captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc >> woodruff: good evening. i'm judy woodruff. on the newshour tonight: vaccinating kids. the biden administration unveils its plan to inoculate 28 million children, ages five to 11, against covid-19, once there is approval. then, netflix under fire. dozens of employees of the streaming giant walk out, protesting comedian dave chappelle's controversial new special, as the company's c.e.o. admits he made a mistake. and, life support. some hospitals in africa take oxygen production into their own hands, to save the lives those most vulnerable. >> once we are able to provide reliable systems for, like, pediatrics, for neonatal,

that then frees up more oxygen for the adults, for covid and other cases. >> woodruff: all that and more, on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: ♪ ♪ ♪ moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> fidelity wealth management. >> consumer cellular.

>> johnson & johnson. >> financial services firm raymond james. >> b.d.o. accountants and advisors. >> supporting social entrepreneurs and their solutions to the world's most pressing problems-- skollfoundation.org. >> the lemelson foundation. committed to improving lives through invention, in the u.s. and developing countries. on the web at lemelson.org. >> supported by the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. committed to building a more just, verdant and peaceful world. more information at macfound.org >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions:

>> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: major new developments tonight on covid-19 vaccinations. the f.d.a. has approved mixing and matching booster doses of the moderna, johnson & johnson, and pfizer vaccines. the c.d.c still has to give its approval. meanwhile, the white house rolled out plans to vaccinate 28 million young children nationwide with low-dose shots of pfizer's vaccine. >> we have secured vaccine supply to vaccinate every child ages five through 11. and, as soon as the vaccine is authorized by the f.d.a., we will begin shipping millions of doses nationwide. these vaccine doses will be shipped with all the supplies needed to vaccinate kids, including smaller needles. >> woodruff: also today, new york city ordered 46,000 police, firefighters and other

city employees to get vaccinated by november 1-- or get put on paid leave. we will return to vaccinating american children, after the news summary. russia's president vladimir putin has ordered most russian workers to take off from their jobs for at least a week, as covid cases and deaths keep rising. more than 1,000 russians died in the previous 24 hours, the most yet. only about a third of the country's adult population is fully vaccinated. back in this country, nikolas cruz pleaded guilty to murdering 17 people at a high school in parkland, florida in 2018. it was one of the nation's deadliest school shootings. families of the victims were at the hearing. some shook their heads, and others were moved to tears. cruz then offered a brief apology. >> i am very sorry for what i did, and i have to live with it every day. and if i were to get a second chance, i would do everything in my power to help others.

and i am doing this for you, and i do not care if you don't believe me. >> woodruff: the court will begin selecting a jury in january, to decide if cruz gets life in prison or a death sentence. president biden was out today, pitching a scaled-back economic package. as of last night, it totaled roughly $2 trillion in social and climate spending. that is down from $3.5 trillion. the president visited scranton, pennsylvania today, and told reporters, "i think we'll get a deal." senate democrats tried-- and failed-- again today to advance a voting rights bill. they needed 60 votes to limit debate, but all 50 republicans voted "no." democrats wanted to counter new voting restrictions in g.o.p.-controlled states. republicans said that was federal over-reach, in speeches before the vote. >> it's ludicrous for any republican to assert that the federal government has no role

to play in safeguarding elections, when state laws disenfranchise american citizens. >> for multiple years running, washington democrats have offered a rotating merry-go- round of rationales to explain why they need to federalize voting laws and take over all of american elections themselves. >> woodruff: we will talk with a democratic senator, later in the program. president biden's nominee for ambassador to japan, rahm emanuel, today defended his actions as mayor of chicago in the handling of a black teenager's death. laquan mcdonald was killed by a white police officer, seven years ago today. emanuel told his senate confirmation hearing that he did nothing wrong, but that the tragedy has stayed with him. >> i said then, i'm the mayor and i am responsible and accountable for fixing this so it never happens again. and to be honest, there is not a day or a week that has

gone by in the last seven years, i haven't thought about this, and about the what-ifs and the changes and what could have been. >> woodruff: emanuel said that legal rules barred release of the police video of mcdonald's killing for more than a year. a new climate study concludes that worldwide production of fossil fuels will have to be cut by more than half to avert dangerous levels of global warming. the united nations report also says that many governments plan to double coal, oil, and natural gas output through 2030. the findings come days before a u.n. climate summit convenes. and on wall street, the dow jones industrial average rose 152 points to close at 35,609. the nasdaq rose seven points, and the s&p 500 added 16. still to come on the newshour: ballot battle. senate republicans block the democrats' latest attempt to

vote on sweeping federal voting legislation. pandemic in syria. the country's last rebel stronghold sees a surge in delta cases, without vaccines or available hospital beds. dreaming big. why a surprising instrument gives one trailblazing musician a sense of belonging. and, much more. >> woodruff: as we reported, the white houslaid out plans today so that ildren between the ages of five and 11 could soon receive the covid-19 vaccine. but as william brangham reports, many are still wondering about when-- or whether-- to get their children vaccinated. >> brangham: judy, the white house is hoping for this authorization from the f.d.a. and the c.d.c. for pfizer's

vaccine within a few weeks. that's after federal regulators examine the safety and efficacy of a low-dose vaccine for kids. once approved, shots could begin as soon as november. yet, some parents question if the vaccine is necessary for their kids, and if there are other options available. here to answer some of those questions is dr. jennifer nuzzo. she's the lead epidemiologist for the johns hopkins covid-19 testing insights initiative. dr. nuzzo, great to have you back on the "newshour". the biden administration seems very optimistic that they're going to get this authorization, but, between here and there, there's still a lot of scrutiny over these vaccines for kids. what kind of things are the f.d.a. and c.d.c. looking at? >> sure, and i think it's important to stress that there still is a regulatory process that has to happen, and there are going to be independent panels of experts both convened by the c.d. and the f.d.a. to review the data. they're going to be looking at

how children fared after receiving the vaccine from a safety perspective and looking at certain levels of protection in the children's immune systems that would suggest that they are maybe protected if they are exposed to the virus. we don't have the same kind of monitoring for severe illness in children, like we did for adults because children are less likely to experience severe illness, but they will look for some level that the vaccine is offered for protection. >> you do hear that, the point that you're just making. some parents and adults say it looks like kids don't really get that sick, so why do i even need to consider vaccinating them. >> true, and the risk calculation needs to be different in adults and needs a separate process to scrutinize the data separately from adults. it has been a blessing in this pandemic our children have been largely spared the worst of the effects of covid 19, but not all children have, sadly. i know many parents, while the statistics of how many children

wind you have having severe illness may be low, that's not really comforting to parents not knowing if your child is going to be the exception rather than the normal. so i think the vaccines are offering some hope to parents who are worried about that but also they offer other benefits beside just preventing severe illness. i'm a mom of two young kids who are not yet able to be vaccinat and i am looking forward to the vaccines to return some to have the normalcy to their lives and reduce the likelihood of transmitting to others, to potentially enable us to travel more easily and without worries, so i think the benefits to kids are different than adults and have to be considered differently. >> reporter: what should we know about side effects? >> that's what's going to be evaluated by the committees. there's going to be first the consideration of the temporary side effects, the things that we tend to feel when you get vaccinated, likely they're going to be mild just like we heard about the adult vaccines -- arm

soreness, you know, mild flu-like symptoms for a very short period of time. they're going to evaluate the frequency of that and how se verve those side effectsere, and they're also going to consider what the other slightly longer side effects are. now, i have to strs that the other things that we would be looking for, the things that we heard about surfacing as an issue with the vaccination of young adults,things like heart inflammation, those are reported, you know, within not just a day or two but perhaps a week or so after vaccination. they're going to be looking to understand that. i don't think e trials are necessarily large enough to detect that, but they're going to assess what the likelihood o what occurring is, both given the fact that children are going to receive a different dose and the fact that they have different risk benefitticle calculations. but i want to stress, because i think there's this misconception out there that somehow we expect months or years from now after vaccinating that side effects will manifest and that's not something that we expect to happen with vaccines, it's not

how vaccines work. so i want to put parents at ease who may be worried that if i choose to vaccinate my child, years down the road, will something manifest. that's not something that i see as likely and not something to particularly worry about, in my view. >> reporter: so let's say the approval does come and kids start getting vaccinated, the question becomes then do schools around the the country start mandating this vaccine like they do mmr, dip theiria, hepatitis b, et cetera. do you think that would and should happen? >> we're already seeing some places have conversations about it and that's been an active conversation in california, los angeles county i believe voted to mandate vaccines in their district. in my view, it's premature to talk about mandates. let's look at the data, the vaccines, understand how they work and crucially talk to parents. we have so much more work to do to overcome parents' concerns about these vaccines. one to have the worries that i've had is we haven't really seen the level of uptick among

teens who are already eligible to be vaccinated that we could see. so you can imagine that the same concerns may exist for vaccinating the younger children. so i think we have a lot more work to do to address that residual hesitancy that may be there and in my view conversations about mandates are premature and possibly make the conversations harder. >> reporter: separately, i want to ask a question about the news today, the f.d.a. seems they will authorize the ability to mix and match, meaning if you got pfizer you could get a booster of modern or vice versa. what is the benefit of that? >> one benefit may be convenience and where you could go and what they have to offer you. but, you know, i think there may be some additional benefits in terms of, you know, enhanced protection from being exposed to a slightly different vaccine and chalnging your immune system in different ways. i think this is probably a bigger issue for people who have received johnson & johnson and whether they would benefit from

having a different second dose than their first dose. >> reporter: dr. jennifer nuzzo of johns hopkins, always great to have you. thank you very much for being here >> thanks for having me. >> woodruff: as we reported earlier, the partisan divide in washington was on full display today as a democrat-backed voting bill failed to move forward in the u.s. senate. every republican lined up in opposition to the so-called "freedom to vote act" that democrats say would have improved voting access and election integrity. senator tim kaine of virginia co-sponsored the legislation, and he joins me now. senator, very good to have you back on the "newshour". >> thanks, judy. >> reporter: what does it mean that republicans were able to block this measure even from

is was a vote to debate theut, bill, not to pass it, and we made an offer in the seate which is you vote to let us debate this bill, we will give you unlimited amendments. you can offer as many amendments as you want and still vote against et at the end if you didn't like it, but every republican lined up to basically block debate on the bill. 50 democrats support this bill. i worked very hard with seven colleagues to put it together. it would protect people's access to the ballot, it would eliminate dark money by requiring campaign contributions to be fully disclosed. it would end partisan gerrymandering on congressional seats and protect elected officials so their duties couldn't be stripped away from them by state legislatures or others if they don't like how they're going to call an election. this is really important and it doesn't end here. democrats are just absolutely, with a sense of urgency,

rivetted upon the need to get this done and, so, we're going to now have to assess how we can, in this senate, restore the senate to a place that will protect voting rights, which has been the case in the past and needs to be the case now. >> woodruff: well, senator, what does that mean? i mean, what are the options? is this the moment for democrats to go to the mat on the matter of the filibuster? and that means your fellow democrat senator joe manchin. >> i would be perfectly comfortable if there was no filibuster in the senate. i reached that conclusion shortly after i got here. as you know, i was a governor and i was working two the state legislature where we did things by majority rule, there was no super majority vote requirement in the virginia state senate. in fact, most legislative bodies work like that and it's fine. so i would have the senate operate like most state legislatures operate. but eve at least two colleagues on the senate side, the democratic side, who do not want

to abolish the filibuster, but the good news, judy, is we don't have to. we can write the senate rules, and the filibuster and other senate rules have been reformed over time, and as far as i know no democrats have taken off the table an openness to discussing how can we create reforms that would restore the senate, restore it to a place where you can get action on something as important as voting rights and the majority is not stopped from moving forward on such an important priority. we'll start to have those discussions. leader schumer is passionate and wants us to get this done by thanksgiving and i share that sense of urgency. >> woodruff: senator kaine, you have progressives in your party, many black voters who supported president joe biden, are now saying we supported him because he thought he was going to do something about voting rights, and it hasn't happened. what do you say to those americans today who are looking at this?

>> judy, they're right, we owe them a result. at the end of the day, we told them, if you give us a majority, we're going to govern like we have a majority, and we have the white house in both houses. and this is not just like any other priority. of course, there's a lot of things we like to do. this is of existential importance. i stress this all the time. the 100 senators who are here now are the only 100 in the history of this country who were here when there was a domestic insurrection that attacked the capitol to overturn an election. the attack of january 6th, 2021 was an effort to disenfranchise the 80 million people who voted for joe biden and kamala harris and an effort to disenfranchise people based on this big lie of, oh, it was rigged, stolen, there was voter fraud, all of those things president trump said are false but that same big lie is being repeat ad nauseam in states with

republican legislatures and governors and they're taking away people's rights to vote. so to all the activists out there, keep being active and demanding we get a result. we have to get a result. we have to protect people's right to vote and i'm not going to rest till we do and i know leader schumer is in the same position. >> woodruff: and, of course, senator, even if this legislation had passed, which it didn't come close to doing, there still would not have been a mechanism to do something about republican-controlled state legislatures that are starting across the country to take over local voting systems as they have done in the state of georgia. what's to stop republican-controlled legislatures in state after state from doing the same thing? >> well, this bill actually does contain guards again that, judy, the kind of fourth pillar of the bill, which wasn't originally in the first verse, the "for the people" act, because we hadn't seen state legislatures doing this at the time. but this bill the freedom to

vote act would put significant limitations on states taking the power away from election officials and would give the justice department some significant tools to deal with that kind of scheme. >> woodruff: but right now that's not in law? >> not until we pass this bill, you're right. we -- if we pass this bill, we can protect access to ballot, protect the integrity of elections, get rid of dark money, secret money by requiring disclosure and also end partisan gerrymandering in congssional seat. these are things that are overwhelmingly popular, and democrats and independent voters like these ideas, and we have a democratic majority and our folks expect this to get done and we'll get this done. >> woodruff: senator tim kaine, a co-sponsor of the voting rights legislation. thank you, senator. >> absolutely.

>> woodruff: a new national poll paints a troubling picture, of an american electorate worried about the future of democracy, sharply divided on issues of personal freedom, and dissatisfied with president biden's leadership. here to walk us through the results is ann selzer. she is the president of selzer & company, which wrote the poll, in collaboration with grinnell college. ann selzer, welcome back to the "newshour". it's very good to see you. a number of striking things here to ask you about. starting with this question about people's trust in our democracy. what we find in these results is a majority of americans saying that they believe democracy is facing a major threat, and we see that number driven by republicans, 71% of them think that's true compared of 35% of democrats. what do you see is driving this? >> well, the reason we wanted to go after this was a focus on the

health of american democracy. so we went at it from sideways issues, but this is hitting it from head-on. do you perceive that american democracy is under major, minor threat or no threat at all, and there have been sobering conversations on both sides of the aisle about what the current threat is and i think the findings of this poll reveals that, at the heart, the bigger perceived threat is republicans listening to the talk about the election being stolen, about the electoral system being broken, and that has really set in, in a way that makes them believe the democracy is a major threat. democrats are not nearly as roiled up about a sense of doom for the democracy. >> woodruff: fascinatele and, as you say, we've seen a lot of conversation, a lot of editorials written about the threats to democracy on the democratic side. so interesting to see these results. ann selzer, you asked about

president biden. we see, in what you found, he's facing some of his lowest approval ratings yet. he's 37% approval, 50% disapproving. which voters, what issues do you see behind this? >> right. well, in terms of issues, we ask for approval ratings and how he's doing with immigration, where he scored very poorly, just 27% approving. we also took a look at how he's doing with covid and, sadly, you might say this is the high-water mark for him. he still doesn't get 50% approval on how he's doing with covid and that's his benchmark issue. he also only gets 36% approval with the economy and as the economy goes, so goes the president's standing, so it's no surprising that number at 36 is almost exactly what his overall numbers are for approval. two groups i would call out, one

is that he sh -- gets more disapproval by a lot with independents than approval, so it's almost a two-to-one ratio, twice as many disapproving as approving, and independents were crucial to his electoral success. he is also underwater not by as much but with women, and women, throughout the campaign, were of his strongest supporters. he does better with suburban women but not exactly a lot to be proud of, it's 46 to 38% more approving than disapproving, but he's not even halfway with suburban women, and they were a bulwark of his campaign. >> woodruff: they certainly were. so interesting to see that. you also asked about trust in, i guess you could say, community leaders, you asked people to weigh in on how much they trust, have confidence people like doctors, police officers, teachers, other civil servants,

and you saw a lot of political divide here. >> and that was so fascinating, and maybe confinished what we might have -- confirmed what we might have already specked but in big -- suspected but in big, big numbers. one group that was tested rerdless of your party identification tested very well were nurses, 68% saying they have high trust, very little difference by party. among democrats, also about that high, doctors and scientists, over 60% saying they have high trust. but among republicans, it's just 28% who say they have high trust in scientists. and again, once you see these numbers, it sort of unpacks the things that people have been talking about and saying all along, that the approach for the democrats put a lot at stake in the ability of doctors and scientists to communicate about covid what these data are saying is that the republicans are not buying it.

>> woodruff: and we saw, i think, in that same question very low levels of confidence in federal employees. one other thing i do want to ask you about is the supreme court. you asked respondents about what they think drives the decisions that the justices make. 62% bipartisan think the court's decisions are driven by politics and would support 15-year term limits for members of the court, really interesting. >> well, and especially interesting, judy, given the makeup of the court was that there was very little difference whether you were a republican, democrat or independent, that 62% number saying they felt the decisions were based on the political views of the justices, rather than the constitution and law. that came across very evenly, as did the idea of perhaps making a

change of how justices are appointed to have a fixed term, maybe 15 years, there was equal support for that, 62%. again, very little partisan difference. >> woodruff: that is a number, that assumption that the court driven by politics, that is a number we are clearly seeing rise. ann selzer, again, so many interesting pieces of this poll to look at. thank you very much for joining us. we appreciate it. >> my pleasure. >> woodruff: it was an especially violent day today in syria. damascus saw its deadliest bombing in four years, when more than a dozen government soldiers were killed in a bus attack. and in northwest idlib, shelling killed ten, including four children. idlib is the final stronghold

for rebels who are fighting the assad regime. today, it is facing its most severe wave of covid. a warning now: the images in this story can be difficult to watch. as nick schifrin reports, covid is hitting hospitals already weakened by war. ( child crying ) >> schifrin: in idlib's newest covid ward, the patients are too young to know why they cry. ( child crying ) iman is three. others are even more vulnerable. the youngest patient in this chdren's hospital is 15 days old. it is heartbreaking work for doctors, who have to go home and care for the own children. >> ( translated ): children are dying. the delta variant in particular is very strong, and hitting children particularly badly. >> schifrin: dr. sohbi sam is a pediatrician. he struggles to give life to those who are supposed to have so lg to live.

>> ( translated ): we ask our fellow residents of northern syria: take the vaccine, as a social responsibility, because this is the reality we are living in right now. >> schifrin: ali al-hassan's reality is in his garden, thinking of his 63-year-old father ibrahim. when ibrahim got sick, the family first cared for him here, at home. as ibrahim got more sick, ali had to go to seven healthcare centers before he found an open bed. on this day, ali's five children, among ibrahim's 13 grandchildren. , tend the garden, and pick their favorite flowers. >> ( translated ): he died about a week after we found a spot for him. it was very difficult and tiring for all of us. >> schifrin: ali and his kids plant seeds that ibrahim will never get to see. last month, confirmed cases in idlib almost doubled, largely

due to the delta variant. doctors rush to restart this man's heart. this time, he lives. idlib's hospitals are beyond capacity. there are less than 130 i.c.u. beds for the province's four million residents. dr. absi al-fouad is a doctor in idlib's largest hospital for covid-19 patients. >> ( translated ): the doctors it's taking a massive physical and mental toll on our healthcare workers. the p.p.e. and oxygen supply we have now is not nearly enough to handle the influx of cases coming into this hospital. >> schifrin: despite that influx, russia and the syrian regime continue to attack. the u.n. says, in the last two years, they've targeted more than 80 medical facilities. the need is most acute in idlib's refugee camps. miles away from the turkish border, a milln and a half people call this home. at these camps, residents who are younger than the war are dependent on aid workers for water, and oxygen.

canisters are delivered into tents by the n.g.o. rahma, arabic for "mercy." nour qarmash is the coordinator. >> the whole situation is deteriorating, and getting from bad to worst. >> schifrin: but these canisters can't meet the need. there's a massive oxygen shortage-- one tank can cost as much as $130. >> we, as n.g.o.s, we're trying our best to deliver the aid to those in need, but the need is greater than the help we're getting from the communities, from the countries and the w.h.o. >> schifrin: the wor health organization, who is providing some astrazenica, and chinese sinovac vaccines. but less than 1% of idlib's residents are fully vaccinated, because of a lack of supply, and some hesitancy. but for many, covid is only one of their worries. the u.n. says 97% live in extreme poverty.

covid exacerbated struggles of even those relatively well-off. 28-year-old teacher radwan amin got sick in april. >> i had to work from home, even though i am very sick, on typing word documents for university students. this work doesn't provide very much, but it helped me survive. >> schifrin: one week after he >> schifrin: others have no choice but to get their hands dirty-- and car mechanics in idlib's industrial zone, like abu mahmoud hamwi, can't afford masks. >> ( translated ): the health offices keep bothering us about masks, but i work here and have grease and oil on my hands all day. i would need ten masks a day. ten masks, 5 liras per masks. that's 50 liras. that feeds a whole family. >> schifrin: families continue to struggle. but, after years of distance, regional governments are gradually re-engaging with syrian president bashar al assad, despite a human rights watch report released today saying syrian refugees returning

to the country face “grave human rights abuses and persecution in a country decimated by conflict and widespread destruction.” but now, the volunteers, known as white helmets, who used to spend their days trying to save victims of bombings, are more often handling the victims of covid. and their ambulances, that once went to hospitals, now go straight to cemeteries. for years, idlib residents have witnessed far too much death. now, they are stalked by covid. for the pbs newshour, i'm nick schifrin. >> woodruff: the blowback to dave chappelle's latest comedy special, produced by netflix, has reached a boiling point. today, several dozen of netflix's ousands of employees walked off the job, demanding the company better support its transgender workers. amna nawaz has the story.

>> nawaz: judy, this all goes back to "the closer," dave chappelle's highly-watched special. but employees at netflix-- including some who walked off the job today-- criticized the special, arguing that it's offensive and could lead to harm of transgender people. in it, chappelle compares trans identity to blackface, and jokes about killing a woman. netflix's co-c.e.o. ted sarandos initially doubled down on his support for chappelle and the special. yesterday, he said the special will remain online, but apologized, saying“ i screwed up” and “i should've made sure to recognize that a group of our employees was hurting.” joining me now is imara jones. she's the creator of trans-lash media, a media non-profit that focuses on the transgender community. she also co-chaired the first- ever u.n. high-level meeting on gender diversity. imara, welcome to the "newshour". thanks for making the time. i have to point out even after that acknowledgment from is a

rando saying -- sarando, they say it fits into free artistic expression. what do you make of this? >> well i think that it shows that netflix signs off on this content from the very highest level, and we know from reporting from bloomberg that, actually, ted sarandos signed off on this personally, which is a huge warning sign usually in media companies when content decisions haveo go to the highest levels, it means no one else wanted to have their fingerprints on it, and what is strange is people want to embrace success within companies. so what we're seeing from the firing of employees to the personal statement he made not once but twice last week to the other actions netflix is taken, that ted sarandos, at the highest level of that company, believes in this content, believes in the views expressed

by it and as he said last week doesn't see there's any real world harm. >> reporter: explain the real world harm but i think people will question if they don't understand the backlash, help us understand what's at stake here. >> i think the first thing to realize is this is essentially hate speech deguides as jokes, and that is an essential point here that no one is contesting that humor can be outrageous, sometimes offensive, but i think that this crosses the line into hate speech that's disguised as jokes, and one of the ways in which it puts people at harm is that it essentially argues that trans people aren't real, it essentially argues that black trans people aren't real, and at the heart of the violence against trans people, specifically black trans people where we have broken records of murders of black trans women for

several years in a row now, at the heart of those murders, when you look into them, is the belief by the perpetrators that they weren't doing anything wrong -- that is to say that the person isn't human. and here we have that reinforced on a massive scale. the questioning of the fundamental humanity of trans people disguised as jokes which is at the heart of violence against our community. >> reporter: the data speaks volumes here, according to human rights campaign 2021 is said to be the most violent year on record for transgender and gender non-conn forming people. the other point is this is on brand for david david. that comedy is supposed to be provocative. the defenders says he jokes about the chinese, jewish people, women, they just say comedy is supposed to be provocative. shouldn't there be a speos for that? >> well, it's also supposed to

be intelligent and there's nothing intelligent and mocking trans people, there's nothing interesting or provocative about mocking trans people, there's nothing interesting in joking about rape, and it's really hard to see how any of that stands, and what may be different is that, in the past, there would be a sprinkling of those types of jokes in his comedy in the midst of other things that were, perhaps, insightful, all the rest of it. what insights me about this special is if you were to take out all the lgbtqia material, there would not be much of a special left, that's pretty much what the entire special, is and he has decided to go out in this final special, he says, not on a high of anything intelligent but in terms of settling scores with the community he doesn't like. >> reporter: we should point out with today's walk at netflix that trans capitol police have submitted a list of demands to the company, more investment, a revision of the internal

processes that decides which content gets made and how it goes out there. what should we expect to see from netflix next? >> i think what we should expect to see is more of the same. i think when you have the commitment from now the most powerful man in hollywood, from the most powerful streaming service in the world that says it will make commitments to put out $6 billion worth of content next year, when he's behind this type of material, i don't know that we'll see much change from netflix, although i hope that i am proved wrong, i think that what we should see is what the employees are demanding. what they are demanding is a radically different platform that will allow trans creators the opportunities to be able to be heard. >> woodruff: -- >> reporter: i hear you saying you would like to see change but are not optimistic it will happen, right? >> i'm not optimistic in the short term. i do think there are a couple of things that will eat away at netflix that will drive change.

i think the first of those, quickly, is a lot of people are saying they don't wish to work with netflix right now. i've had producers and show runners tell me that. they are having people be fired and resigned, and the third thing that netflix may become a stigma brand, that is to say it may no longer be a place where they are proud to say that you work. and if that's the kay, they will lose employees to competitors who are dying to know inessential's secrets, and if those employers allow the new employees to not only bring their knowledge but also this desire for more diverse content, over time netflix could be in real trouble. >>eporter: we'll be watching and following for sure. imara jones, creator of trans-lash media, thank you for joining us and for your time. >> thank you so much.

>> woodruff: the pandemic is bringing new attention to a critical health care challenge plaguing many countries: a shortage, or unreliable supply, of medical oxygen. it's also prompting many medical providers to look at ways to fix the problem. special correspondent fred de sam lazaro reports on one example in uganda, as part of our series, "breakthroughs." >> reporter: do you ever run out of space here? >> yes, yes. there are very many. >> reporter: bed space is almost always in short supply in public hospitals like this one in uganda's second largest city, mbarara. but a bigger, ever-present concern for veteran head nurse adeodata ahairwe is having a steady supply of oxygen, to save this premature infant and so many others. the lives of hundreds of patients every day in the mbarara hospital depend on an

uninterrupted flow of oxygen-- and in turn, the hospital's oxygen plant depends on an uninterrupted supply of electricity. and in uganda, as in so many other countries, that is hardly guaranteed. unicef says the scarcity, or irregular supply, of oxygen contributes to hundreds of thousands of child deaths every year. along with drugs like antibiotics, oxygen therapy is critical in treating pneumonia. at 800,000 victims each year, the biggest killer of children under five. pneumonia is often found in severe malaria cases, like that of nine-year-old fridah, who was ought here by her dad, posanio bazamanza. >> she was breathing really badly when we came. they put her on oxygen, and now i'm seeing her breathing improving and getting better. >> reporter: fridah is also one of the first few patients who've beenut on a fail-safe oxygen delivery system that's being piloted in this hospital, called oxylink. >> so, basically, this is a

very simple system that ensures that we have an uninterrupted supply of oxygen. >> reporter: sheillah baganaya is a biomedical engineer and the ugandan head of freo2, an australian non-profit that invented this system. >> so, we have our concentrator, which makes oxygen from air. >> reporter: this is the oxygen concentrator. >> this is the concentrator. >> reporter: that oxygen is pumped into the lower of two 50- gallon bladders or flexible bags. on a shelf about six feet above it, the other bag is filled with water. >> when there is a power cut, oxygen comes from the bag to the patient. >> reporter: in a power failure, e says, a sensor triggers the system to send water flowing by gravity from the upper bag to the lower. >> the weight of the water will flow down and push this oxygen to that patient. >> reporter: because the water is heavier than the oxygen. so it's going to come down into

this bag and push-- push the oxygen. >> to the patient. >> reporter: through the tubes to the patient. >> exactly. >> reporter: and in the event of a long power outage-- more than two hours, perhaps-- that would deplete the stored oxygen, she says a back-up cylinder is on standby. >> normally we have short-- short but frequent power cuts. >> reporter: but evea short power cut can mean the difference between life and death. >> exactly. >> reporter: so far it's proven 100% reliable, she says, serving four pediatric patients at a time. freo2, which is funded by several international charities, plans to scale up, here and in 22 other rural east african hospitals. the focus will remain on pediatrics, but baganaya says that benefits all patients. >> usually, pediatric wards, neonatal wards, are some of the highest consumers of oxygen in our facility. so we find that, once we are able to provide reliable systems for, like, pediatrics, for

neonatal, that then frees up more oxygen for the adults, for covid and other cases. >> reporter: nurse ahairwe, who has worked here for more than two decades, is encouraged by all the attention now being paid to the oxygen supply-- attention that's heightened by the pandemic. the improving supply is helping save many more lives than was possible just a few years ago, she says. how many patients would you lose? >> we'd lose 20% of children because of oxygen. but these days we're at 5%, 6%, 8%. they don't die today because of oxygen, they die because of other conditions; the underlying infections, underlying conditions. but for oxygen, at least, these days we are fine. >> reporter: allowing her, like so many more patients, to breathe more easily. for the pbs newshour, i'm fred de sam lazaro in mbarara. >> woodruff: fred's reporting is in partnership with the under-told stories project at the university of st. thomas in minnesota.

>> woodruff: and now, one man's unlikely journey, from the streets of baltimore to concert halls around the globe-- thanks to his mastery of the tuba. jeffrey brown has this story, for our arts and culture series, "canvas." >> brown: it's not everyday you get a tuba demonstration. >> i take a deep breath... ♪ ♪ ♪ ...and sometimes, i like to have fun, which means i like to do multi-phonics... ♪ ♪ ♪ ...which is singing in the tuba. >> brown: especially one like this. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> and then i like to add a little beat-box to it. ♪ ♪ ♪ and you put it all together. ♪ ♪ ♪

>> brown: now, is that in the classical repertoire? ( laughs ) >> not yet. but i'm working on it. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> brown: richard antoine white is a classical musician. he's principal tubist for the santa fe symphony and the new mexico philharmonic. and if he hasn't yet brought beat-boxing to the tradition, he has brought an inspiring personal story. >> if you look at my life, my entire life, it was a long st for me to be successful. against all odds, i am possible, taking the word "impossible" and turning it into "i am possible." >> brown: and that's what he's titled his new memoir, "i'm possible: a story of survival, a tuba, and the small miracle of a big dream." the six-foot, five-inch, 330-pound white weighed just over a pound when he was born to a teenage mother who battled

alcoholism. as captured in a 2019 documentary, his earliest years were spent homeless on baltimore's tough west side, every day a struggle to survive. >> my routine was look in the gutter, try to find some coins, figure out how i was going to get some chicken gizzards or chicken wings for the day, and then off to find my mom, if we weren't together. that was my normal. >> brown: and figure out where to sleep? >> where to sleep, yeah. and it was an open space so i could sleep under a tree. i could sleep in an abandoned house. >> brown: at age four, his mother's foster parents took him in and got legal custody. his mother, cheryl, died at age 36. in his book, white calls her a "hero." >> because i think she did one of the hardest things there is to do, is for a mother to give up their child and to be selfless, to have that child have a chance at life. and on her deathbed, her last dying words to my brother was, "i want you to be like your brother."

which, i can get a little emotional now-- because to me, it signifies that she really loved me, and that's really real. >> brown: music became his way forward. in middle school band, he latched onto the tuba, which he calls the "underdog" instrument. >> it represents me. the tuba is big, it's bulky, clumsy sometimes. but yet, it can be powerful, beautiful and dominant. i always say my job in the orchestra is to show everyone else how bad they suck at rhythm and pitch. ( laughs ) >> brown: he attended high school at the highly selective baltimore school for the arts, college at the peabody institute-- the oldest conservatory in the country-- and indiana university's prestigious jacobs school of music, where he became the first-ever african american to earn a doctorate in tuba performance. >> one and two, and, one and two, and, one and two. and, stop. absolutely amazing.

>> brown: w 48, he teaches at the university of new mexico, one of just two black tenured tuba professors in the country. he's made it, on his own terms. >> on the classical stage, you can't help but be aware that you're the only one that looks like you on stage. >> brown: which is probably the case for you a lot, right? >> yes. you're the only tuba player, because there's only one tuba for orchestra. and then, on top of that, you're the only african american. and then, if you look out in the audience, you're lucky if you see one african american in the audience. so, you are conscious of that. ♪ ♪ ♪ what's fascinating to me is that we all have to choose from the same notes. whether you're caucasian, african american-- hey, when i'm on the stage with my colleagues, there's not a set of notes that says "for black people." and we work together towards a common goal. and i think finding e musical instrument was the first time i experienced a real sense of belonging. ♪ ♪ ♪

>> brown: he shares that now with students. tutoring a high school junior and helping him toward a full college scholarship... ♪ ♪ ♪ >> yes, you see what i saying. we're speaking the language, man, yes! >> brown: ...steering a graduate student to improvise, new orleans-style, contributing to a music scholarship he helped establish at indiana for under-represented students-- even though he still carries his own student loans-- ♪ ♪ ♪ and prepping recent alums for orchestral auditions. it's all part of paying back those who helped him succeed. he lives with his partner, yvonne, and her adult children just outside albuquerque, where he's helped build the ten-year- old new mexico philharmonic. >> i've never been in a place with so much potential that hasn't quite achieved it yet. i want to be a part of the potential. i could have auditioned for

other orchestras, bui think there's a sense of building something, growing something, and saying, man, i was here from the beginning. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> brown: during the pandemic, white has performed inirtual concerts, like this one at santa fe's meow wolf. later this year, he'll be onstage, in-person with the oakland and santa fe symphonies. for the pbs newshour, i'm jeffrey brown. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> woodruff: what a great story. and on the newshour online right now, thousands of indigenous residents living on the coastline of louisiana may not see federal funding for recovery after hurricane ida, because some belong to tribes not recognized by the u.s.

government as eligible for federal assistance. more on the reason why, on www.pbs.org/newshour. and that is the newshour for tonight. i'm judy woodruff. join us online, and again here tomorrow evening. for all of us at the pbs newshour, thank you, please stay safe, and we'll see you soon. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> the rules of business are being reinvented, with a more flexible workforce, by embracing innovation, by looking not only at current opportunities, but ahead to future ones. >> people who know, know b.d.o. >> for 25 years, consumer cellular's goal has been to provide wireless service that helps people communicate and connect. we offer a variety of no-contract plans, and our u.s.-based customer service team can help find one that fits you. to learn more, visit www.consumercellular.tv. >> fidelity wealth management. >> johnson & johnson. >> bnsf raway.

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hello. welcome to "amanpour & co.," here is whas coming up. >> i feel like a weight has been lifted on my shoulders. i'm greful my own story has been able to help others come forward. >> abuse allegations in women's soccer could be just the tip of the iceberg as reports of new cases emerge from around the world. i speak with a former player and whistle blower. as the kidnapping of missionaries in haiti highlight problems, we look at crises there. any time you have a breakdown like you have seen, there's a chance to build something better. >> courage in a crisis.