, and today, president biden

and australian prime minister scott morrison tried to reassure europe. >> we share so many like-minded interests. >> schifrin: those interests are increasingly focused on china. the u.s. sees china's military modernization, technological expansion, and predatory trade practices as the west's preeminent challenge. today, president biden never mentioned "china," but it was the speech's subtext. >> we'll stand up for our allies and our friends, and oppose attempts by stronger countries to dominate weaker ones. but we're not seeking-- a new cold war, or a world divided into rigid blocs. >> schifrin: the u.s. seeks to collaborate with china over climate change. today, president biden doubled to $11 billion the u.s.' contribution to developing countries to become more resilient and develop green energy. but, china has largely rebuffed u.s. efforts to collaborate. on iran, the islamic republic has broken through many of the restrictions set by the iran nuclear deal, and the u.k. says iran has “never been this close to having the ability to devop nuclear weapons.”

today, president biden reiterated the u.s.' willingness to drop sanctions if iran comes back into compliance, but iran's uninterested in resuming stalled talks in geneva until the u.s. takes unilateral moves, newly elected president ibrahim raisi id today via video. >> ( translated ): the united states has not yet discharged its obligation, which is lifting sanctions. it has encroached upon the agreement, withdrawn from it, and levied even more sanctions on our people. >> schifrin: for much of the day, the theme was unity to fight covid and climate. but u.n. secretary general antonio gueterres warns, the world is failing to unite. >> instead of humility in the face of these epic challenges, we see hubris. instead of the path of solidarity, we are on a dead end to destruction. >> woodruff: and with me now from just outside the united nations is our foreign affairs

correspondent nick schifrin, and our white house correspondent yamiche alcindor, from the north lawn. so, nick, as you point out, it wsn't just president biden, it was dozen of world leaders who spoke today. give us a sense of some of the broader themes that ran through the day. >> reporter: well, those themes really point to what you heard from antonio guterres, there at the end, that the world wants, indeed needs, unity over covid and climate. without drastic change, clgglobal warming will become a reality. and only 4% of africa is vaccinated. now, biden tailored some of his speech to the worldwide concerns, especially that part of the speech when he gave the specific dollar amount that the u.s. would give to developing countries for climate adaptation. part of addressing climate, of course, is the u.s. and china working together. you saw the president not

mentioning china by name. and the chinese president spoke and pulled his punches that he usually throws against the u.s. but the rift, judy, is very real between the u.s. and france. and president biden still does not have confirmation that he'll be able to speak to french president emmanuel macron. one last point: u.n.-watchers say that this assembly was actually relatively normal. delegations were able to interact and meet with each other. where i am is new york city. there is a vaccine mandate. over to my right, past those gates, is international territory. there is no vaccine mandate there. we want to show you a photo. bolsenaro, proudly unvaccinated spoke first this morning, but because he is unvaccinated in new york city, he is not able to go into this restaurant to enjoy his new york slice of pizza. >> woodruff: an interesting side note. yamiche, to you, this was

president biden's first appearance at the u.n. after four years of former president trump. how did president biden, in a sense, try to usher in his own world view coming after his predecessor? >> yamiche: well, president biden in his first appearance before the u.n. as a president in this speech was really trying to turn the page away from the trump era and towards his vision of the world. now, nick just mentioned it was seen as normal by u.n.-watchers, and that is not any way that someone would describe the u.n. that former president trump had gone through, covering those over the years. we saw allies, as well as opponents of the u.s. really being angry at the fact that the president, former president trump, would just say things that were outlandish. at one point he was laughed at by the u.n. during his speech when he talked about the idea he had accomplished more than any other administration in u.s. history. today what you saw was the president, president biden, doubling down on his idea of ending endless

wars and really ushering this idea of diplomacy. he said there should not be violence, and instead, political negotiations and he talked about the dignity of the people, and helping countries less than the united states. he faces a number of domestic and foreign challenges, including those that welcomed him right when he got back to the white house, including the migrant situation on the border with the haitian migrants. there are a lot of people who are still trying to figure out what happened with those agencies using horse reins against the migrants. they were saying that the d.v.h.s. is going to have an investigation into that. >> woodruff: something else that president biden did when he got back to the white house was a meeting with the british prime minister boris johnson. what do we know about that meeting? >> reporter: the prime minister and president biden talked about trade, talked about the idea of the president really being

into th the idea of fighting climate change. it was a very, very friendly conversation. you saw the two leaders usher in this idea that the u.s. and the u.k. are on the same page. >> woodruff: back to you, nick, we know that today is a kickoff of a full week of meetings. give us a sense of what else to expect this week. >> reporter: yeah, there are two meetings this week that administration officials say will prove american indispensable leadership. japan, u.s., india, at the white house, and it is the example of what u.s. officials want to see in the future alliance to take on china, that is mostly diplomatic, but can be used for soft power, including vaccine diplomacy. and tomorrow there is a virtual covid summit that the president will lead. i've obtained the draft. goals for that summit is to vaccinate 70% of the world within one year. it requires an acceleration of

production, delivery, and a lot of money that doesn't exist. today also ensuring oxygen supply, testing, therapeutics, p.p.e. all over the world, and the creation of a global health fund for the next pandemic. judy, it is these two meetings that will prove whether the rhetoric of global unity that you heard day gets translated into action. >> woodruff: and the issues don't get anymore important than these. nick schifrin reporting from outside the united nations, and yamiche alcindor from outsight outside e white house. thank you both. >> woodruff: in the day's other news, the biden administration stepped up deptations of haitian migrants who've gathered at del rio, texas, on the border with mexico. more flights from there left for haiti today, with others set for tomorrow. around 8,000 migrants remained at del rio, as president biden

promised to get things under control. but, some fellow democrats, including senate majority leader chuck schumer, condemned the deportations. >> right now, i am told there are four flights scheduled, to deport these asylum seekers back to a country that cannot receive them. such a decision defies common sense. it also defies common decency and what america is all about. >> woodruff: also today, the head of the u.n. refugee agency warned that the mass expulsions may violate international law. and, texas republican governor greg abbott blamed president biden's policies for encouraging the influx of migrants. johnson & johnson says a booster for its single-shot covid-19 vaccine triggers a strong immune response. the company reported today on results of boosters given two months or six months after the first shot. separately, san francisco ordered workers atts international airport to get vaccinated.

that is the first such mandate at a u.s. airport. the u.s. house of representatives is set tonight to fund federal operations into december, and raise the debt ceiling. the vote would avert a partial government shutdown in nine days, and a default on the national debt in october. but democrats also need 60 votes in the 50-50 senate, and republicans oppose raising the debt limit. they traded jibes today. >> traditionally, when you have to raise the debt ceiling, you have a bipartisan discussion-- ways to get spending under control. instead, the democrats are moving forward with an incredible spending bill, based on bernie sanders' socialist budget, and republicans will not be a rubber stamp for this. >> what we're talking about is: are we going to pay the credit card bills that we've already racked up? nothing would be more irresponsible at this critical moment than messing with the

full faith and credit of the united states. >> woodrf: the bill also includes money for disaster relief and afghan evaces. but, house democratic leaders today dropped $1 billion for israeli security, as party progressives demanded. canada's prime minister justin trudeau will stay in power after monday's parliamentary election. his liberal party won the most seats, but again fell short of a majority. trudeau celebrated last night in montreal. he said he'd been given a clear mandate, based on his handling of the covid pandemic. afghanistan, the taliban named more members of the interim cabinet, but none were women. still, a spokesman insisted women may yet have roles. he also promised action, again, on the education of girls. >> ( translated ): we are trying to strengthen the cabinet further, and god willing, women will be appointed

to certain positions. the ministry of education is also working hard to lay the groundwork for the education of high school girls, sixth to 12th grade, as soon as possible. >> woodruff: currently, only elementary school-aged girls are allowed to attend classes. and back in this country, a wall street comeback from monday's losses mostly fizzled. the dow jones industrial average lost 50 points to close below 33,920. the nasdaq rose 32 points, but the s&p 500 slipped three. still to come on the newshour: bill gates, on how to combat the threats of covid and climate change. how prisoners sent home from prison for covid face a return to jail. italy experiences a new reality of extreme weather due to climate change. and, much more.

>> woodruff: the death toll from the covid pandemic has pu the u.s. at another tragic milestone. we are averaging more than 2,000 deaths a day lately. and yesterday, the u.s. marked more than 675,000 americans, overall, who have now died of covid. william brangham takes a wider look at this difficult period of our country's history. >> brangham: throughout this pandemic, it's been hard to keep perspective on the true scale of the loss caused by covid-19. on the washington mall right now, artist suzanne brennan firstenberg has planted an ocean of white flags, one for each life lost to the virus. another metric is a comparison to the past, and this week, the u.s. matched the dea toll from another terrible virus: the 1918 influenza pandemic. for some perspective on then and now, i'm joined by dr. jeremy

brown. he wrote the book, "influenza: the 100-year hunt to cure the deadliest disease in history," and is currently director of office of ergency care research at the national institutes of health. >> brangham: dr. brown, very good to see you again. we have now hit his awful bar in the u.s., where we have lost as many people to covid as we lost to the fliinfluenza pandemic. but there are meaningful differences between the two, right? >> doctor: yes, indeed. speaking about his terrible milestone, 675,000 people, the same number of people who died in the u.s. in the 1918 pandemic, they also recalled that this pandemic is far less deadly than the terrible one in 1918. the population in the u.s. in 1918was around 100 million, and today it is around 320 million.

so if we put these numbers into proportion, then those 675,000 deaths 103 years ago, relatively speaking would be the equivalent of some two million deaths today. we're nowhere near that number, thankfully. but, still, today's numbers are still a reminder of just how deadly covid is. >> brangham: and, of course, another main difference, perhaps maybe the largest difference, is we now have a vaccine to fight this virus. ereas back then, we did not. >> doctor: that's right. not only was there no vaccine for influenza, people didn't even know what it was that was killing them. in many ways it was perhaps the most frightening aspect of the disease. fast forward 100 years later, and we knew what covid was, we knew its genetic makeup, within about three or four weeks of the first cases, and we developed this incredible series of vaccines in really record-breaking time. >> brangham: are there similarities, though, between then and now that

have hit notes with you throughout this pandemic? >> doctor: yes, there are a number of similarities. i think, first of all, if we think about the ways that we can combat this disease, the simple basic ways, those haven't really changed over 100 years. the call to mask up, to cover your face, to isolate when you are feeling unwell. together with that, we have seen some pretty good breakthroughs that were unthinkable a century ago. so we have these very high-tech innovations, and we also have some very low-tech, but no less affective ways for the majority of us to stay healthy. >> brangham: and some of those protective measures that you mentioned, masking, distancing, and mandates, have caused incredible political strife in this country. even the vaccines, seen as the golden ticket, are a menace in the eyes of

some. does that surprise you? >> doctor: i think the virulenve has surprised me. anybody who has looked at the pandemic, realized most of those responses are not new. there has been opposition to government-mandated vaccines ever since the smallpox vaccine was around in the late '17s and '18s, and there were anti-vaccine movements here in england and here in the united states. but there is nothing really new about these behaviors. although, as i said, i think the number of people who joined them, i think, is surprising. we didn't see numbers like this, for example, with the movement against smallpox vaccines a couple hundd years ago. >> brangham: another striking aspect as i've been watching this is who has actually died from this virus.

many people have been talking about the statistic of one in 500 americans have died. but within that, racial minorities, blacks and latinos in america, have suffered far worse. this has been a true tragedy in those communities as well. >> doctor: yes. i think one of the mantras that we heard at the beginning of the pandemic is that we're all in this together. but the truth of the matter is the pandemic has struck us all in very different ways, depending on where we live, what we do for a living, what our family situation is, and which families we are born into. we know that covid has dropped the average life expectancies here in u.s. by about a year and a half. this is indeed awful, but for the african-american community, life expectancy has dropped by almost three years. so much higher than for the rest of the population. and this really shows us again there are some tremendous disparities that we have both in our -- in the availability

of medicines and treatment therapies, and also in the way that we need to reach out to different communities and invite them to be part of the vaccine relief program. >> brangham: when you look at 1918 america, compared to 2020 and 2021, is there something about the national psyches then and now that helps us understand how we've responded? >> doctor: i think this is a key point: 100 years ago we were at the end of the first world war. america was weary. there was still a war going on. and that, coupled with the reality that pandemic were an everyday part of existence -- people died from diphtheria and the measles and pneumonia, and i think we've forgotten how lucky we are not to have these diseases. it is only these tremendous advances that we've have both in the area of public health and vaccines that meant we have the xury of not waking up every morning

and being afraid of polio. >> brangham: i think it is fair to say there is a real sense of despair in the country right now. i mean for many people, they thought the vaccines were the light at the end of the tunnel, at least domestically for this virus. now deaths are up, hospitals are overflowing, and the delta variant is everywhere in the country. do you think there is something that we missed at the beginning of this year when we all thought wee coming to the end of this and it has turned out not to be the case? >> doctor: i think what we have missed is nature's ability to surprise us. while we are, indeed, in the middle of a very bad run right now, there is no doubt that we have to bear in mind that all pandemic come to an end. this is true before antibiotics and before there were vaccines, and this will be true of covid as well. the question is: what can we, as a society, do two minimize the destruction and the deaths caused by covid. so whatever class or group of people you most

identify with, i think there are very, very strong reasons for us now to turn to those many millions of americans out there and get vaccinated as quickly as possible. that is the one sure-fire way to make sure we don't have another discussion in a few more months, you and i, about that death toll that has risen to a new terrible markup. >> brangham: jeremy brown at the office of the emergency care at the institutes of health, thank you very much. >> doctor: thank you. >> woodruff: with world leaders visiting new york this week for the united nations general assembly, microsoft co-founder and philanthropist bill gates is calling on the world's richest nations to take what he saysre urgent steps needed to end "the crisis phase of this pandemic." we spoke about those steps earlier this afternoon in a wide-ranging discussion. and we should note, the bill and

melinda gates foundation is a funder of the pbs newshour. bill gates, thank you very much for joining us. in the statement you put out today, you spoke about, that this is a moment of opportunity, a time to-- to look at this pandemic from-- almost from a new perspective. and yet, it's also a somber milestone. you wrote, "we are 18 months in. covid is still on a death march." what gives you hope? >> well, the vaccines are a miracle, and there's a great story about the scientists who invented those, and how quickly that production has been ramped up. now, with the volumes increasing, we have a chance to be equitable. we haven't gotten much out to the poorer countries, anyet, you know, variants could come out of those countries, and they need to get their economies back on track. and so the u.s. stepping back in

you know, instead of quitting the o, and not being willing to get involved-- now, the u.s. stepping up and working with other countries, increasing their donations-- this is a very positive moment, to remember that there are these deep inequities in health, and ending the pandemic should be top of the list for helping all countries. >> woodruff: and i was struck by how you spoke about that. you said there has to be a common commitment to equity, to understand that what happens in lower-income countries affects higher-income countries. you know, we here in the united states that that we're sending a lot of vaccines around the world. but you're saying not enough is being done. >> no, the need out there is billions, and so far we've gotten tens of millions out. and i, you know, now that-- you know, supply is no longer the limiting factor in most rich countries. i mean, the u.s. hasn't gotten

up to the level of any other rich countries, but that's not a supply issue. so there is the opportunity for the u.s. and others not only to solve the supply problem, but help these developing countries with the logistics of actually getting out to all of their-- their citizens. and so, you know, during 2020, europe and the gates foundation, we're having lots of conversations about this. there weren't enough vaccines. they mostly went to the rich countries. the u.s. chose not only not to be involved, but to actually quit the w.h.o. now we see a turnaround, in terms of vaccine supply, and the biden administration wants to help-- help the world, which, of course, will benefit the u.s. as well. >> woodruff: and you also have president biden saying the united states can both deliver boosters to many americans; at the same time, the u.s. provides vaccines around the world.

but there are public health experts who say that's just not true-- you cannot do both. who's right? how do you see this? >> well, between now and the end of the year, we are still somewhat supply constrained, so the ideal would be if the rich countries made their booster strategies reasonably targeted. that is, people 60 or 65 and older who have medical conditions. thatould mean that the diversion in the rich countries would stay quite modest. ideally, the rich countries, if they are going to do widespread boosters, would wait and do those early next year, where a variety of new vaccines will ramp up their production-- johnson & johnson, novavax-- and then the booster programs won't compete with getting doses out to low-income countries. >> woodruff: so you're saying it's a mistake to do it now? >> in a broad way, if you want to target, you know, people who have immune deficiency or people

above a certain age, the numbers aren't that gigantic. and so, very targeted booster programs are going to be okay. it's disappointing where you have a few countries doing super-broad booster programs, because we still don't have the supply that-- that we'd like to have. and so, i agree with w.h.o. we have to balance these needs, you know, for the next four to six months. >> woodruff: and have you told president biden that? >> well, the, you know, the foundation is in contact with all the key people. you know, obviously there are some people who the booster is helpful to. the broader evidence for most people is actually still pretty weak. and so, you know, i-- it was good that they didn't-- f.d.a. didn't choose to go for all-- all people over 12. >> woodruff: just want to ask

you to something you talked about. supply. we need to fix the supply problem, make it more transparent. there needs to be more global cooperation. a lot of people look at this and they think "we thought that was already being done." but you're saying it's not. can you just explain in layman's terms, in a nutshell, what needs to be done? >> well, the-- during the key year, 2020, the u.s. not only didn't get involved, they-- they withdrew from e main health organization that the world has, they withdrew from the w.h.o. and then when the congress did allocate money to buy vaccines, the trump administration said, "no, we're going to block that money from being spent." and so this year, as the biden administration came in, they unblocked that money. they did want to make sure the u.s. wasn't supply-constrained. so you can argue, should this have been done three or four months ago? but now we see all the rich countries having gotten up to quite high levels.

and so, yes, it's a bit late, but the benefits are still there and incredible. >> woodruff: okay, the other-- one of the other issues you're working on right now, of course, is-- is climate change. it's before the world leaders right now. countries are being pressed to come up with commitments that they're going to cut their use of carbon energy. and yet, i want to ask you about the current situation right here in this country. the president is trying to push legislation that would include a lot of money to address these environmental questions. but you have, not just republicans, but democrats like joe manchin of west virginia, saying, "no, we need to cut back on efforts to move to cleaner energy." how do you see what's going on politically? >> the infrastructure bill has some really great money to advance green technologies, to fund projects, and the reconciliation bill has a lot of

key tax credits to drive the demand for green technology. so if both of those pass, the u.s. will accelerate in a very dramatic way its contribution, not only reducing its emissions, but innovating to drive the price down. senator manchin has spoken about the overall price tag and the incentives in the electricity generation sector, and how he might want to see those be different. the key thing-- the ideal thing is, even if these bills, if they're some modest reductions that they get passed, if we don't get either of these bills, the u.s. will really be absent in driving the cost of green technologies down, which in terms of creating new industries and the jobs in those industries would be a huge missed opportunity for both the u.s. and e world. >> woodruff: and are you sharing

your view with-- with members of congress as they face some of these-- some of these votes in the weeks to come? >> absolutely. i-- you know, i've actually got two topics that i've been in lots of discussions wi members of congress on. one is funding work to avoid having another pandemic. what is the research and things we need to do there? and the president's science adviser, eric lander, put forward a plan that we worked withhem on. that's very good, there. but it needs to be funded. and then these climate issues, which, you know, now is the time to get serious about those things and tap into u.s. innovation power. woodruff: i also want to ask you, bill gates, about the future of the bill and melinda gates foundation. you announced earlier this year from a private-- a private announcement, that you and your wife, melinda, were going to be ending your marriage. but at the same time, the foundation announced that it was going to usehis moment to

restructure. what is that going to look like? how is the mission going to change? i'm asking because this is the biggest foundation in the world, by far. your assets are in the tens of billions. people, you know, have a lot of interest in what the foundation does. >> yes, so the announcement really to the foundation was we'd be adding some people at the governance level. you know, i'm incredibly proud of the foundation, the work it does on vaccines for malaria, for reproductive health. and the overall priorities of the foundation are not changing. you know, we picked up $1.8 billion of grants focused on the pandemic. but that doesn't mean, you know, we're still finishing the polio eradication. so we'll have some addional advisers at the board level. but the-- the priorities we set, going back all the way to 2000,

that melinda and i believe in global health and education, that will still be where our work is done. so the-- the only shift in stragy has been to add the pandemic, and now use our expertise to help governments fund the-- the tools so that we don't end up with another pandemic like this one. >> woodruff: so, mainly the same-- the same focus. i also want to ask you about something else in the public arena. it was reported at that time that you had a number of meetings with jeffrey epstein, who, when you met him ten years ago, was already a convicted child. he was convicted of soliciting prostitution from minors. what did you know about him when you were meeting with him, as you've said yourself, in the hopes of raising money? >> you know, i had dinner with him. i regret doing that. he had relationships with

people he said, you know, would give to global health, which is an interest i have. not nearly enough philanthropy goes in that direction. those meetings were a mistake. they didn't result in what he purported, and i cut them off. you know, that goes back a long time ago now. there's-- so there's nothing new on that. >> woodruff: it was reported that you continued to meet with him over several years, and that-- in other words, a number of meetings. what did you do when you found out about his background? >> well. you know, i said i regretted having those dinners, and there's nothing, absolutely nothing new on that. >> woodruff: is there a lesson for you, for anyone else looking at this? >> well, he's dead, so, you know, in general, you always have to be careful. and you know, the, you know,

i'm-- i'm very proud of what we've done, and plan to be very proud of the work of the foundation. you know, that's-- that's what i get up every day and focus on. >> woodruff: and so for people watching who wonder about the future of the gates foundation, what's your message? >> well, you know, i'm extremely lucky that, with the help of melinda and the incredible generosity of warren buffett, we're able to take these important causes and bring innovation to bear. we were funding m.r.n.a.vaccines when, you know, it was still viewed as something that would never work. and now that's turned into a source of some of the very best vaccines. we have great hopes to use that technology for an h.i.v. vaccine. you know, our work has reduced childhood death rates quite dramatically over the last 20 years. so, you know, this is my second career.

we've hired great people. we've made some progress. the visibility of the inequity here isn't as high as it should be. maybe one small benefit of the pandemic, because people realize how weak these health systems are and how diseases like malaria and polio are still out there and-- and incredible tragedies. so, you know, i'm-- i'm very lucky to be involved in this work. it's gone way better than i expected. this will be the focus for the rest of my life. >> woodruff: bill gates, we thank you very much for talking with us. >> thank you. >> woodruff: since the beginning >> woodruff: since the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic, the u.s. justice department has released more than 30,000 non-violent inmates to home confinement, to y to limit the

virus's spread in prison. but, as john yang reports, some of these men and women could be forced to return to prison once the pandemic ends. it is part of our ongoing series, "searching for justice." >> yang: in micanopy, florida, rufus rochelle has had his own room for the first time in more than three decades. >> i always was optimistic that freedom was going to come. but i didn't realize it would be 32 years before it came. >> yang: he was in prison serving a 40-year sentence for a 1988 conviction for conspiracy to sell crack cocaine and obstruction of justice. but th changed on april 24, 2020, when he was moved to home confinement. >> it was one of the best days of my life. and it was a sad day, too, because i was leaving so many others behind.

>> yan rochelle, now almost 70, was released under a provision of the cares act, which made more prisoners eligible for home detention in an effort to limit the spread of covid-19 in federal prisons. studies in the early months of the pandemic found federal and state inmates were more than five times as likely tn the general public to contract covid-19. the virus has claimed the lives of nearly 3,000 inmates. >> there's no way that you could practice social distancing when you got two men, and sometimes three men inside of a cell, a room, stacked on top of one another. >> yang: but almost a year and a half after his release, rochelle, and about 4,000 others like him, face the possibility of having to return to prison oncehe pandemic ends. that's because a trump-era justice department legal opinion concluded that these men and

women would have to finish their remaining sentences in prison once the pandemic recedes. biden administration officials agreed with that reading of the law. >> i know of no instance in modern history where we have reincarcerated such a large number of people after they have been effectively released from a cstodial setting. >> yang: alison guernsey runs the federal criminal defense clinic at the university of iowa law school. she represents sominmates who were released to home confinement. >> i'm telling my clients, look, you need to be prepared for this. here are the options. here are things that could happen. but if we don't succeed, you may end up back in prison. >> yang: in a statement, the federal bureau of prisons said it "will have discretion to ke inmates on home confinement after the pandemic if they're close to the end of their sentences." and administration officials say president biden is considering clemency requests for nonviolent drug offenders who have less than four years to serve. that could include rochelle.

because of good behavior, he's set to be released next july. for now, he says he still feels like very much a prisoner. >> hi, this is rufus rochelle, and i wanted to let you know that we are getting ready to go to the church center. >> you need to be back by 2:30, okay? >> yang: he wears an ankle monitor and must check-in daily with his case manager, and whenever he leaves his sister's house, where he lives. >> being on home confinement under the cares act, there is a sense of freedom. but i'm not free. i can't just go out there and say i'm going to walk, or drive to the store. >> yang: he needs advance permission to do that-- or to go to volunteer at his church's food pantry. >> how many waters do you need? >> yang: or to visit family, including his 32 year-old daughter, antoinette, who was born after he was incarcerated. >> i never spent one day with

her outside of the prison. not one single day. >> yang: his sister, cheryl bolen, gets emotional at the thought of him going back to prison. >> he did all his time, he's still doing time! every night, he go to bed wondering if he got to go back, and it's just wear and tear on all of us. >> yang: rochelle, on the other hand, is philosophical. what do you think now that there's a possibility you may have to go back? how does that make you feel? >> it saddens me. but i realize that everything that happens now is for a purpose. >> yang: right now, that purpose is advocating for clemency for those like him. >> hel. my name is rufus rochelle. >> yang:n most nights, he's on facebook live, spreading the word. >> so, why would you want to

send individuals back to prison? diane marquéz is a prime example. she has 30 years, 30 years. imagine it. for marijuana conspiracy. >> yang: he's talking about 65-year-old diana marquez, who is also on covid home confinement after abt 15 years in prison for conspiracy to sell marijuana. she was released in may 2020, and now lives with her daughter in el paso, xas. >> hello, hello, hello, mr. rufus. >> hi, diana, how are you? >> yang: she often reaches out to rochelle for advice. >> you have to tell your story. you have to make your voice heard, you understand? >> yang: home confinement has given marquez a ance not only to be with her daughter yesenia,

but also with two of her grandchildren-- and for them to be with r. >> i am getting to know my mom again, because i was only 15 when she was incarcerated. so it's as if we're getting to know each other again. my children have their grandmother. >> yang: but marquez can't bring herself to tell her grandchildren the truth about that monitoring device on her leg. >> there so innocent. i don't want to inform them, what is the reason that i have the ankle bracelet on my ankle. >> yang: and she says she's constantly worried about going back to prison. >> knowing that they want to send us back to prison has been devastating me, especially myself, losing my hair, having heart palpitations. and it would be devastating for my daughter, because i help take care of my grandchildren, to

>> yang: while marquez still has ten years left on her sentence, she's hoping the nature of her conviction, involving marijuana, which is now decriminalized in 27 states, will improve her chances for presidential clemency. in florida, rufus rochelle says he also remains hopeful. >> i'm not bitter. but there are so many rufus rochelles incarcerated that deserve their freedom. and they truly deserve a second chance. >> yang: a second chance that has come about from an otherwise devastating pandemic. for the pbs newshour, i'm john yang in micanopy, florida.

>> woodruff: climate change experts in sicily are warning that rising sea waters are threating some of the island's most crucial heavy industrial plants. they also predict food shortage as crops wilt in withering heat. the island has endured record temperatures this summer. from sicily, special correspondent malcolm brabant reports. >> reporter: it's been a long hot sweltering day in sicily, and there's plenty of heat left in the sun as dusk approaches. this is avocado plantation in the foothills of etna, sicily's active volcano. avocados have been grown here for decades. one of the attractions for farmers like andrea passanis is that it is a tropical fruit, and should be able to withstand high temperatures. but this summer's extreme heat burned the leaves of the avocado trees and damaged the fruit. >> ( translated ): when there is excessive heat, like in july and august, when we had 120, 122 degrees, it's not just

humans that feel it. avocado and mango plants suffer, too. the plants are susceptible to excessive heat. what happens is, the plant gets stressed, and in order to protect itself, it expels the hanging fruits. >> reporter: this has been the hottest ever summer in europe. today in syracusa, in sicily, the temperature is a relatively mild, 92 degrees fahrenheit. on august the 11th, the thermometer shot up 30 degrees more, to 122 degrees fahrenheit, unprecedentein europe. this summer's temperatures made it difficult to breathe in sicily. the island is now a touchstone for the rest of europe when it comes to climate change. christian mulder is a professor of ecology at the university of catania. >> these very high temperatures, we will see them repeat more often in the next years because the carbon dioxide reached levels that are really unprecedented.

>> reporter: excessively high temperatures and drought are dual concerns for citrus growers rco frasson and his partner emanuela. they have a large farm in central sicily. it yields between 3,000 to 4,000 tons of oranges each year, with a net value approaching $10 million. the soil here is drying out from lack of rain and shrinking underwater reserves. harvest starts in early winter, but this could be a bad year. >> ( translated ): these extreme temperatures are a serious challenge for reforestation. we can say categorically that everything that is green suffers. we feel as though we are in africa instead of italy. >> reporter: as with avocados, citrus leaves are indicators of stress suffered by the trees. they should be green and lush. but they've been scorched. >> ( translated ): this leaf is the result of the 122 degrees fahrenheit we reached in the middle of august. >> reporter: as he drives along

dusty trails, frasson worries that without rain, their yields and profits will be badly hit. >> ( translated ): the great concern is that if our rion of sicily is unable to provide enough public water, we will be in enormous trouble, as will all the workers who work for our company. >> reporter: in the past, the partners relied on local authorities for their water supply. but following numerous droughts, they constructed their own reservoir. >> ( translated ): if the reservoir doesn't fill up this year, it won't be able to supply the water we need. we will be autonomous only until july next year, then we won't be able to continue cultivation, and meet the needs of our citrus groves. >> reporter: the evidence of climate change is stacking up for gino catania, a regional leader of the italian agriculture confederation. he's warning of food shortages in the not too distant future. >> ( translated ): we are genuinely concerned about the

future of agriculture if it continues like this. it hasn't rained for over ve months. access to crops will be at risk. essentlly, less production means less food. farmers are concerned that they won't be able to satisfy the ever-increasing demand for food, not only in italy, but also abroad. >> reporter: if record temperatures aren't enough, low- lying areas of sicily are also threatened by rising sea water. sicily's east coast is stacked with heavy industry. one of the biggest refineries in southern europe stands right next to the sea. professor giovanni scicchitano is urging the owners of these multi-billion dollar plants to relocate inland as soon as possib. >> ( translated ): the sea level rise could rise by as much as three feet. this could also be amplified by geological phenomena such as the subsidence of coastal plains. industrial structures in south-eastern sicily such as

this loading dock for refineries would certainly have serious problems. some of the plants located in this area, could be submerged within the next few decades. >> reporter: it isn't just industry that needs to move. augusta is one of many cities around the world that are imperiled by melting glaciers and icecaps. this hospital will be among the first casualties. geology professocarmelo monaco is pessimistic about the chances of saving cities like augusta. >> ( translated ): even by blocking co-2 or methane emissions, this process is now irreversible. perhaps it will take hundreds of years before the trend changes a bit. among other things, international climate change agreements, such as the paris and kyoto protocols, have not been respected, so there is no real change in the behavior of many countries. >> reporter: that grim view is not shared, however, by ecology professor christian mulder. >> we all have to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, and it has

been demonstrated that it is possible to keep the same gross domestic product even with much lower industrial emissions. >> reporter: italy has boosted investment in renewable energy sources. but it's been slow going. the government wants to speed up the installation of cleaner energy and to end reliance on fossil fuels. but without a worldwide effort, italy alone cannot save its coastline from vanishing beneath the waves. for the pbs newshour, i'm malcm brabant in sicily. >> woodruff: a reminder of how climate change is literally everywhere. and that's the newshour for tonight. i'm judy woodruff. re tomorrow evening.gain and that is the newshour for for all of us at the pbs newshour, thank you, please stay safe, and we'll see you soon.

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♪ hello and welcome to "amanpour & company." here's what's coming up. >> one of our member states has been treated in a way that is not acceptable, so we want to know what happened and why >> world leaders gather in new york and i talk to the european commission president about euro's fury with biden and how best to make up with climate change. >> many are sleeping out in the open. food is very scarce in the country. >> back from afghanistan, the u.n. high commissioner for refugees joins plea with a dire warning. act now or face a bigger catastrophe ahead. i was brought here when