judy: good evening. democratic divide. key lawmakers express optimism that agreement may be close over president biden's domestic agenda. a meeting with members of his own party. trialnd reckoning. the jury selection process is now underway in grgia and the high-profile case of three white men charged with killing ahmaud arbery. rethinking college. how historically black colleges and universities are using federal pandemic relief funds to retain students. >> how can we ensure that our students are getting everything that we can possibly provide so that they can stay here?

judy: all that and more on tonight's pbs newshour. ♪ >> majorunding for the pbs newshour has been provided by. >> pediatric surgeon. volunteer. topiary artist. a raymondjames financial advisor taylor's advice to help you live your life. life well planned. for 25 years, consumer cellular school has been to provide wildlife service that helps people communicate and connect. we offer a variety of no contract plans and our team can help find one that fits you. to lea more, visit our website. ♪ >> johnson & johnson. the msf railway. bdo accountants and advisors. ♪

♪ >> james all-night foundation, fostering informed and engaged communities. ♪ >> and with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. ♪ this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. ♪ judy: key lawmakers are signaling tonight that an

agreement among democrats could be reached following president biden's meeting with influential members of his party over the framework of his build back better agenda. majority leader chuck schumer expressed optimism that the dust is settled in his ranks, paving the way to when optimize. >> a universal agreement in that room that we have to come to an agreement, we have to get it done, we will get it done this week. judy: to bring us up to speed, i'm joined by lisa desjardins. hello and good evening. we heard the majority leader senator schumer use the word agreement. at are you hearing? >> there's all kds of wo ahead so for democrats. this was a significant day for them. let me explain what we learned today. we learn from house progressives including -- speaking at the white house that the president is now pushing for a very

specific number for this bill, 1.9 to $2.2 trillion. this also happened on the same day as senate democrats would like a framework this week, they had the most unifying meeting on this issue yes -- yet, saying that they will figure out what the bill will look like this week. this is no accident that this is coming as there is tremendous political pressure on democrats. president biden's approval ratings are tied to whether they succeed on these issues. the virginia gubernatorial election where the democrat there is not doing as well as democrats hoped. they see that as a bellwether for next year. they want to try to get things moving if not past soon so that they can start making more electoral gains and helping the president with his approval rating. of course, getting their agenda through. the opening moves are over.

we are in the middle game. we know what this bill will be of size. democrats are going to try to figure out if they can agree together on what goes in it. that's the middle game. we will see how long it takes for them to do the endgame, move it through both chambers. judy: from the president's perspective, he spent much of the day meeting separately with progressives and moderates in his own party. what is the white house thinking right now? >> the president is really spending much of his time trying to get democrats, lawmakers on the same page. it is something he has been trying to do for weeks. he met with both senators as well as a group of house progressives and moderates. the president is saying to all of the members of his party, we need to get together and close this out. the president is talking about the specific numbers. it was going to end up around $2 trillion. here's the president talking through moderates to try to make

sure that they can go down on their initial $3.5 trillion but also senator manchin who wanted it at $1.5 trillion, a number he had been floating since the summer. white house press secretary said that the white house feels like we are getting closer to the final stages. she would not say whether or not president biden wants to see the infrastructure bills passed by the end of the month which is what we heard from democratic leaders in congress. lawmakers at the white house, questioned about the role that president biden is playing. they say that president biden is the inspire or, the closer, the mediator in chief. president biden is being seen as someone who is critical in these debates. judy: we know that the president is also feeling pressure from members of his own party on a number of issues including police reform and voting rights. >> that's right. president biden is facing incredible pressure to get this infrastructure bill through

because he has not been able to get a deal through on voting rights or policing reform. we seen those parts of the agenda stalled in congress. democratic leaders including candidates who are running in races like the virginia governor's race are saying, democrats in washington need to hen democrats something productive that they've done in order to win other races. judy: there have been a sense of a deadline by the end of october. what is it looking like now? >> i don't think they can get a full bell by them but they are talking turkey. one major item, climate pricing item that we talked about last night, is likely out of negotiations. democrats have to choose from everything else. health care, childcare, climate package, housing, all of that. what will remain in the bill? those talks will start right now. judy: all behind closed doors. some movement today. thank you both. ♪

stephanie: we will return to the full program after the latest headlines. late today, the select house committee investigating the january 6 attack on the u.s. capitol voted unanimously to hold stephen bannon, an adviser to president trump, in criminal contempt of congress. he has defied subpoenas to testify and provide documents. the full house is expected to vote on the contempt resolution thursday. later, we have an interview on what bannon could face. the u.s. supreme court refused to block a vaccine mandate for health care workers in maine, the first statewide requirement to reach the high court. the u.s. secretary of homeland security tested positive for covid. he's been fully vaccinated and

is isolating at home with mild symptoms. kidnappers in haiti who have ducted 17 members of a u.s. missionary group are demanding $1 million for each captive. the countries justice minute for confirm today. in port-au-prince, the spike in crime has spurred protest strikes. streets are quiet and businesses are closed. north korea stoked new tensions today after firing a short range ballistic missile into the sea of japan. the north said it launched from a submarine. if true, that would mark a significant advance. japan's new prime minister about a tough response. >> [speaking non-english language] >> i have instructed the government to consider all options. i will strengthen our defense capabilities. my administration is determined to protect our land, territorials, as well as the people's lives and assets, no matter what. stephanie: this was north korea's fifth weapons test since

september. it followed a u.s. call for new talks on the north nuclear weapons program. in afghanistan, the taliban announced awards for the families of suicide bombers who attacked u.s. soldiers. they will receive cash and land. the world health organization said the taliban has approved afghanistan's first polio vaccination campaign in three years. the fbi raided homes in washington and new yk linked to a russian billionaire. he is allied with president vladimir putin and is under u.s. sanctions over moscow's meddling in the 2016 u.s. presidential election. agents spent hours at the homes today. fbi said it was acting on court warrants involving the u.s. sanctions. president biden's picked to head customs and border protection called today for more humane policy toward migrants. chris magnus is now the police chief in tucson. he told his senate confirmation hearing that he wants to secure the border and treat

asylum-seekers with decency. >> i don't believe that we have to sacrifice efficiency for humanity. so i think humanity has to be part of the discussion again, early and often throughout the careers of cbp members. stephanie: from pera policy allowed mass expulsions of asylum-seekers during the pandemic. a federal grand jury today indicted a sitting congressman in a campaign-finance case. the nebraska republican is accused of lying to the fbi and concealing information about contributions from a nigerian billionaire in 2016. fortenberry denies the charges. still to come, the biden administration's new measures aimed at helping students struggling with mental health during the pandemic. jury selection continues in the high-profile ahmaud arbery murder trial.

a look at one man's impressive collection of historic and presidential artifacts. and much more. ♪ >> this is the pbs newshour. ♪ judy: the special congressional committee investigating the january assault on the u.s. capitol meets tonight in the battle over how much cooperation they will get from allies and advisors of former president donald trump. this evening, they are expected to recommend charging steve bannon with contempt of congress for refusing to comply with the subpoena demanding that he turn over documents to the committee and sit for a deposition.

thank you very much and welcome back to the newshour. what is your understanding of why this special congressional committee wants to hear from steve bannon? >> thanks for having me back. we know that steve bannon, donald's longtime advisor, for a time in the white house, estranged, then consulting again , was intimately involved with donald trump's decision to, in my view, insight and insurrection on january 6, 2021. bannon is the one who called him and told him trump had to get back to washington for this. there's been reporting that bannon has partially corroborated, that he spoke about killing the biden presidency in the crib.

and we know that he used very strong language on his podcast about what was going to happen on january 6. for all those reasons, bannon's fingerprints are on the offensive january 6 and he is a critically important witness in his own right but also to understand the insurrectionist in chief donald trump. judy: at this point, it's our understanding that steve bannon is not cooperating. the committee has asked him for information, they've asked him to come testify, they want to depose him. what recourse does the committee have? >> innes to wit -- in a situation like this one, the committee can utilize to principal avenues. they can do civil contempt, which on approval of the house allows them to go to court to compel bannon's testimony and documents.

or, this is the course that they seem to be electing to, they can do criminal contempt. under federal law, the committee and the full house will make a referral to the u.s. attorney for the district of columbia and in consultation with the justice department, the u.s. attorney will decide whether to prosecute bennett criminally for refusing a lawful subpoena. based on the facts and the laws as we know them here, bannon originally deserves to be prosecuted for criminal contempt. judy: based on what we know and based on precedent, what do you believe the likelihood is of the court giving the go-ahead? >> in the first instance of course, it will be for the u.s. attorney and doj to decide. i think it's likely that they will seek to prosecute bannon. the bases that he gives for

refusing to comply with a lawful subpoena of the united states congress -- he says that the information that is sought is executive privilege. in other words, it's protected by law because it has to do with the inner workings of the government. judy, that decision is made by the current president. it's joe biden, not donald trump. moreover, when bannon had these conversations with trump, it had been years since bannon was a part of the government and inciting and insurrection is not a government function that gets executive privilege basis. the biden administration has made clear that it's not countenancing these kinds of executive privilege claims. those arguments just on hold water. he must comply or he should be prosecuted. judy: i hear what you're saying yet we both know that steve

bannon is likely to fight this to the fullest extent of the law , in every way that he can. we know that president trump is already doing everything he can legally to try to stop any cooperation by people who advised him. if we try to understand where this is headed, and we know it could be in any one of a number of places, what do you think? what do you think we are looking at here? >> we are looking at a continuation of donald trump's campaign, of obstruction. one that is enabled by his cronies, like steve bnon. it is something that worked when he was in the white house, it effectuated delay. what does donald trump have to hide? what are he and bannon and the

others in trump's coterie so afraid of coming out if they honor these subpoenas? there is still much more to learn about january 6 then that's important for the truth of the historical record. it's important for congress legislating to make sure we don't have another january 6. unfortunately, the donald trump campaign continues. it's also important to counteract the ongoing lies that stimulate these terrible actions like the january 6 insurrection. we are looking at a class now -- clash now between the trump style of governance and getting to the truth. i think truth will win. judy: we will watch and see. no guarantee at this point. tonight, an important boat by this committee. thank you very much.

>> thank you. ♪ judy: on college campuses across the country, the pandemic has posed unprecedented financial challenges. the federal government has provided $76 billionn relief, over 3 billion specifically for historically black colleges and universities. more than one billion to minority serving institutions where many students face financial hardship. a report now on how the money is being used to reduce the economic strain on students, part of our series rethinking college. reporter:ver since 19-year-old -- came to north carolin central university, he's had a plan. >> i'm going into venture capital after i graduate.

4% of african-americans in vc. if i become that one minority that can advocate for other minorities, i believe i can make a difference. reporter: he moved to the u.s. from ethiopia when he was four. he's the first and his family to go to college. >> they came here to give me a better life. i don't want to waste the opportunity. i want to set an example for my siblings. reporter: during the pandemic, the balance he owed balloons to $7,000. the honor student did not know how he would pay it off. that he got a surprise. >> i woke up and i ended up seeing my balance being cleared. that lessens the stress of having to worry about how i was supposed to pay for college. reporter: north carolina central university is one of many historically black colleges and universities that use federal pandemic really funds to clear the outstanding balances owed directly to them intuitions and fees. >> we are doing whatever we can. reporter: the chief financial

officer says the goal is retention. >> how can we ensure that our students are getting everything that we can possibly provide so that they can stay here? reporter: it's a welcome relief to students who are disproportionately low income. 75% get pell grants. many come from black communities which were hit hard by wage and job losses during the pandemic. >> schools are realizing that the fees that are associated with attending their universities and colleges are prohibiting them from completing their degree or delaying their opportunity with completing their degree. reporter: trinity washington university student population is predominantly black and hispanic, most students are women, and the provost says on average, they have few resources. >> the median family income is $25,000 a year. that's family income.

at $200 bill can make the difference for them staying in school. reporter: trinity spent more than $2 million in american rescue plan funds to pay off balances for 535 students. >> many of our students have great economic need even at the best of times. you can well imagine, in an economic downturn, who are the first to be impacted? they don't have family they can run two. reporter: vanessa young is double majoring in business administration and psychology. until the pandemic hit, her dad helped pay her tuition. >> he drives trucks. he works seven days a week. he was cut back to two or three. reporter: they could no longer make tuition payments. she had an $11,000 balance. how concerned were you about paying the tuition? >> it was stressful. my dad told me not to worry

about it. knowing me, i'm going to worry aboutt after finishing homework and everything. i would stay up wondeng, should we do this? it was a struggle. reporter: she works part-time at a jamaican restaurant but her earnings were dwarfed by the size of her debt. when she got an e-mail that her balance was paid off, she couldn't believe it. >> at first i thought it was a scam. but then i read it and was like, is this it. is this what i've been praying for? all of it, just thousands gone. welcome to this evening's ncaa women's volleyball contest. reporter: kiara tate has worked a nuer of jobs to help cover her college costs. including a work-study position in the athletics department. >> i need to work so i can pay my tuition. >> it goes directly in here. reporter: she has wanted to go to trinity's she was a child.

>> my mom went there. she came here when i was in the womb. everybody was so nice. i fell in love with the college. reporter: her account balance was over $6,000. that made her question whether she could stay in school. >> i don't know how to pay it. i don't work enough hours to pay it. i was pretty worried i was going to get kicked out. reporter: she got the news that her account was cleared. >> i called my mom and said, my debt is paid off. she was like, what? i said, my debt is paid off from trinity. they are starting me over, i financial new start. reporter: there's a weight that has been lifted? >> yes. a very big life. reporter: the provost says it is money well spent. >> this is not giving away free money to students who are just going to run off to vegas. these kids work hard in order to put themselves through school so they can better themselves and their families. reporter: wiping away the fees

doesn't impact the $1.7 trillion held nationwide in federal and private student loans. on average, black students have more student loan debt than their white counterparts. >> the fees are important as well because the fees are associated with stunts ability to stay enrolled and to complete their degrees. you will have one less financial burden to worry out. reporter: schools have use federal dollars to provide other kinds of help. a senior studying psychology at virginia university grew up with 10 brothers and a low income section of norfolk. >> there's not a lot of opportunities there. when you are given a chance to leave and make a change, you haveo take the chance and run with it. repoer: she has learned to take care of herself but that got tough when covid hit. how did the pandemic impact your situation financially and emotionally? >> i was a student where, this

is not you. reporter: she lost a job and her focus. she struggled to make ends meet. >> i was thinking about how i was going to pay rent, make sure i had food in my mouth. my mom said, she still has kids and bills and commitments. money doesn't grow off of trees. reporter: her school said -- center $2000 in emergency aid funded by the cares act. she has hung on. >> i'm still here. i didn't give up or drop out. virginia union is my world. this is my comfort zone. this is where ime. reporter: the chief operating officer is exploring more ways to provide support to students even without federal relief money. >> when we use these funds, we offset the cost of what we all caps in the idea of affordability. how do we sustain this? how do you make it durable for those to come into our higher education environment and

provide the relief or support that they may need so they can getccess? reporter: north carolina central, looking forward now that the financial burden has been eased. >> i was thinking of running for president. i want to give back to the students and make sure that i am making an impact. repoer: for so many students, the focus is now on the future. ♪ judy: the question of how much more money should be provided for higher education including two years of free community college is one of many points up for debate among democrats and the esident right now. the spending bills also include significant new money for k-12 schools, in addition to money already being given out and pandemic relief legislation.

those bills have also directed funding to support the mental health needs of students. we have a conversation about all of this with the secretary of education. >> leading child health care groups including the american academy of pediatrics said today that the pandemic has triggered a national state of emergency and mental health among america's youth. policymakers need to act. the education department has issued new guidance for how to address the crisis in k-12 schools as well as how to spend billions in relief funding to bolster student mental health. the secretary joins me now to discuss. welcome back to the newshour. let's talk about guidelines you issued today. how do they address this crisis right now? >> i appreciate the academy of pediatrics making those statements. it's critical that we continue to work together to give our students what they need. right now, students across the country need more support, mental health support, social emotional well-being checks, and

we are pleased at the department of education to be able to respond in a way that addresses what we've been hearing from students, from educators across the country as we visited schools. they need more social and emotional support, access to mental health support. the guide that we put out today provides not only legs to good research around mental health support but also wonderful examples from across the country of what educators are doing to provide access to students in ways that weren't available just two years ago. reporter: tell us about those examples. the crisis is already here. a lot of people will wonder what good guidelines do. you know these numbers. suspected suicide attempts are up 50% over last year. emergency visits from mental health emergencies are up 30% for teens, 24% kids 5-12. what is the department of education doing to address this now? >> that's what were doing. we have examples of what's

happening now. what you can replicate in your schools today. the american rescue plan funds are there already. we know the resources are there, the urgency is there. now we have accessible to all. in particular, gives practical tips on what you can do today, in the classroom, in the school, in the district, in the state. these are proven strategies that have worked in other places. we are lifting up those practices and making it accessible to all. we don't want to be in the business of providing long documents that are not practical for educators. educators need support now. in this document, they will get that. they have the resources and strategies that have come up from educators. it's time to make sure that our schools reflect the needs of our students and we provide the support that our students need. reporter: i would love to ask you about masking in school and the mandates. you said you are reluctant to withhold federal funding from states that won't enforce mask

mandates in school. if masking protects kids and teachersnd families, why not do everything you can to require masking and schools? >> i believe we are. withholding funds for students, while i do reserve the right to dohat, will only take the student who is in an environment at is not the safest possible and prevented the student from getting reading support or a social worker because they've experienced a lot. we are working closely with those district leaders who are doing the right thing, at their own risk, to make sure that they are protecting students. we are providing funds. we are also investigating cases where we believe students rights to education are being violated. we are doing that. but we are finding throughout the country is that those places that follow the mitigation strategies, promote vaccinations, working to protect students and staff have less destructive learning and

students are able to stay in classrooms. the impact is less because they are seeing less hospitalizations and less dth around them. reporter: what about mandaty vaccinations? you back them for older students we could soon see fda approval for younger kids. do you support mandatory vaccinations for elementary students as well? >> i'm pleased that we are making progress with vaccinations and our youngest learners will have access to it. as a father, the first thing i did when my children were eligible was get in line and give them the opportunity to be safe and to protect those around them as well. i encourage all families to have their children be vaccinated. we know that if it's getting approvals, it is safer students. it should be something that parents get for their children and it should be something that, as a community, we do to protect one another. reporter: i want to ask you about student debt. there has been a freeze on student loan payments during the

pandemic. it has impacted 40 million borrowers. the fight administration extended that to january 2022. does that mean that those people should expect to restart payments in february? >> it does. we will make sure to provide a long enough on-ramp to support our borrowers. president biden and the whole team is really focused on making sure that our students are at the center of the conversations. it means our education students. we have forgiven $11.6 billion in student debt. we are making sure that we are protecting our borrowers. we are making sure that they have information and the processes to get public service loan forgiveness, which we will fix, is simple. students shouldn't have to have more hoops to jump through in order to get what is rightfully theirs. we will continue to protect our students and prioritize our borrowers and fix some of the systems that were broken. reporter: a lot of people will

say that you have to get -- you have forgiven billions of dollars in debt so far. for tens of millions of others, the pandemic is not yet behind us. the recession is still with us. if there's a surge in delinquencies, what do you do to prepare to handle that? >> we are revamping our processes to make it more user-friendly. support our borrowers but also communicate more effectively what options they have and what supports they can receive. the goal is to help borrowers, not add more stress. we know that the process will require that we fix systems that will broken -- were broken. make it more student centered. we will continue to listen to our students and borrowers. we will do the best to protect our borrowers but also provide pathways for them to be successful in repayment. but also in whatever life circumstances they have. reporter: you've been leading the crge to figure out if there's a way for the biden

ministration to cancel student debt. there's a lot of pressure from within the democratic party to do that. have you delivered your recommendation to the president yet? >> we are working with the white house and department of justice on that. we are not waiting for that to do what's right for our students. as you saw a couple weeks ago, wennounced public service loan forgiveness, we will fix that and make sure that those who were offered public service loan forgiveness 10 years ago, that we follow through on those promises. we haven't slowed down. we will continue to do that. while those conversations continue, it doesn't mean we are taking our eyes off making sure that everything we do is student centered. reporter: mcgill cardona joining us tonight. think you for your time. >> thank you. ♪ judy: jury selection is underway

in the high-profile case of white men accused of murdering an unarmed black man in georgia. one of the cases that set in motion a wave of racial justice protests nationwide in the summer of 2020. william brangham has the story as part of our ongoing coverage of race matters. reporter: jury selection is underway for the three white men on trial for the murder of ahmaud arbery. he was jogging near his home in southeastern georgia in february of 2020 when two of the men stopped him, claiming they thought he was involved in a stringf burglaries. a fight took place, one of the men had a shotgun and arbery was shot and killed. e two men were not initially arrested until 10 weeks later when video of the incident was revealed. e third man on trial is the one who took the video. to talk about this highly anticipated trial, i'm joined by gerald briggs, vice president of the naacp atlanta chapter.

thank you very much for being here. can you give us a sense -- i know this is a very fraught time as the trial starts. what is the mood like in the community there? >> the mood down in glynn county is cautiously optimistic. as you said before, it took 74 days from the incident occurring until the videotape was released for them to make an arrest in this case. they are cautiously optimistic and they are hopeful that justice will be achieved in this case. they've been watching this and participating. many members are outside the courtroom right now, waiting on jury selection. some people are outside having a teach in. the community is galvanized around this case and they will continue to push towards justice. reporter: again, this is one of those instances where videotape -- video shot by one of the men who is being prosecuted -- was the turning point here, getting state prosecutors involved and

helping turn the tide, changing the facts on what actually happened. >> that's correct. because of the release of the tape, law-enforcement got serious about this case. for the longest time, wanda cooper-jones and other members of the family have been pushing for justice, ever since they learned what happened to their loved one. they were always resolute in believing that he was murdered. once the videotape was released and it showed the world, that's when law enforcement started to actively truly investigate and bring individuals in for questioning as well as arresting the three suspects that were involved. reporter: the defense argues that these men were within their rights to stop mr. arbery. they thought he was involved in some crimes. they were legally carrying their guns. when they confronted him, he fought back. what do you make of that argument? will that have any sway over the jury? >> i think that that's a curious

factual argument. it goes against the facts and the law. they are arguing that they had a right to rip -- arrest the individual because they believed he was involved in criminal behavior. it turned out that the owner of the property believe there was no criminal behavior and had not empowered these individuals to make an arrest on his behalf. ultimately, even if they were empowered to use that type of power to arrest someone, they could not use deadly force. reporter: where do you see this tragedy fitting in to this long line of cases that we've seen that have triggered this racial justice movement across the country? from george floyd to breonna taylor. where does this fit in there? >> this is actually the case that began freedom summer 2020. it was a case that happened before george floyd and it brought the awareness as we were all dealing withovid-19 and we saw the video, it launched the new social justice movement that has gripped america. i think this is the very first case, i believe that we can

hopefully achieve justice like we achieved in the george floyd case. ultimately, it's different. we are not dealing with law-enforcement. we are dealing with vigilante justice. it falls in line with the emmett till case, jordan davis case, so many other cases throughout history. hopefully we will see an appropriate response by the criminal justice system in this case. reporter: you've been in touch with many members of the family. what is your sense, from talking with them, about what justice would look like to them? >> they've been very clear since the very beginning. they want all individuals who were a part of this, or who helped cover it up, held accountable. specifically for the three individuals on trial. they want a conviction and they want the maximum punishment under law. like many members of the community, they are cautiously optimistic. so far, they are happy that we have gotten to this point because of the pressure of

activists, the pressure of the family, the pressure of the community, the pressure of the nation seeing what happened in that southeast georgia town. reporter: do you think that all that pressure and all of that attention and all of the fraught history of what we have been dealing with in the country is going to make it hard for the jury to keep their eyes focused on the facts of this particular case? >> i don't think so. once you look at the facts and evidence in the case, you look at the body cam footage, the cell phone footage, you come to a pretty easy decision about what happened and what was legal and what was illegal. i'm think it's not going to way that heavily once you look at the case. that case will be tried in a courtroom. the judge will give instructions about anything they might have seen out of the courtroom until the jurors to determine the facts and evidence based on what they see on the witness stand and what they hear from the witnesses and evidence. reporter: gerald griggs, thank

you so much for being here. >> thank you for having me. ♪ judy: in the 1930's, when the nazis began their occupation of europe, they set up ghettos for more than one million jews. forcing them to live and work in fenced off cmunities. once the nazis arrived at the final solution, the mass murder of jews, most ghetto residents were killed. some 25,000 of them escape the ghettos to hide in the woods. few survived. members of one family who spent years in the forest are now telling their story. rebecca frankel writes about them in her new book. she recently sat down with allie rogan. reporter: thank you so much for being here. your new book is first and

foremost a story of survival. at the heart of it is the rabinowitz family. can you tell me about them and what they endured? >> sure. the rabinovitz family was a normal family in 1930's poland. they lived in a very small town. maurice and miriam were married and they had two young adorable daughters. they were basically just going about their lives. maurice was a lumber dealer. miriam owned a small shop. they were a jewish family which ultimately, as the 1930's continued and as germany's influence in the politics started having a meddling influence, certainly that change for the worse. reporter: their fortunes change. they are sent into the ghetto. tell me about what their experience was like in the ghetto. >> when the germans invaded and they broke their packed with russia in 1941, things started

to get really bad. all the jews of the small town were interned in the ghetto. the selection started. what this meant was that the germans were separating out the jews that could provide some sort of service or were of some value in terms of labor or were doctors or craftsmen or architects or engineers. the people that suffered most were small children without parents, the elderly, the infirm, even women who didn't have working certificates. one thing for the small communities, these forest adjacent towns, one thing started to give them hope. that was the idea that they could run away to the forest. what was happening then was that the soviet fighters who had been behind enemy lines at this point were regrouping and were forming guerrilla fighting units. they were slowly mounting this

outside fight against germany. these jews in the ghetto, not many were able to do it. some of them did escape the ghettos and they ran to the forests. of course, this is what happened with the rabinowitz family. they were able to escape in august of 1942, right during the most terrible thing that happened to the jews which was the liquidation of the ghetto. the nazis basically killed all of the remaining jews except for a very small number. reporter: they end up in the forest. tell us about what life was like there. it was incredibly difficult for a of years. >> they went into the forest in the summer of 1942. the summertime was probably the most benevolent season in this area because the winters are absolute brutal. the temperatures drop to about -20 degrees. during these winters that they were there, the family was there for two years, it was even colder. they weren't safe in the woods.

there were still people, local groups, who had aligned with the germans and the nazis and we looking for fighters and jewish family camps, which is what the rabinovitz family did. they formed a family camp. they were constantly on theove . they built small communities in the woods, underground bunkers. they basically made as much of a life in the woods as they could. really, it was a day-to-day struggle to survive. reporter: the fact that they did so and they made it through, they spent several years traveling through europe as refugees. when they get to america, in the midst of all of this, there's a love story. >> there is. it's a wonderful part of this family story. there's a love story between maurice and miriam. but the other love story you're talking about is the one between maurice in miriam's daughter and

this young boy, philip, from another small polish town. this boy met the family earlier. before they escape the ghetto. when there was a selection, during the selection, he was separated from his family. 11-year-old philip is in the midst of this brutality and people are being killed all around him. he sees this woman with her two young daughters and she has a kind looking face. so he thinks, i can approach her . he walks up to her and says, will you please pretend that i'm your son. she takes one look at him and says, if the nazis will let me live with two children, they will let me live with three. they make it through the selection and he is safe. he runs off. they don't see him again until after the war. philip also immigrated to the

united states just like the rabinovitz family dead. in 1953, he is a wedding in brooklyn and he sits next to this young women. it turns out that she knows this family that once saved a boy there. he is sitting there and he thinks, what's the story? tell me how it happened. she tells him and he says, that was me, i'm the boy. minutes later, he runs to a pay phone and makes a phone call. so begins this reunion between the two families. miriam saved philip. on a visit to hartford where they were living, he meets miriam's oldest daughter ruth who is no longer a little girl, she's a teenager. reporter: she changed her name from what it was in poland. >> yes. she's now ruth. he started writing her letters. it took two years but eventually they fell madly in love. that started a whole another family and romance. reporter: you got to know them

because you have a very personal connection to the family. tell us about that. >> in addition to meeting miriam's daughter ruth and falling in love with her, philip became a rabbi. my family, from the time i was five years old, attended the synagogue were philip was the rabbi. i can barely call him philip. i've known them since i was about fiveears old. this story of how they met and their love story has always been in the background of the community that i grew up with. west hartford, connecticut. it was something i've known about for a very long time. reporter: thank you so much for joining us. >> thank you so much. ♪

judy: for many americans during this pandemic, the home office has seen a lot of activity. as maia tribble see reports, one san diego man dedicated his home workspace to his passion, american history. it's part of our old -- arts and culture series. reporter: when roger walks inside of his house, he takes a step into another place and time. >> welcome to the oval office. reporter: he's been collecting historical artifacts for more than 20 years. the room is flanked by his string making documents signed by the most famous men in american history. the men that made a country. >> i guess if you are going to have a theme room, you might as well have the biggest theme room that you can have. reporter: when they rebuilt that was once his parents home, they designed this room to bear the famous oval-shaped just like the real thing. >> it's a functional desk and office.

i use it all the time. reporter: the size of the desk was taken into consideration, replica of the resolute desk. originally a gift from queen victoria and used by many american presidents. >> the most famous one is john f. kennedy with john-john coming out of the little door in the front. this one has that same door that you can open up. reporter: beyond the small thoughtful details, this room holds treasures that transcend time like this lt. col.'s union uniform worn during the civil war with a small handwritten clue as to the pern who wore it. >> this was found in the pocket. it does sayhat it did belong to janet rose of rhode island. that's cool. i'm an equal opportunity presidential collector as i have every president to date except for joe biden which is so new right now that i don't have a presidential document from him because he is still in office.

reporter: smaller pieces give us big limbs of the personalities that was behind the decision-makers of yesteryear. >> these are original sketches by ronald reagan when he was doodling as governor. reporter: while it sits casually on the desk in la jolla, the reagan library sells copies for museum visitors. >> you see which way the head is pointed? the head is pointed to the olive branches with the exception of one president. the eagle turned its head to the arrows during world war ii from franklin delano roosevelt after they attacked pearl harbor. when harry truman became president, the eagles had turned back over to the olive branches. it has remained that way ever since. reporter: as guardian of this treasure, it is interactive. >> this would contain your opium. reporter: he says history should be touched. >> this is something they won't let you do at this month sony

and but we do here. this is an actual document signed twice by abraham lincoln. reporter: abraham lincoln signed it right here and right here. august 17, 1863. less than two years later. >> these classes were found at ford's theater the night that abraham lakin was shot and was dropped. if these glaes could talk, they could tell a story. reporter: it's the story behind the land deed, the pardon, the court-martial, the bullet that draws water to these items. >> i'm just holding this piece of history in my hand for a short time until they can be passed on to someone else. reporter: for lovers of history, these are reminders of how far we have come and how far we have yet to go. for the pbs newshour, i maia tribble see in san diego.

judy: what a remarkable collection. that's a treat. online right now, the man who held the role as the u.s. top diplomat to afghanistan and who negotiated an agreement with the taliban has stepped down. you can find more on what this means for u.s. afghan relations on our website. pbs.org/newshour. that's the newshour for tonight. judy woodruff. join us online and again here tomorrow evening for all of us here. thank you and please stay stay. we will see you soon. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by. >> the landscape has changed. and not for the last time. the rules of business are being reinvented. a more flexible workforce. emacing innovation, looking not ly at current opportunities but i had to future ones.

resilience is the ability to pivot again and again for whatever happens next. >> people who know no bdo. ♪ >> consumer cellular. johnson & johnson. financial services firm raymond james. bm sf railway. carnegie corporation of new york, supporting innovations in education, democratic engagement, and the advancement of international peace and security. the target foundation, committed to advancing racial equity and creating the change required to shift systems and accelerate equitable -- equal opportunity. and with the ongoing support of these institutions.

♪ this program was made possible by the corpotion f public broadcasting and contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. ♪ ♪ this is pbs newshour west from w eta studios in washington and from our bureau at the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. ♪

-jalisco is so many things all at once -- exciting, beautiful, classic yet innovative. but above all, it loves to hold on to its traditions. today i'm experiencing one of the oldest, and possibly one of the cutest, traditions of all -- the escaramuza. -palomas! palomas! ra, ra, ra! -whoo! -and in my kitchen, i'm cooking a meal that is somehow both a small-town mexican tradition and one of the hottest food trends here in the u.s. -- birria -- slow-cooked to perfection, tucked both into a taco and also wrapped up in a quesadilla and topped with a mouthwatering salsita. i mean, fany, look at this. and my friend fany is stopping by to teach me how to make one of my favorite childhood treats,