captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc >> woodruff: good evening, i'm judy woodruff. on the newshour tonight, democratic divide-- high-stakes talks are now underway as dueling factions of president biden's party threaten the survival of his legislative agenda. then, demanding justice-- the disappearances of indigenous girls and women get a new look, following one high-profile woman's death. and, historic re-opening-- for the first time in its 138-year run, the metropolitan opera features a production from a black director and a black composer. >> i may be the first, but i sure don't want to be the last. >> woodruff: all that and more on tonight's pbs newshour.

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thank you. >> woodruff: democrats in the u.s. house of representatives have been huddling tonight behind closed doors, as the caucus remains divided over how to advance two major pieces of president biden's agenda. house speaker nancy pelosi promised a vote later this week on an infrastructure bill. but some in the caucus are holding out, seeking more progress on a separate, even larger bill that focuses on climate, child care, health care and more. our own lisa desjardins and yamiche alcindor have been covering this story from both ends of pennsylvania avenue today, and they join me now. so, lisa, to you first. right now where does everything stand with these two major pieces of legislation? >> lisa: judy,as you said, the house speaker is

meeting with her democrats. i passed several of them going to that meeting as i was coming to report to you now. this is a critical meeting, teeing up the rest of the week. let me remind people of the tricky to-do list that the democrats are attempting. the first thing they have to d, probably the most difficult thing, is sort out the size of that reconciliation bill, sometimes called the build back better build, that is with child and all of the agreements. no agreement from democrats how large it should be. and they have to decide, oh, what should go in it, how much child care, how much climate change, what about health care? all of those are things they're trying to work out if they can. if they can work out enough of that reconciliation passage, then the third thing, they pass the infrastructure bill. the issue is that the infrastructure bill has the votes among democrats, no doubt about it, but

progressives are holding out their votes until the reconciliation package looks like it is cementing, and now it is anything but. we expect a lot of activity during this meeting and after this meeting to see if progressives will indicate what they need to get on board this big infrastructure bill. we'll see this week if they can get to that thursday vote that the house speaker pledged to take. >> woodruff: yamiche, over to you. president biden has a lot riding on this. how involved does he plan to be as the democrats work through all of this? >> yamiche: well, this is a momentous week for president biden and his agenda. it has to go through congress in order to become a reality. in order to have the reality that he has promised the american people had could deliver on, so the president is very, very involved in these negotiations. all weekend long, while he was at camp david, he was making calls to lawmakers, and he was on video calls, on zoom, talking to his

party about how to make sure that these bills make it through congress to make sure his party can be on the same page. the other thing i'm told is this is really an all-hands-on-deck effort by the white house. top aides have told me over and over again there are top aides that will be calling lawmakers. those conversations i'm told go like this: president biden gets on the phone with lawmakers, and he essentially says what can i do for you to get you on this bill? this is the president getting on the phone trying to deliver -- not trying to deliver a stump speech, but saying to the democrats and progressives and moderates, what can we do to make sure you get on this bill. the president said today he is very confident he thinks this will go through. he was talking to reporters when he said that. and he was clear that theris a lot riding on this. he said victory is at stake. and when pushed on what he meant and what this week will mean for him. this is coming at a

critical time in president biden's presidency because there is a aftermath of afghanistan, and there is covid spiking around the country, and france is still some what angry with the president for his defense deal. this is something that the white house aides tell me that the president wants to get through in order to be seen as having a win here. the other thing they noticed is that the president ran on the idea that he could make deals on this idea he could deliver transformational change to americans. and now this is really being tested by this. we are going to see the president tested on this and very, very involved in all of the details here. >> woodruff: lisa, this isn't the only hot potato. in a patt matter of a few days, government funding is likely to shut down. how likely is a shutdown at this moment? >> amy: the bill will likely fail in the senate in the next few minutes, and we expect democrats to pull out that funding

part, but we'll have to watch it day by day. >> woodruff: for sure. thank you to both of you for staying on top of it. yamiche alcindor >>oodruff: a short time ago, i spoke with a key democrat in the week's negotiations, co-air of the bipartisan problem solvers caucus and congressman from new jersey, josh gottheimer. congressman gottheimer, thank you for talking with us. as you and i are speaking, you're about to head into that meeting that speaker pelosi has called with all of the democratic members of the house. at this point, do you believe in the end when this is all worked out, that the infrastructure bill and the so-called build back better measure are both going to pass and become law? >> i think ultimately both are going to pass and become law. the great news is this week on thursday, we're going to vote on a key part of the president's agenda, part of that the

bipartisan infrastructure bill, the roads, bridges, and climate change resiliency. it is a huge win for the country. we're going to continue working, and i know we're going to get done the president's reconciliation bill. >> woodruff: i hear you saying you're confident it is going to happen, but what everybody -- or a lot of us are focused on is the back and forth between moderates and progressives in the democratic party. you have leaders like congresswoman jayapal saying there is a lack of trust, that her members are not sure they can be confident that moderate democrats are going to support that larger reconciliation bill. how do you reassure them that moderates like you will be on board in the end? >> well, i've spoken quite a bit to jayapal, and we've -- to congresswoman jayapal. and let me tell you what i said to her and what i said all week long, that for me, reconciliation, what is in there, is critically important to

the country and to my district. right? there are resources to fight climate change. we're going to reinstate the taxes and get taxes down in my district. there is child care in there. but what is also important is we have to get done this first package that again had 69 senators vote on it in the beginning of august and has been sitting in the house. in there are resources to fix our roads, bridges, tunnels. in new jersey, we have a lot of potholes, they're one of the worst roads in the country, and we have roads that are 100 years old between new york and new jersey. we have to fix critical infrastructure like that. and with climate resiliency, you saw the effects of hurricane ida, which affected my state so badly. so we've got to get it done. there are 200 million jobs. but that doesn't mean we can't do both. there is separate pieces of legislation, and i'm incredibly optimistic that

we'll get it both across the finish line. you can't hold one up, the infrastructure bill, while you're working on the other one. it just doesn't make sense for the country. >> woodruff: therein is the knot, they're saying we'll go along with structure, but only after we know we're going to come to an agreement and pass the larger reconciliati bill. so we know the $3.5 trillion is going to come dwn. the speaker herself has said that. what do you see being cut? what do you see the top line number being when all of this is worked through? >> one other point because you made an important point here: at the end of august we all came together in the house, and every single democrat voted to bring the infrastructure bill to the floor this week. so let's not lose sight of that because i think everyone recognizes the importance of that. ultimately, the bill we're going to settle on for reconciliation, whatever the ultimate number is, what is most important is what is in there. as i was talking about fighting climate change,

reinstating the tax deduction, and we're not going to bring a bill in the house where we can't get 50 democrats plus the vice president. i know we can get there. i'm talking to everyone. and i'll tell you that there is an agreement to be had here, but the idea that we would -- that any democrat wouldn't vote for this infrastructure bill, with millions of jobs on the line, with fixing our nation's infrastructure, and it has been sitting here since the beginning of august waiting for us to act, it doesn't make any sense. when i talk to folks at home, they look at me and say, why wouldn't you just get that done for the country and get the shovels in the ground. >> woodruff: my question is: how do you get this done? if the number is going to be less than $3.5 trillion, what number are you looking at? what number are other moderate democrats looking at? >> obviously i'm not going to negotiate on television, but we're all sitting at the table and talking to each other, whether it is on the phone or on zoom, talking about

a place where we can get to where everybody feels comfortable. we worked all weekend on that, and that is exactly the kind of deliberation that will continue. i'm very optimistic, and i ccacan't say this strongly enough that we'll get to an agreement on reconciliation, but it is a separate bill. but we've got to get this first bill done on infrastructure. the idea we would let any faction of the democratic party stop the president's agenda on infrastructure and shop those shovels in the grounds and helping people doesn't make any sense to me. >> woodruff: quickly, any sense, though, at this point at what is going to end up being cut, child care, education, climate? >> i don't see anything. i think in the end, if certain areas come down a little bit, maybe that's how they work it out. i don't see anything getting cut. there are too many important priorities in there. what is going to matter is what can we find agreement on, what are the levels, what are the areas? are there certain things we'll be able to vote on.

and we'll get there. whatever it is, it is going to have a huge impact on the country, and that's what matters. just like this infrastructure bill will. let's get it done, let's take the win for the country and get reconciliation done as well. >> woodruff: congressman josh gottheimer, thank you very much. >> thanks for having me, judy. >> woodruff: in the day's other news, r&b star r. kelly was convicted in his federal sex- trafficking trial in new yk. he sat silently, with eyes downcast, listening, as the jury pronounced him guilty of racketeering and crossing state lines for immoral acts. afterward, prosecutors said justice was finally done, after decades, for young women and girls coerced into sex. >> no one deserves what they experienced at his hands, or the threats and harassment they faced in telling the truth about

what happened to them. we hope that today's verdict brings some measure of comfort and closure to the victims. >> woodruff: kelly has been jailed without bail since 2019. he could get 20 years in prison. murders in the united states jumped last year by the most ever recorded. the f.b.i. reports the total rose 4,900 from 2019, with some cities setting new highs. it generally overlapped the first months of the pandemic and protests against police violence. president biden today defended giving booster shots for covid- 19, now that the c.d.c. has approved pfizer's booster for certain groups. he received his shot at the white house, after acknowledging that many poor countries are still waiting for vaccine. >> wre doing more than every other nation in the world combined. we're gonna have well over a billion, 100 million shots and

we're gonna continue going. we're gonna do our part. we've also given a great deal of funding to covax, which is the vehicle that does this. >> woodruff: meanwhile, this was the deadline for hospital and nursing home workers in new york state to get vaccinated or be fired. and, in north calina, the novant health hospital system did fire more than 175 workers for violating a vaccine mandate. in britain, most gas stations have run dry, brought on by a shortage of truckers and panic buying. officials blame the pandemic and the departure of many foreign workers after britain left the european union. today, panic buying worsened the shortage, and for a fourth day, long lines of vehicles waited outside gas stations. >> i haven't been out and panic bought, like all the other sheep and idiots. so i waited here today on my way to work, got some fuel and the price has gone up by nearly six pence a liter for no reason.

>> woodruff: the government urged people to stop hoarding gas, and weighed whether to have soldiers drive fuel trucks. farmers in india renewed protests today against agriculture laws that ended guaranteed crop prices. farmers have camped outside new delhi for nearly a year, and today, thousands crowded highways and blocked traffic. there were similar protests around the country. back in this country, a federal judge says the man who shot president reagan 40 years ago can be freed from all remaining oversight next june. john hinckley junior was originally found not guilty by reason of insanity. he remained at a washington, d.c. hospital until his conditional release in 2016. the judge says he shows no further sign of illness. on wall street today, the dow jones industrial average gained 71 points to close at 34,869. the nasdaq fell 77 points.

the s&p 500 slipped 12. and, broadway is back, and so are the tony awards. "moulin rouge! the musical" took home 10 tonys last night, including best musical. "the inheritance" was honored four times, and made history as playwright matthew lopez became the first latino to win for best new play. still to come on the newshour: why more unemployed americans are declining to re-join the workforce. divided democrats struggle to reach a deal on president biden's spending bills, ahead of and a preview of the metropolitian opera's historic new production. and much more. >> woodruff: since she was first

reported missing in wyoming earlier this month, the case of gabby petito has captured widespread attention. but tens of thousands of people are reported missing or murdered every year in the u.s. and people of color don't get nearly the same level of attention, particularly indigenous and native americans. amna nawaz has our conversation. >> nawaz: judy, in wyoming alone, 710 indigenous people were reported missing between 2011 and 2020. in fact, although indigenous people make up only 3% of the state's population, they accounted for more than 21% of homicide victims over the last decade. the problem is not limited to wyoming. native women are murdered at rates 10 times the national average, a pattern that's reflected in a report from abigail echo-hawk. she is the chief research officer for the seattle indian health board and the director of

the urban indian health institute. >> nawaz: she joins me now. abigail, welcome to the newsur. thank you for making the time. you have called it a crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. give us a sense of scale and scope. what are we talking about? >> we're talking about a crisis that didn't start five years ago, 10 years ago, but one that has been going on four hundreds f years. we have seen native women and girls going missing, but we see an underreporting of them in the data, which makes it harder for us to advocate for them and sow the disparity that exists in our communities and the loss of our loved ones. >> nawaz: tell me why that underreporting is happening? what part of the system is failing? >> in 2018, my organization put out a report in which we found that law enforcement agencies we either not collecting race and ethnicity of victims, and we saw data bases that would default to white if that information was

collected, or they would look at somebody and decide what their race and ethnicity. and as a result of that, we have seen an underreporting. i have seen native families having to fight to have their young relatives classified correctly because somebody misreported it. as a result of that, we have all of the stories of our communities and we fight to show it in the data. >> nawaz: tell me about what you hear from families about their missing and murdered loved ones. about the issues they run into in reporting this. >> we will hear stories of individuals who attempt to report their loved ones missing, and officers will tell them, maybe she just ran away. was she out drinking? does she does sex work? we see the prejudices play out and the underreporting because nobody is listening to us. we also see a maze of jurisdiction that exists only for indigenous peoples in this country because of the laws that exist on tribal lands.

i worked with a family where they actually spent three days with law enforcement trying to decide who had jurisdiction. in that three days, their loved one remained missing and nobody was looking for them. >> nawaz: you mentioned the jurisdictional issues, and people think that is when you're talking about tribal lands versus non-tribal lands. but your report was based on 39 urban cities. so isit systematic? >> yes. and we see it as as a result of structural -- against american indian and alaskan women. 94% of the women had been sexually assaulted in their lifetime, but only 8% of them saw a conviction of their rapist within the justice system. we see a lack of accountability. we sea lack of investigation. and, again, the symptomatic issues that place the blame on our community instead of looking at why are we

being targeted and why are we being victimized at such high rates. >> nawaz: abigail, wer talking about this because of the intense interest in the case of gabby petito. it is part of what glen ifel mentioned as the spotlight on white women. your organization studied that, the comparison between how these stories are treated. what did you find. >> of the cases we looked at, 95% of them weren't covered in the media. it didn't mean there weren't deos or active ways to put this in the media, it is just that nobody has cared. i contributed to the report in wyoming that showed more than 700 people missing. and that report which came out in january of this year again had very little coverage. as the indigenous community, we mourn for the family of anyone's loved one that goes missing, but what we demand is equity because

the lives of our people also matter. >> nawaz: in the few seconds we have left, what does it need to change this? >> we need to see not only media coverage, but changes in policies. to understand that as native people, we're not at higher risk of going missing and murder the because there is something wrong with us, but because ere is systems and inequity that place us at higher risks, and those are the systems we need to address. >> nawaz: that is abigail echo-hawk, director of the urban indian health institute joining us tonight. thank you for your time. >> thank you for having me. >> woodruff: angela merkel is staying on as interim german chancellor after the election to pick her successor ended in virtual deadlock. talks to establish a new coalition government are underway, but that could take months. special correspondent malcolm

brabant is in berlin for us tonight. >> reporter: judy, political analysts here believe it could be several months before the german people learn of the composition of their next government. the two main competing parties are now embarking on a long series of negotiations during which they hope to be able to forge a governing coalition. after 16 years of conservative angela merkel, the bells were signaling a change of german leadership, but how much difference were voters prepared to tolerate as they waited in long lines for the tightest election in years? >> i think it's quite important that there's some change. germany has been sleepwalking over the past decade and i think that's got to change in terms of climate change but also in terms of other things like a vision for europe for example and for germany's place in the world. >> reporter: in bavaria in southern germany, where some donned traditional dress for the

ballot, voter franz bader signalled resistance to radical change. >> ( translated ): what the greens are up to is a bit too exaggerated for my liking. as a result, i voted for a party that puts the brakes on the greens a bit. the thing is, i have nothing against climate protection. but we, small germany, can't do it alone. it costs too much. >> reporter: a marathon race caused significant disruption in berlin. swathes of the capital were sealed off, making it difficult for voters treach polling stations. some people were still queuing to vote once the polls closed just before dusk. the loudest cheers came from the center left social democrats who secured 26% of the vote, which made theirs the most popular party. that means leader, olaf scholz, is most likely to be the next chancellor, as long as he can find sufficient coalition partners. >> ( translated ): we are a pragmatic party that knows how to govern. we are a confident party that wants to work to ensure that we

have a better future in germany. but we have also shown that we have what it takes to govern a country, that is unity supported by everyone, and that this was the case. >> reporter: it was a painful night for the man who replaced angela merkel as leader of the center right christian democrats. armin laschet had a lackluster campaign and his party trailed by two percentage points in second place. but there's still a chance he might become chancellor, if he can forge new alliances. >> ( translated ): we ll do everything possible to build a conservative-led government because germany, germany now needs a future coalition that modernizes our country. >> reporter: there were mixed emotions among the environmentalist greens, they are certain to be included in a coalition government. but because their share of the vote was less than expected,

leader annalena baerbock acknowledges, they won't be as powerful. >> ( translated ): but tonight, i believe, we cannot just rejoice. for the first time in this federal republic, we set out to shape this country as a leading force. we wanted more. we did n achieve that, also because of our own mistakes at the beginning of the election campaign, in the campaign. >> reporter: a bar popular with politicians and policy wonks buzzed as they watched german democracy take its course. but students maya ruerbeck and lukas willer were drowning their sorrows. >> there could have been much more change. what we see in this election is the older generations dominate our voting results, that we as a young generation have very little to say, and that there's a lot of people who still want the status quo. and i believe that the status quo cannot be upheld in the current circumstances. >> we cannot keep on living the way we've been living the last 50 years. and i feel like the older generation, the generation of my parents, but also my

grandparents, they don't understand that massive changes in our living standards need to be made in order for us to keep this planet, bically. >> reporter: student henry axel brauer supported the business- friendly liberals who will demand concessions from the environmentalists in a future coalition. >> ( translated ): we need to combine economic and climate issues and stand up for ourselves better in europe and on the international stage. >> reporter: after this election, germany isn't likely to change much says jana puglerin of the european council on foreign relations. >> we are very much set up for a middle of the road approach. i think it will be increasingly difficult to govern because for the first time we will see a three party coalition on national level and more compromise, and it will be difficult to bridge some issues like on financial and economic policy. >> reporter: 32 years after the berlin wall came down and germany was reunified, the country is once again split in two.

the division is betwn the gerations. it seems older germans' don't seem to share young people's sense of urgency oveclimate change. their desire for policies aimed at saving the planet, may be watered down still further once the politicians cement their new uncomfortable liaisons. for the pbs newhour, i'm malcolm brabant in berlin. >> woodruff: as the american economy recovers from the worst impacts of the pandemic, questions remain abo the labor force and the larger problems that plagued the economy prior to the start of covid-19. in the final installment of paul solman's "workshift" series, he looks at what we've learned and what's at stake for workers and employers. >> reporter: all around usjobs going wanting. but it couldn't just have been pandemic unemployment benefits

and low wages keeping workers in dry dock, because a host of high-paying jobs have gone unfilled, for a very long time. >> i have got plumbers that work for me today that make $200,000- plus a year. >> reporter: and yet seattle plumbing contractor vinnie sposari has been unable to find workers for years. >> i could hire six, eight experienced plumbers right now. >> reporter: so why the labor shortage? >> you're doing manual labor. some people tend to look down on that. >> reporter: sarah schnabel, a cornell grad, became an electrician. >> for peoplmy age, it's definitely more glamorous to think of the tech job, where you're in a really nice cushy office building. >> reporter: high schoolers in southwest louisiana had an added explanation. >> that's not an option that's often presented to us, like, this is not for you. >> it's like, go to college, go to college. there's barely anybody saying, go to trade school. >> reporter: right, said mike rowe, famous for his cable tv series “dirty jobs.” >> the push for one form of

education, in my view, really was the beginning of a long list of stigmas and stereotypes and myths and misperceptions that to this day dissuade millions of kids from pursuing a legitimate opportunity to make six figures in the trades. >> reporter: a final reason the trades are underpopulated: up until recently, some two thirds of americans were excluded-- women, people of color, or both. >> dead rats in my lunch box. like the women before me, they wanted me to leave. >> reporter: plumber adrienne bennett, who now runs her own firm. >> i was in a porta john one time. they picked me up with a crane. and you're bouncing around in there, and you and you got that sewage, it's splashing all over you. you're afraid. >> reporter: electrician tonya hicks also has her own company. >> i had a foreman to tell me that all black women do is get fat, have a bunch of kids and collect welfare. >> reporter: but it's not just

the trades that can't fill jobs today. tons of low-wage workers seem to be fed up with their pay and work and just aren't taking it anymore. and maybe they shouldn't, says economist byron augeeste. >> during the pandemic, we saw tens of millions of essential rkers do amazing things, things that required skills, that required adaptability, that required problem solving, that required teamwork, that required communication under very difficult conditions. >> reporter: and given data collected by his firm, opportuny-at-work, they could be earning a lot more. >> 30 million today have the skills based on the work they're doing for jobs that pay at least 50% more than the jobs they're in. >> reporter: so, how to get those tens of millions of low wage workers better opportunities? government job training programs are one route. like "back to work rhode island," where then-governor gina raimondo used federal cares act money to fund training programs in areas where employers couldn't fill jobs. >> we will tailor these training

initiatives so that when you hire someone you have confidence they're going to be able to do the job. >> reporter: some 4,000 rhode islanders have already graduated into new higher paying jobs. but in general says professor doug besharov, government isn't the ideal overseer. >> it doesn't learn fast enough. it fights the last war. and change is happening more rapidly as we speak. and it will continue to happen. and i think government will be left behind. >> there's a huge body of research on government job training and overall, i would say the results are unfortunately disappointing. >> reporter: economist ariella spitzer studies job training. >> the good ones, we're seeing at most five to 10% earnings increase. >> reporter: moreover, government job training programs reach only a couple of hundred thousand people a year. so what about those coding camps we hear so much about? well, many of them cost money to attend, at the very least cost trainees the income they forego while training. plus they tend to be short-term.

>> the idea is great. the execution is not. >> reporter: in louisville kentucky, entrepreneur ankur gopal has hit on apprenticeships; lengthy programs where trainees are paid; as a way of staffing his mobile software firm interapt. an especially stunning success story: single mother april hickman, raised in foster care, homeless before she applied for an interapt apprenticeship. of all the foster kids, you know, given the same kinof opportunity, same kind of training, what percentage of them could what you're doing? >> oh, gosh, a great number. because it's problem solving and if there's one thing that we're good at, it's problem solving, because we've had to. >> reporter: alex hughes worked in the coal industry before making the switch to software. what percentage of people in the coal industry could do jobs as sophisticated as what you're doing here? >> that's 100%. it's a very technical industry.

and so they're always having to learn and adapt. >> reporter: in fact, every successful apprentici interviewed for this series claimed that between 50 and 100 peent of those in their potion could do the same, given the chance. ibm human resources executive kelli jordan agreed. >> anybody can make that transition. >> reporter: it's got to be a lot of people who just can't do this? no? >> i think it's possible that anybody probably could if they've got the right motivation, but i think the other side of that coin is companies have to be more willing to think differently. >> reporter: dferently enough to look for talent among those without the usual educational credentials and experience. at ibm, that included rideshare driver adquena faine, nail technician mariana perez, dog trainer jennifer burgess, retail store manager ray rodriguez, they all turned underappreciated, underpaid skills into high skill/high

paying jobs at ibm. how high paying? >> i have tripled in salary that from wt i've ever made in my life. >> reporter: and though jennifer burgess was trained and credentialed as a project manager, she says her skillset isn't that different from dog training. >> because it's about training the humans to be able to do what you need them to do. >> reporter: but is jenner burgess typical, or unusual? >> the answer is we don't know how many people can do it. >> reporter: this is doug besharov. >> the more people see other people doing these jobs, the more they'll change their behavior in school, in the community. it is a dynamic process where people get expectations and decide, you know, i can be like him. >> there's an inclination to focus on the success stories. but we also have to be realistic about the fact that there are a lot of cases where this is not working. >> reporter: on the other hand, says ariella spitzer... >> i think that just because prior job training programs have not been as effective as whad

hoped they would be, doesn't mean that the next generation of job training programs can't be. >> reporter: and so it could be that ibm, for example, or interapt have a model that could be replicated and could be, well, extremely effective. >> absolutely, and i think that it's important for companies like that to be really trsparent about what they're doing, so thate can make those strategies available to other people. >> reporter: other people like formerly homeless single mother april hickman. >> this company is amazing because i came in knowing that they saw me, you know, and they wanted to help me. before i didn't have the skill you know, to get out of where we were, but i do now. >> reporter: and she's already gotten her first promotion. for the pbs newshour, paul solman.

>> woodruff: it's a critical week for the president's agenda on citol hill as docrats try to reach a deal on two key legislative issues. here to explain, is our politics monday team. that's amy walter of the cook political report with amy walter. and tamara keith of npr. >> woodruff: and hello to both of you on this monday. it is good to see your smiling faces. but, amy, let's talk about what is going on as we just said on capitol hill. it is not just the infrastructure. it is this great big reconciliation bill. it is not republicans who are standing in the way of the president's agenda, it's democrats. we've heard the arguments, but what is really going on? >> i think it is important for us to step back. there are some things that haven't changed at all. we've known since the end of january that democrats have a very narrow margin in the house, three or four seats of a margin in the house, and a zero-seat margin in the senate.

they need every single one of the democrats to get anything done. so that hasn't changed. what has changed is the political environment. and specifically the approval ratings of joe biden, right? and i think if you go back and you think about where democrats were, where the white house was not that long ago, let's say in early june, the assumption was covid is going to be gone, the economy is going to be good, i'm going to keep my approval ratings in the 50s, i'm going to have all of this momentum, we have this legislation moving its way down the tracks. this is going to be great, and i'll bring my momentum to that legislation. bing, bing, boom, we're done. accept part one didn't turn out so well. covid hasn't gone away. optimism is down, and pessimism is up, and then, of course, there was afghanistan. and now the president is not bringing his momentum into this process. he needs his own party to give him momentum. so it is a very different environment than they thought they were getting. >> woodruff: but, tam, i

mean the party also needs this. the democrats, they are connected to the president. he is their party's nominee. so what is driving this? >> tamara: as amy said, the margins are incredibly narrow. and at this point, there hasn't be, though this week we'll get a little taste of it, but there hasn't been anything to force peel to move off their positions. there hasn't been a heated negotiation, really. there are been people sort of staking out their positions. one of the challenges of this for biden and for democrats is that they are spending a lot of time, and we're spending a lot of time, talking about how they're arguing about size and scope and pay-force,fors and using terms like reconciliation, and there is not much talk about what is in this legislation partly because they have not agreed of what is in this legislation. it is a little bit difficult to hold an event saying we're going to give you this thing, just wait, when it isn't clear yet if

it really, truly will make it in in the final analysis. >> woodruff: is part of the issue, amy, though, there is a lot of different stuff? >> amy: you're talking about transformational legislation, $3.5 trillion. this is the mo expansive governnt spending bill, like, ever, right? there are a lot of moving pieces in this. i think the grand -- the sort of overarching reality is that democrats support that, but getting into the details becomes -- it becomes problematic. although when i think about to other times, where we had this last-minute tit tat, it comes down to this last minute. there is all of the negotiating, all of the drama, and then something can come together. but the debate isn't just between progressives and moderates, it is also between the house and the senate. if you're a house member, if you've been there for a while, you know that sometimes things you pass

end up dying in the senate. and that's especially what progressives are desperate to not have happen. >> woodruff: and a lack of trust on both sides. >> yeah. this is not just a lack of trust between republicans and democrats on the hill. there is a massive lack of trust between republicans and democrats, but also between progressive and moderate democrats, lack of trust within their own party. and that is a challenge. >> woodruff: i'm hearing from our producer stephanie that just in the last fewminutes senate republicans have blocked the bill to fund the government, which we thought might happen. and now we know has happened. another big headache for the president. >> and not a massive surprise here. this is something that included raising the debt ceiling. republicans made it clear they don't want their fingerprints on raising the debt ceiling. they want to be able to blame democrats later. again, this is one of the things where there could be a government shutdown or this could seem like everything is about to go off the rails until it jumps on the rails and then the government doesn't shut don and joe down, e

biden can say, look at this, government can function. but that is what is at stake here, joe biden's whole theory of the case, that government can still function in america. >> woodruff: a little more than two minutes left, but i want to is ask you about this, about elections past and presenter. arizona, for months we have seen this republican effort to recou. and they have concluded after all this time joe biden did win. the maricopa county, he won in the state of arizona. people are still not accepting that. not only that, you have republican legislatures around the country looking at ways they can question voting in their states. is this going to have a material effect on what happens? >> it absolutely is. it is a very jarring situation that we have here. this isn't just about somebody having a theory of the case that, you know -- ot like the outcome of an

election. this is after the state has certified -- and many of these states, including arizona, the republican governor signed off on this. the republican attorney general signed off on the final vote count. these are rogue elements. and with the goal of ese recounts is to undermine the faith in the electoral system itself. and that is the scarier part because it does not resure people who believe that this ection s stolen, and it takes people who do believe their vote counted, they do believe in the results that were certified, i don't know, maybe the next time you vote, this is going to look different. >> woodruff: people are looking at this and saying is this gog to change what happens next year? >> and the questions that are out there that these audits, that they put questions out there, maybe not genuine -- definitely

not genuine questions. these elections were certified. but then the existence of questions and the existence of concern becomes a pre-texts for laws, becomes a pre-text for candidacies for people who don't believe in the election as it exists. >> woodruff: more misinformation and disinformation and it begins to feed -- >> and this is not good for democracy. the system works. and losers and winners agree to the rules. >> t losers have t agree they have lost for the system to work. >> woodruff: tamara keith, amy walters, thank you. >> you're welcome. >> woodruff: history is being made tonight at the metropolitan opera, one of the country's most important cultural organizations, and for several of the artists involved. jeffrey brown has a preview for our arts and culture series, canvas. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

>> brown: when the opera “fire shut up in my bones” opens tonight at the metropolitan opera, the stakes will be incredibly high: the first production in 18 months at the met, the country's largest performing arts company, after the covid shutdown. the first opera by a black composer in the met's 138 year history. the first ever with a black director. but there's also a deeply personal side. ask composer terence blanchard. >> when i was a kid, my father loved opera and my father was a big fan of it and always played his opera recordings at the house, man. and it was pretty funny, you know, i tell people all the time, as soon as he would put his records on you would hear doors slamming in the house because people were trying to find some peace and quiet and he didn't care. he would just sit up in the front of the house a listen to, you know, la boheme or carmen or any one of those classics. >> brown: everybody else is running away, but he's happy. >> yeah.

>> brown: terence blanchard would come to love opera himself and his father would be plenty proud of this musical renaissance man: known first as a jazz trumpet player and composer, a six-time grammy winner. and then for his 60 film scores, notably his work with spike lee, including two recent oscar nominations for “blackkklansma”" and “da 5 bloods”. this opera is his second. with a libretto by kasi lemmons, best known as a filmmaker, it's based on the 2014 memoir by "new york times" columnist charles blow, the name taken from a verse from jeremiah in the old testament. it's a coming-of-age story of poverty, sexuality and race in the south. moving and poignant, but also at times harrowing, including childhood molestation.

es it makes sense to you that this is the stuff of an opera? >> of coursebecause it's the stuff of real life. the thing about charles' book that really makes it operac is the fact that, you know, he says in his book he was “a boy of peculiar grace." >> ♪ boy of peculiar grace >> it pulled me in because i knew exactly what that means. i was never molested as a kid, but being a kid who wanted to, who had interest in the arts, you know, who was walking to the bus stop every saturday with his horn for a lesson while other kids were playing in the street, looking at me, you know, i understand. i understand what th feels like be different in that way. >> with terence, i was so nervous the first day when he came into rehearsal to watch. >> brown: because? >> because it's terence blanchard! and i don't want to disappoint.

>> brown: camille a. brown is co-directing “fire shut up in my bones” with james robinson. an acclaimed dancer and choreographer, this is her first time directing opera. and, like blanchard, she wanted to bring her full experience and toolkit to the production. one likely showstopper: a college fraternity hazing scene she choreographed using traditional step dance. >> there's a lot on the stage that probably metropolitan opera audiences have never seen before, in terms of step dance, the black church. >> brown: the rough issues. >> the issues. so... but i think in anything you create, of course in the back of your mind, yes, you want people to like it and receive it, but that can't be the thing that is driving you. what has to drive you is your

personal connection to it. if you believe in it then that's what you have to move forward >> brown: the metropolitan opera itself has seen plenty of drama recently off-stage. a $300 million-a-year operation, it lost half that in earned revenues during the shutdown, furloughed workers, and wound up in bitter disputes with its unions that were settled only recently. >> well, it's been incredibly painful for the entire company. >> brown: ter gelb is the met's general manager. >> the most difficult part for us is not to get, i think the local opera fans back. i think they will come back. the hardest part is the tourists. >> brown: a recent performance of verdi's requiem, the first time the met orchestra has performed, drew a packed audience and prolonged ovation“" fire shut up in my bones” was planned several years ago, but gelb is now hoping the historic nature of this first offering will help bring in a new, more divee and younger audience.

the obvious question is: why did it take so long? >> well, that's a very good question. part of it also is, you know, opportunities for composers and for african-americans in this art form have been limited. one of the things that we need to create are greater pathways and pipelines of talents so that we can actually give opportunities to composers. >> brown: gelb points to new commissions and upcoming productions by black composers as well as other programs designed to diversify backstage leadership roles. >> there's no question the met was slow in terms of bnging works by african-american composers to the theater. but we're not going to be slow going forward. >> brown: for her part, co- director camille a. brown told us she's pained it remains an issue in 2021. >> so when i am in this, as i am in this position, i know that it's just not about me, it's not

about the opportunity that i'm given. it's about katherine dunham, it's about carmen de lavallade, it's about marlies yearby and dianne mcintyre and of those black women that came before me and struggled and paved the way for me. and i feel like it's, it's a responsibility. it's a responsibility to show up not just for myself, but for my community. >> brown: composer terence blanchard had a similar response to his history-making turn. >> i was shocked. i didn't know. yeah, it seemed a little crazy to me. i was totally caught off guard by it. and, you know, my next thought was, "well, i'm not the first qualified." the thing that i've been saying about my opera being here, and it still feels weird to say that. >> brown: it feels weird to say "my opera?" >> yes, it does, it still... >> brown: you gotta get used to it. >> i know it, everybody keeps telling me that, maybe in time. but i think the thing that feels

weird about it is how, i really don't want this to be a token. i want it to be a turnkey. you know? this, this -- i may be the first, but i sure don't want to be the last. >> brown: an onstage story of personal trauma. a bigger story of an art form and one of its leading institutions going forward. to that end, the met is simulcasting opening night in times square and, for the first time, in marcus garvey park in harlem. for the pbs newshour, i'm jeffrey brown at the metropolitan opera in new york. >> woodruff: and that's the newshour for tonight. i'm judy woodruff. for all of us at the pbs newshour, thank you, please stay safe, and we'll see you soon. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by:

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♪ ♪ hello, everyone, and welcome to "amanpour & company." here's what's coming up. protesters on the streets of germany demanding climate action and scientists katharine hayhoe sees hope emerging from this catastrophe. >> this is an issue that requires a better migration policy. >> with climate, crime and corruption driving migration across the americas, the outgoing colombian president joins us. and the strongest european leader. what next at the end of the merkel