♪ judy: good evening. i'm judy woodruff. on the "newshour" tonight... the road ahead -- president biden signs his $1 trillion dollar bipartisan infrastructure bill into law, as the path for the rest of his agenda grows more challenging. then... under fire -- the pentagon faces new scrutiny for its handling of an air strike in syria that killed dozens of civilians. and... searching for justice -- a former inmate helps others navigate their release from prison and mentors at-risk youth who are still incarcerated. >> they make us feel like we are in the shoes and that we can do bigger things with our life and we do have a future. judy: all that and more on tonight's "pbs newshour." ♪

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broadcasting and contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. judy: spirits were high at the white house today as democratic and republican lawmakers joined president biden to mark a historic legislative achievement signing the bipartisan infrastructure bill into law. the president praised the bipartisanship that got them here. president biden: the bill i'm about to sign into law is proof that despite the cynics, democrats and republicans can come together and deliver results. we can do this. we can deliver real results for real people. we see in ways that really matter each and every day to each person out there. and we're taking a monumental step forward to build back better as a nation. judy: the $1.2 trillion dollar legislation has some $550

billion dollars in new spending that will go toward public infrastructure projects across the country over the next five years, including money for roads, bridges and mass trsit. for more, i'm joined by our white house correspondent yamiche alcindor and our congressional correspondent lisa desjardins. hello to both of you. this is the moment the president has been working for for a long time. it is huge for him and for the country. give us a sense of what is in the legislation. yamiche: it is a huge moment for president biden, signing this bipartisan infrastructure bill into law is a victory he has been looking for. i was on the white house lawn shivering with the other lawmakers, and i can tell you what was maybe not visible on camera is there were summary lawmakers, republicans and democrats, standing up and clapping. a rare show of bipartisanship. this is a historic bill.

$550 billion of new spending. there is $110 billion for highways, bridges and roads, 66 billion dollars for passenger and freight rail, including amtrak, one of the president's famous ways to travel. $55 billion for broadband internet, which the white house says is important, especially during the pandemic. $55 billion for water and wastewater. the other thing to note, the president, the vice president, and a number of cabinet officials, the first lady, the second gentleman, they will be fanning out across the country to talk about this infrastructure bill and the larger build back at her agenda. the president will kick that off in new hampshire. he is going to an 82-year-old structure that has been on the state read list for needing repairs since 2013.

then he will go to detroit to visit a general motors factory. it will be retooled to specialize in building electric vehicles. this is the president hammering home the idea that the bill will have a direct impact on people and he hopes soon. the old back better -- build back better agenda, that bill is still being negotiated, but the white house is hoping to momentum for this first bill will carry that over. judy: lisa, you have read the bill. we know it is historic in a number of categories. why don't you drill down on a couple of the important ones. transportation and clean water. lisa: there is so much to say, these are two areas, both of which are historic in proportions in this bill and both of which i think most people will see in their local communities and states in the coming years.

let's talk first about roads and bridges, traditional infrastructure, surface transportation. let's talk about what is in that. in total, this is new money and expected money altogether, over $500 billion, over half of the bill is for roads, rails and buses. that includes big-ticket projects like new york's gateway trouble. there's been a lot of problems with traffic into manhattan. that is something the entire northeast has wanted. it is also $1 billion for things like rural fairies in -- ferries in alaska. that's why you saw some republicans vote for this bill. it essentially saves a critical infrastructure service. let's talk about water. the most we have ever seen an investment in clean water in this country is in this bill. what is in it? in terms of water, the largest

clean water investment in history, and they will replace lead pipes -- probably not every leadpipe in the country, but the gains in that area. it will also tackle pfas, they are very hard to clean up, more and more in places like the great lakes. this would tackle both of those problems. judy: yamiche, the president still has several challenges on his plate. surely one of the biggest is inflation. how does this bill, if at all, affect that? yamiche: inftion is top of mind for this white house and president biden, especially as you see his poll numbers are starting to sink in americans is saying they are very worried about the economy. the white house insists this bipaisan info structure built into the build back better act will help with inflation. experts agree those bills will likely bring inflation down in

the long term, but the short-term is issue. this bill could increase inflation before it brings it down. that is something to watch as americans are worried, paying more for everything from gas to thanksgiving dinner. judy: thank you both. let's turn to two mayors who were at the white house this afternoon and are on the front lines of the implementation of this new law. nan whaley is a democrat serving dayton, ohio. and david holt is a republican leading oklahoma city. they both co-chair the u.s. conference of mayors' effort to get the infrastructure bill passed. it is great to have you here, you are in town for the signing. for people who haven't been following the ins and outs of infrastructure, why will this make a difference? why is this important to your

constituents in ohio? mayor whaley: we've been trying to invest in roads, bridges, ports and broadband. but because we don't have federal funding and support, it takes a really long time, and our bridges will sit undone and become dangerous. this is a safety issue, it creates good union paying jobs, but also it people's ability to get to work easier and not have to hit those potholes they hate so much. in my community particularly, we have had the highest satisfaction rate in 40 years, but the one thing folks wanted a few months ago was better roads. this will make that happen and those are the kind of things people see in their community every day. judy: fewer potholes could be a winner. mayor hold, what about your constituents? what are you hearing that to make a difference? mayor holt: our taxpayers send a

lot of dollars to washington and the one thing they want to get back are core services and core info structure and that's what this package provides. 60% of the package goes to roads and bridges, and just as mayor whaley was saying, it is you do know, city. we are a sprawling, southwest city, 620 square miles. it is always a struggle to keep up with street resurfacing and this will hopefully assist to that. just as much of a struggle to keep up with public transit and bring that to a level people expect. the money for public transit is appealing. and passenger rail. the president is known to be a big fan of amtrak and so there is a big investment in passenger rail, and for oklahoma city, it promises to connect us north to kansas, which opens the northern united states for us and the whole amtrak system. those are some of the things. all of this is hopefully stuff, programs we can tap into, whether it is fraud band or water infrastructure, so on. judy: even people who like this

essay it may take time to roll this out. how long will people have to wait to see tangible benefits from this legislation? mayor whaley: it is a long-term plan, it is not a year infrastructure plan, it is over years. but we will see movement think in the first of next year and some road dollars being moved pretty quickly. really through what we call metropolitan planning organizations. there are many projects in dayton and communities across the country already on a list, they just could not get the funding to get it done. now the funding will be there to rebuild roads, to make sure we can start doing real broadband in our communities. you will see smaller projects at the beginning and then larger projects move. in ohio, we have a bridge that connects ohio to kentucky that is been talked about nationally, we think that will move really quickly. judy: mayor holt, are you bracing yourself that people will say wait a minute, and will

we see something real coming out of this? mayor holt: well sure. i am in a business where we plant trees so our grandchildren have shade. judy: yeah. [laughter] mayor holt: i am comfortable with the pace of things and we have a lot of important initiatives in our city that we passed over the next -- the last 30 years the people know it takes 10 or 15 years. we are kind of conditioned to be ready for the wait, that will be part of it. but i also know if anybody gets impatient, i'm going to say you know when these projects were not opening, the last 10 years when we were waiting on this packet -- passage. judy: the two of you are obviously for, the white house very much for it. mayor whaley, we know most members of the republican ohio allegaon voted against this. i am coding republican davison, he says it is pork laden and not

narrowly tailored, it is reckless spending. how do you answer? mayor whaley: senator portman, an ohio republican, spoke today, and he went through how this happened. i think what makes it so difficult in washington, d.c. is things get mired in partisanship. 63% of americans support this info structure bill. that is a huge number. it does have bipartisan support across the country. what i think is frustrating for us as mayors trying to get stuff done is a lot of times when it comes to this town, everybody gets in their corners. i was happy to see on this bill, we saw bipartisan support, the first time in a long time. we saw senator portman or congressman gonzalez an ohio vote yes. judy: mayor holt, your party, republican party, much more opposition. polls showing bipartisan support

republican support seems to be sliding. the entire oklahoma delegation voted against it. then you have comments from former president trump, saying it is a non-infrastructure bill, he is very sad rinos, republicans in name only, were for this. he says he is ashamed, that republicans who voted for this should be ashamed. mayor holt: a lot did. not all by any means, but leader mcconnell voted for this. we had a letter from a 400 shares, partisan mayors across the country in all 50 states supporting this. my state chamber of commerce supported this. i get the politics in this city and people do things that have different motivations than just the face of the policy, but mayors have been consistent over 10 years, they've come to that same white house in the obama and trump administration and now

the biden administration, seeking virtually the same thing, a major package very similar if not identical to what we saw signed today. the politics change but the needs don't, the policy doesn't and ultimately i'm glad it passed. i don't have a grudge against anyone who voted no, but i am grateful to the republicans and honestly many democrats who worked together to make sure it did pass and did something that needed to be done in this country regardless of the policy win. republicans and democrats worked together across partisan lines to do something important and i hope this is in last time that happens. judy: both of you, is this political opposition going to affect your ability to implement this? mayor whaley: i've noticed that even when folks vote against it, they go until community members what came from washington. i don't think it will affect implementation. we saw this with the american

rescue plan money. as soon as it was past, even folks who voted no came to dayton to say what they gave to the community, which i find interesting. we want to make sure it gets done so we are fine with that. judy: you think there will be a problem? mayor holt: no. these things, roads, bridges, transit -- mayor whaley: everyone. mayor holt: everyone likes these things and it won't have to do with politics five years from now. that is ok. judy: mayor nan whaley of dayton, ohio and mayor holt of alum city, thank you. mayor holt: an honor to be with you, thank you. ♪ stephanie: we will return to the rest of the program after these headlines. longtime ally of former president trump, steve bannon, faced criminal contempt charges, in washington. he has refused to cooperate with a congressional investigation of the january assault on the u.s.

capitol. bannon entered no plea at his initial court appearance, but outside, he declared his defiance of congress, the president and the attorney general. >> this is going to be the misdemeanor from hell for merrick garland, nancy pelosi, and joe biden. joe biden ordered merrick garland to prosecute me from the white house lawn when he got off marine one. and we're going to go on the offense. we're tired of playing defense, we're going to go on the offense on this and stand by. stephanie: in fact and despite bannon's claim, there is no evidence president biden ordered attorney general garland to prosecute him. if convicted, he faces a maximum one year in prison on each of 2 counts. on the pandemic: health officials in new york city called for all adults to get booster shots, going beyond cdc guidance. taken that step as infections surge again. meanwhile, austria ordered a

lockdown for unvaccinated people through november 24. a jury in kenosha, wisconsin, heard closing arguments today in the kyle rittenhouse murder trial. he killed two people and wounded a third during protests over racial justice last year. prosecutors argued that rittenhouse triggered the confrontations. the defense said he was chased by rioters as the two sides made final presentations. >> when the defendant provokes the incident, he loses the right to self defense. you cannot claim self defense against a danger you create. that's critical right here. >> they're gonna get their licks in on kyle rittenhouse, or as they perceive him, somebody from the other side who has been putting out their fires, causing problems for them, stopping them from wreaking havoc in kenosha. stephanie: earlier, the judge dismissed a misdemeanor charge

against rittenhouse for possession of a dangerous weapon by a minor. six students in aurora, ohio were killed when someone opened fire. the suspects are at large. president biden and china's president xi jinping will be meeting by video conference tonight. in his opening remarks, president biden said the goal is to make sure competition does not veer into conflict. it is their first meeting since stir biden took office and it comes amid military tensions over taiwan. the europe union widened its sanctions against belarus today, for pushing migrants across eu borders. thousands of people are camped along the belarussian borders with poland and lithuania. hundreds have tried to cross illegally. -- cross been refused entry. the eu says belarus president alexander lukashenko engineered the crisis to retaliate for earlier sanctions. american journalist danny fenster is headed home from

myanmar. last friday he was sentenced to 11 years of hard label for charges he spread lies about the military government. he flew to qatar today, joined by one-time un ambassador bill richardson, who negotiated his release. fenster said he was relatively healthy. >> i was arrested and held in captivity for no reason, so i suppose so, but physically, i was healthy, i wasn't starved or beaten. stephanie: he spent the last six months in jail. the international space station is keeping watch tonight for space debris. u.s. officials say a russian weapons test destroyed an old satellite today, creating at least 1,500 pieces of junk, traveling at high speed. the station's crew of 4 americans, 2 russians and 1 german took precautions in case they need to make a quick

getaway. a young boy has died after a crowd surge at a concert in houston. flooding in british columbia, canada has trapped up to 100 vehicles on a highway. the area is hamden by mudslides. meteorologists call it an atmospheric river. back in this country, vermont's united states senator patrick leahy is retiring after 8 terms. the 81-year-old democrat is the senate's senior member, and the last of the "watergate" class of 1974. in montpelier today, he said it's time to come home. >> i know i have been there for my state when i was needed most. i know i have taken our best ideas and i've helped them gro i brought vermont's voice to the united states senate and

vermont's values around the world. stephanie: he has been a leading liberal voice on human rights and the environment. still to come, how a former inmate helps others navigate their release from prison. guests weigh in on the infrastructure win and steve bannon in federal court. parents share questions about vaccinating their children and much more. ♪ >> this is the pbs newshour from weta studios in washington and in the west from arizona state university. judy: the pentagon said today it will request more information about a u.s. air strike in syria that killed civilians in 2019. a new york times investigation describes a cover-up by the military, in one of the worst incidents involving civilians in years.

nick schifrin reports. nick: in march 2019, the u.s. military and its syrian allies attacked the remnants of isis in a small corner of syria, called baghouz, in eastern syria. the u.s. military said it was supporting its allies on the ground, the mostly kurdish "sdf", or syrian defense forces, against 200 isis fighters, including women and child combatants. on march 18, 2019, u.s. aircraft heavily bombed those isis fighters, who the u.s. says were threatening to overrun the sdf and had already caused 30 casualties. the u.s. military says it launched an investigation that initially determined the bombs had killed 4 civilians and wounded 8. that they were in “legitimate self-defense,” and "proprotional.” but the new york times's investigation found that regional commanders immediately knew there were as many as 70 civilian casualties and the defense department since then quote "concealed” the strike. joining me now is one of the times' reporters, dave philipps.

welcome to the newshour. we've just gone through what happened. your investigation, what do you believe regional commanders and new about the strike and went? dave: here is what we know. there was a secretive classified ground unit the called in the air strike and it claimed it was a self-defense strike but there was another part of the u.s. military, an air force drone hovering overhead taking in the scene in high definition color video. people back in the command center were looking at this video and they did not see really any combat. they saw a large group of what appear to be mostly women and children essentially seeking shelter in a low-lying area. that doesn't mean there wasn't fighting somewhere relatively nearby, but certainly not in the immediate area. without warning, they saw a fighter jet streak across and drop some very large bombs in the middle of this crowd. when some of the survivors tried

to stumble out of the aftermath, the jets came back through and killed them as well. what was interesting is immediately after people saw the video in the command center, they were stunned and thought it was really bad strike. that may have even been on or crime -- a war crime, we need to report it and have it investigated. they found it was never investigated. nick: who was sounding the alarm this was a possible war crime, what was the response and what has happened to that person since? dave: the person whose job it was to sound the alarm wasn't a legal officer in the air operations command center. -- was a legal officer in the air operations command center. he saw the footage, it was reported to him is a concern. it is required he reports of the chain of command. when he did that, essentially time and time again, he was told we are not going to do anything about this, don't worry about

it, just drop it. this officer is a lieutenant colonel. he refused to drop it. he tried to take it to the air force version of the fbi and they would not do anything. he eventually took it to the independent watchdog of the military, the department of defense inspector general, and said you've got to do something with this. nick: military officials i talked to point out, we did in investigation known as a 15 six, but your investigation found that at every step of the military made that concealed the strike. dave: when the report went to the inspector general's office, the inspector general also thought oh my gosh, this is a horrendous event that needs to be independently investigated. that's what our rules require, and yet it wasn't done. the investigation that was done was done by the same unit that called in the strike.

essentially grading their own homework. not surprisingly, what they decided was yes this was a mistake not a big deal, it was never reported up to higher authorities, never looked at independently outside of that unit. no one was ever disciplined for it. nick: you have been covering military for 15 years. there have been stories for many years about the military sharing less information than in the past on deployments, sharing less insight about how the wars are going, especially afghanistan, over the last few years. how big of an issue is this, whether the military is sharing all of the information the public needs to grade and understand? dave: what is funny is the military during the war against isis said it was creating the most humane and transparent war ever. they would be extremely careful and follow all sorts of rules and if a single civilian, a

report of a single civilian happened, they would investigate and report it publicly. what we found is they did the opposite. they used the bureaucracy to make it appear everything was ok even when they did not do the work to make that assertion with any accuracy. the new way of waging war is a lot like the old way. the military is not very transparent and not very responsive to the public. nick: dave phillips, thank you very much. dave: thank you. ♪ judy: tonight, we begin the first in a series of stories on the challenges many formerly incarcerated people face. william brangham and producer mike fritz have this profile of michael plummer, who served more than two decades in prison. he was released a year and a have ago, and he now works with

at-risk youth to pass on the lessons he learned. it's part of our ongoing series, searching for justice. william: for 42 year-old michael plummer, the reality of his freedom still hasn't set in. michael: you say, ok, is this real? am i driving this car or am i at this restaurant? i'm used to being home. but mentally, you know, the mind is always there. william: “there” is the 23 years that plummer spent in prison for a murder he committed when he was 16. he was released in 2020 thanks to a washington, d.c. law that freed some longtime prisoners if their crimes were committed as juveniles. he's now been out more than a year and a half, and we've been following plummer as he's rebuilt his life. he reconnected with his daughter, mayana, who was just 18 months old when he was

arrested, and he became a grandfather. and he married ramell thompson, who he had dated as a teenager. he now works two jobs, one working for clean decisions, a company that hires formerly incarcerated people. michael: you wanna get people in your corner to champion you and i champion you. william: and another working as what's known as a “credible messenger” -- where he counsels young people who are in custody and washington, d.c. plummer's partner in that job is 47ear-old anthony petty, whom he met in prison. anthony: this time right here, you're in a confined area, use this time to do something. you read, you learn. william: when petty was released last year after being in prison for nearly 30 years for murder plummer helped him land this job , and trained him how to do it. michael: he served a 30 year prison term. he reformed his life while in there. and even though he spent a lengthy time in prison, it

didn't affect his mental capabilities of being stable. and so he's able to share with the youth a world of wisdom. anthony: we went to jail when we were 16. one of the most important things that i want to do with the young people is i don't want them to go through what michael and i went through. that's the most important thing. and by me being around michael in his work for the credible message workforce, you know, i learned a lot of things just by being around him. michael: when i was young, that was the path i went down. william: research suggests this type of mentorship can have a big impact on young adults in the justice system. one study found that over a two-year period, a similar “credible messenger” program in new york helped reduce felony re-conviction rates by more than half. anthony: i want to get out, go home -- >> i want to get out, go home and have a good job. william: when young man in the

washington, d.c. program told me these mentors are trusted because of their own backgrounds. >> they were incarcerated before. they didn't let the 25 to 35 years to life impact them for what all they got going on for the future. but they make us feel like we are in the shoes and that we can do bigger things with our life and we do have a future. and we do have a family. >> i know as a mother, you always worry what your son is going through. william: and plummer and petty often meet with parents of the young people they see like , mother ashley angel darton. ashley: to him, he be like it's small, why are they tripping, he doesn't take accountability for his actions. william: darton says her son has been in and out of juvenile detention. they're trying to help her understand what he's been dealing with, and how to help him. >> you have to support him but let them know this isn't going to be tolerated. you got some parents, they don't say nothing. ashley: it's hard to deal with a child you don't understand.

so it is really good to work with somebody that understands where you come from. understand what you're going through. and they could basically relate to everything you're doing. william: while plummer's long time in prison in some ways made him perfect for his job, it's not the same for his personal life. michael: i am used to being an introvert. so a lot of times i still be in isolation mode. even know i am in society. william: plummer and his wife rammell thompson first met as teenagers. they both were single parents, they fell in love, and even talked about marriage. but then plummer was arrested, convicted of murder, and given a 30 year-to-life sentence. so when you find out that he's going to go away for a long time, what was your reaction to that? rammell: i was pit stop. at the whole situation, him just leaving. william: the two lost touch while plummer was away, but when he she'd forgiven him. got out, she says she'd forgiven him.

michael i don't know if i asked her out or she asked me out? rammell: you asked me out. michael: you sure. i think you asked me out. william: i'm going to go with her on this. pretty soon, they fell back in love and got married. michael: there will be a lot of stuff to move out. william: earlier this summer they'd just celebrated their one , year anniversary. they were busy packing up their d.c. apartment for a planned move into a about to buy. new house they were about to buy. did this process feel natural to you from where you guys started and being apart and coming back together? michael: i know that when you meet somebody again, there is a process. forget about what happened 20 some years ago. you've got to deal with the right here and now and see where we go from there. william: but forgetting is not always the easiest thing in the world to do. how is that going for you? rammell: one year, it was kind

of rough. it was kind of rough because this is something new to me too. i'm still learning him, he's still learning me. i mean, no marriage is perfect. we have our days. william: but a few months later, the stresses on the relationship got worse. plummer moved out, and is now living in a separate apartment. they didn't buy the house. he and thompson are in marriage counseling. michael: i don't think anybody has the all the answers to a relationship. it's a trial and error. me going to prison i didn't have , a constant relationship with a woman. so with that said, i'm not going to say it is me, i'm not going to say it is her. i'm going to see as both of us, you know, just trying to dance around marriage and make it work between the both of us. i'm a human being, i'm a returning citizen and i'm going to have a normal life. the ups and downs of it.

with this going on right here, i think it will bring us back together in a stronger bond. william: he says this optimism and faith has been crucial to getting him to this point, and he hopes it will continue to pay off in the times ahead. for the pbs newshour, i am william brangham. ♪ judy: today, president biden celebrates a major legislative win on infrastructure, it could be a much-needed political win at a time when his approval rating with voters has been sliding. here with what the signing could mean and more, tamera keefe and lisa from the new york times. so good to see both of you. tam, let's start with the president.

a lot of happiness and smiles on the signing of the infra structure built. it is a tough moment for the president. is this likely to lift him politically? tamera: it was a big partisan party on the south lawn, a party he had been eagerly hoping to have. but in terms of items people will see in their everyday lives, this is not really what this is. this is a long-term investment. last week we were asking the commerce secretary, how long until broadband shows up? the answer is it might not be this year or next year, it could take some time. so the political benefits might not be immediate. if you talk about americans are acutely worried about, yes, they drive over a bridge they are concerned about, but going to the gas station, going to the

grocery store, dealing with covid in their lives, those are items that are more top of mind. judy: lisa, how do you see the political equation for the president? lisa: i think tam is right, the lag in terms of when the projects will come to fruition is really important here. when you are talking to voters, i was out during a lot -- out a lot during the elections, people were not saying i wish i had better infrastructure. they are talking about the cost of milk, the cost of gas, what is going on with schools. when life is going to get back to some kind of pre-covid normal. i think there has been a lot of focus in aquatic circles on getting things done and that is really important. the democrats have to look like they are governing. but it is not just getting things done to get things done, you have to get things done that impact people's lives, and i suspect we will see republicans really continue to drive that economic message home. to push concerns about inflation

, about schools and about crime. judy: it raises all kinds of questions, and we will see where that goes. i want to turn to something very different, another story we are reporting tonight, and that is the indictment of former president trump's close advisor, steve bannon. he refused to cooperate with the house a special committee looking into the attack on the capital back on january. -- back in january. we aired earlier some of his reaction, he says he is going on offense and has singled out the president, speaker pelosi, and the attorney general. how does one weigh the advantages for the committee of going after the prosecution, getting to the bottom of it, something so important to some members of congress, but on the other hand, the potential for retaliation? tamara: certainly steve bannon is going to fight this. he is a podcast host, someone

whose brand is built around being loyal to former president trump, who really has nothing to lose in fighting this fight. he is going to fight this fight. he has little incentive to cooperate, even though he had meetings very near the white house the night before the insurrection, on his podcast, he talked about things are going to be wild. in terms of will going after this compel him to testify, will that change things materially, it is not clear that it will. the u.s. is currently in a situation where we have different sets of facts depending on your politics. and this being as politicized -- it was already politicized and that is not going to change. judy: democrats, they are determined and they say it is important for the country and democracy to get to the bottom of what happened, but many

republicans are looking at it as purely political. lisa: that's exactly right and it is not clear this will help democrats all that 20 comes t the midterm elections. -- when it comes to the midterm elections. americans are not that focused on january 6 when they are focusing on pocketbook issues. but i do think it was a victory for the investigation, a victory for congress. if there had not in consequences for ban and refusing to comply with the subpoena, that would have crippled this investigation. part of what we are seeing is an effort i republicans to run out the clock. republicans feel very confident about their chances in the midterms, particularly in the house, and they have made very clear in words and actions that they have no intention of continuing this investigation even though it is really important for the functioning of our democracy to sort of understand what happened that day. that is not something that is on the republican agenda.

they feel if they can run out the clock they can take control of the house and basically push this aside. judy: a message from a growing number of republicans, we want to look ahead and not back. that has all kinds of implications. the last thing i want to ask you about is senator patrick lahey of vermont. longest serving member of the u.s. senate, finishing eight terms. not running again, he is 81 years old. just a moment about his legacy tamara: some retirements are about politics and some are just retirements. this is not an important part of his political legacy, but to me what stands out about senator lahey is all of the times i have seen him at events, inauguration or state of the union or any of these events, where he has his camera, he has a nice lens, and taking pictures. he has been in the senate this long and part of the washington establishment this long and yet

he marvels at the functioning of our government enough to continue to be a tourist, if you will, in washington. judy: not all the senior members of the senate are saying they will retire, thinking of chuck grassley of iowa. what about senator lahey into the legacy he will leave next year? lisa: i think this is a bit of a moment for the democratic party, a moment that perhaps some in the party would argue is overdue, but it will come where you have senior members that are octogenarians and septuagenarian's, most of the leadership in congress are in their 70's and 80's. it will happen to this party, a younger generation will eventually have to take the rein s and it is not clear who will rise to that. judy: we should point out, he has a year left but he has announced and we will see what happens in the state of vermont. very good to have both of you.

thank you both. ♪ let's return to questions about younger children getting the covid vaccine. to do that, i would like to introduce nicole ellis, our new digital anchor and correspondent. nicole anchors live coverage on our streaming platforms and will report for both the broadcast and our website. she just finished speaking with parents about questions they have about the vaccine. welcome. nicole: happy to be here, judy. i talked to parents all over the country and in some cases their kids too -- too. one thing they were concerned about is when they can take the

vaccine. i want to introduce you to one mother in new york. >> thank you for taking our question. we are interested in knowing if there have been any developments regarding a covid-19 vaccine for kids under five years of age, and additionally, for kids that are getting the vaccine now, are there any side effects that have been seen or we can expect for kids? nicole: her second question gets to one of the underlying concerns of most parents, is the vaccine safe? the short answer is yes, but like adults, kids will have some of the same discomforts. that includes the soreness at the injection site, as well as a summary redness and swelling. that includes potentially nausea or pain or aches and fever in the days that follow. finally, all of the research that's gone into creating a vaccine for adults and children five to 11 will play a role in

creating a vaccine for children under five. while we may not have exact dates for when that will happen, we know there is a body of work that will propel that pace in which we have a vaccine for children under five at a faster rate. judy: you were telling us they were also questions about dosage and in the case of a child who is just about to turn a year older and parents trying to decide what to do. nicole: that's right, a lot of parents want to know how the dosage works and whether or not if your kid is at the cusp, whether they should wait for their child to get the full vaccine dose. i got some help from dr. patel, and infectious diseases physician, to understand how that works and give parents the right answer. dr patel: the reason the doses come out of the way they do for the younger population is they are getting as much medicine as you truly need, which is actually less in the adult dose, but still just as effective.

the earlier, the better. don't wait. all of the research has been done to give the right dose to the right age groups. judy: you told us overall, there is a message for parents who just cannot decide whether this is the right thing to do for their child or not. nicole: that's right, to answer that big question of whether or not it is worth it, it is important to think through the severity of the risks. researchers and physicians like dr. patel all point out the risk of the consequences for parts and their children if they don't take the vaccine and they contract covid far outweigh the side effects or potential risks associated with the vaccine itself. that is the biggest consideration a lot of parents are making, and everyone i have spoken to in the science world and practicing physicians have pointed out that while children not be experiencing the most severe cases, they are still being hospitalized because of this virus. while it may seem like it is not

necessarily as risky for kids or that they may just be ok, it is not worth finding out after they have contracted covid and experiencing those consequences versus navigating the consequences of taking the vaccine or rather the side effects of taking the vaccine. judy: we know how seriously parents take these decisions. of course, this is their children's health. so this is very helpful. nicole ellis, welcome again and thank you. you can watch nicole's full conversation with dr. patel about kids and vaccines on our website, pbs.org/newshour. ♪ for the last decade, pulitzer prize prize-winning journalist andrea elliott has been following dasani, a child that grew up in foster care in

brooklyn, new york. elliott's new book, "invisible child," expands on her 2013 new york times profile of dasani and asked readers to question their views about property and opportunity in america. tonight, she offers us a brief but spectacular take on seeing the unseen. andrea: we tend to love this romantic story about poverty, which is that it is something you escape, that if you work hard enough, if you are talented enough, and maybe with a little bit of luck, you can make it. for every kidho makes it out, there are so many more who are just as capable, just as talented, just as willing, but who face areas -- barriers. they are much greater than their talent and willpower, and we don't ask ourselves why so many of those kids don't make it out, we just tend to celebrate the

one who did because it lets us off the hook in a sense, but i believe it is the path that both -- that most represent what poor kids have to struggle with in this country. i will never forget the first moment i saw dasani and her family. they were walking out of the shelter in a single file line with chanel, her mother, at the front of the line. they exuded togetherness as a family, this strength and unity. over the next near decade i continued to follow her, i watched that family get broken apart. i watched her survive things i never imagined on that first day meeting her that i would witness. one of the first things she said to me is my name is dasani, like the water. dasani's mother named her for the bottled water because she wanted dasani to have a better life and that waddle symbolizes this --hat bottle symbolized

another america, the people who could afford to pay for water. her grandmother named chanel for a fancy perfume that she spotted in a magazine, the closest she could get to that other life. to watch dasani grow up was heartbreaking and wildly inspiring. it is an incredibly high wire act to survive deep poverty. it requires all kinds of small miracles of genius to get through the day. it is really important to reach past the labels that are given to a kid like dasani -- homeless, foster kid, poor. those labels are an invitation to delve deep into history. her great-grandfather fought in world war ii when the military was segregated, returned with three bronze service stars into redlined brooklyn, unable to get a mortgage or work in his chosen profession, and wound up running

about $200,000 less -- learning about $200,000 less that he should have within his lifetime. unable to buy a home, so critical to family wealth. that road was cut off for dasani 's family. for many years, i would describe my work as an attempt to understand. it is almost a trope that journalists reach for, that's how we explain our work. the root of the word understand means to stand in the midst of. i think if i did anything in this decade with dasani, it was to stand in the midst of her life, and that was the greatest privilege of mine. my name is andrea elliott and this is my brief but spectacular take on seeing the unseen. judy: very powerful. you can watch all of our brief but spectacular episodes at

pbs.org/newshour/brief. online, grammy award-winning artist and animal-rights artist moby spoke about climate change and the steady consumption of animal products. you can find that on pbs.org/newshour. that is the newshour for tonight. i am judy woodruff. join us online and again here tomorrow evening. for all of us, thank you, please stay safe, and 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 with a more flexible workforce, by embracing innovation, by looking not only at current opportunities but had to future ones. resilience is the ability to pivot again and again for whatever happens next. >> people who know no bdo.

>> pediatric surgeon, volunteer, topiary artist. a raymond james financial advisor tailors advise to help you live your life. life well planned. >> consumer cellular. johnson & johnson. bnsf railway. the kendeda fund, committed to restoring justice in meaningful work through investments in transformative leaders and ideas. ♪ supported by the john d and catherine t macarthur foundation, committed to building a more just and

peaceful world. and with the ongoing support of these institutions -- this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy.] this is pbs newshour west, from weta studios in washington, and the walter cronkite school of journalism at ariza state university. ♪

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -today on "cook's country," i'm making chicken paprikash, toni digs into the rich history of cleveland's hungarian community, adam reviews a kitchen staple -- wooden spoons, and ashley's making a super easy ground beef stroganoff. that's all right here on "cook's country."