captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc >> woodruff: good evening. i'm judy woodruff. on the newshour tonight: a pivotal moment. russia and ukraine discuss a potential path to peace, as ukrainian forces retake a critical suburb of kyiv. we discuss this crossroads with the prime minister of estonia. >> vladimir putin has to be isolated politically on all the levels, because what we see in ukraine, they are targeting the civilians, and this is a war crime. >> woodruff: then, fighting racism. an anti-lynching bill bearing the name of slain teen emmett till is signed into law by the president nearly 70 years after his murder. and, investigating the insurrection.

we discuss the probe into former president trump's actions with congressman adam schiff, as all that and more, on tonight's pbs newshour. >> 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 innovaon, by looking not only at current opportunities, but ahead to future ones. resilience is the ability to pivot again and again, for whatever happens next. >> people who know, know b.d.o. >> for 25 years, consumer cellular has been offering no-contract wireless plans,

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thank you. >> woodruff: "we'll see." that was president biden's reaction today, to the news that russia said it would curtail some of its military activity in northern ukraine. the u.s. believes moscow is moving troops away from kyiv to re-deploy them elsewhere, including to the donbas region. today, russian forces also continued bombardment of cities in ukraine, including mykolaiv in the south. and, ukrainian forces kept up their fierce resistance. meantime, talks between ukraine and russia in turkey showed some signs of progress, and that's where special correspondent jack hewson begins our coverage tonight, reporting from kharkiv. >> reporter: in istanbul today, turkish officials tried to set a friendly tone, as ukrainian and russian negotiators meet for the first round of in-person talks in nearly three weeks.

president recep tayyip erdogan, who earlier this month offered to be a mediator, highlighted the meeting's gravity. >> ( translated ): as members of the delegations, you've taken on a historic responsibility. the whole world is awaiting the good news that will come from you. >> reporter: after the meeting, ukraine sent moscow its most detailed proposal yet for a future peace deal, raising hopes for talks between the two leaders. >> ( translated ): we think that we have worked through enough material so that a meeting between the presidents of ukraine and the russian federation can be made possible. we have sent the proposal to the russian side, and are waiting for their answer. >> reporter: ukraine pledged to remain neutral, without joining military alliances or hosting military bases, in exchange for security guarantees similar to nato's article v, which says "an attack against one ally is considered as an attack against all allies.” turkey, germany and poland were named among the potential guarantors of ukraine's security.

ukraine also proposed a 15-year negotiation period over the status of crimea, which russia invaded and annexed in 2014. meanwhile, russia said it would drastically reduce its military activity in northern ukraine, including around kyiv. >> the russian military has been signaling a likely shift of strategy for at least the last week and a half, if not longer. their offensives on most fronts have stalled out. they were conducting an operational pause. they lost momentum. and the one area where they were still making gains was in the fight for the donbass, and in the fight the ukrainian city of mariupol. >> reporter: michael kofman is a russia expert at the center for naval analyses, a nonprofit research organization. >> this is less a withdrawal or retreat, and more of a retrenchment, or, to be frank, a redeployment of russian forces, throwing them behind the other troops that the russian military has fighting in the donbass, where they're trying to encircle ukrainian troops.

>> reporter: throughout the country, ukrainian soldiers have put up strong resistance. in this town northwest of kyiv, they take abandoned russian tanks as their trophies. >> ( translated ): we kicked out the russians from here, and they are now several kilometers away. and we will advance, and we'll free more in the cing days. >> reporter: further east, ukraine continues its battle for kharkiv. russian military losses mount, but civilian lives are not spared. this city, home to nearly 1.5 million before the war, has suffered some of the most relentless bombardment. talk of peace and reduced military activity have made little impact on the ground here in kharkiv. the regional government reported 46 strikes on the city over the past 24 hours, predominantly mortar fire, and the sounds of incoming and outgoing artillery rounds can regularly be heard. russian attacks today also continued in the south. in the port city of mykolaiv, the governor's office, torn apart. emergency workers rushed to evacuate anyone alive.

>> ( translated ): this is just a nightmare. a girl died on my floor. what can i say? >> reporter: inside, the workplace now turned into wreckage. surveillance footage caught the missile strike. after the impact, huge billows of smoke. to evacuate those still trapped by theiolence, ukraine said three humanitarian corridors were agreed today after a day-long pause, including one from mariupol, where tens of thousands of civilians still try to escape the devastation. but in another impassioned speech to western leaders today, president volodymyr zelenskyy said more needed to be done to punish russia. >> ( translated ): we appeal to you, and to the whole democratic world. the sanctions against russia have to be strengthened, all the time. >> reporter: for the pbs newshour, i'm jack hewson in kharkiv, ukraine. >> woodruff: and a note: the newshour's coverage of

ukraine is supported in partnership with the pulitzer center. >> woodruff: in the day's other news, the f.d.a. and the c.d.c. endorsed a second booster shot of the pfizer or moderna vaccines for those over 50. it also applies to younger people with badly weakened immune systems. the move came as vaccinations have slowed markedly, and as a new version of the omicron variant is spreading. we will get details after the news summary. in china, shanghai's sweeping lockdown to stop a covid surge entered a second day. streets were largely empty, and shops were shuttered. the lockdown is being carried out in two phases, beginning in and around the financial district. officials said thousands of financial workers are sleeping in their offices to keep business running. the u.s. senate majority leader, chuck schumer, joined calls today for supreme court justice

clarence thomas to recuse himself from any cases involving the january 6 capitol riot. schumer cited reports that virginia thomas, the justice's wife, texted former president trump's chief of staff, trying to overturn the 2020 election. >> the information we know right now raises serious questions about how close justice thomas and his wife were to the planning and execution of the insurrection. the january 6 committee is investigating, and doing a good job, and i think they will turn over every stone. and we await the outcome, but there's enough evidence already, i think, that he should recuse himself. >> woodruff: two dozen other house and senate democrats urged thomas' recusal on monday. there is word that former president trump's official phone records during the january 6 assault have a roughly eight-hour gap. various reports today said the gap spans the time that trump supporters stormed the u.s. capitol. but, it is widely known that he spoke with republican lawmakers

during those hours. investigators are now looking into whether he used different phones. in israel, a gunman killed at least five people in a tel aviv suburb today-- the third deadly attack in a week. cell phone video showed a man with an assault weapon running into the street and opening fire, before he was killed by the police. israeli reports said he was a palestinian. south korea has dismissed north korea's claim that it launched a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile last week. the north koreans showed video purporting to be their longest-range missile yet. the south says it was a less powerful, older version, and that the video came from a previous launch. the u.s. border patrol reports a sharp, new increase in migrants crossing the southern border. the agency said today that some 190,000 people have been stopped since the year began. that is twice the total from the

same period a year earlier. it also comes as the biden administration is deciding whether to end asylum restrictions related to covid-19. back in this country, the white house budget chief today defended president biden's newly-released plans for taxing and spending. shalanda young testified at a congressional hearing, where republicans criticized tax hikes on corporations and the wealthy by $2.5 trillion over ten years. >> what is the president's rationale for imposing tax increases that'll harm jobs-- particularly when the country is trying to emerge from a pandemic? >> he believes that we should invest in the middle class, those working to get to the middle class, and he has a policy-- and this budget follows it-- not to raise taxes for anyone making less than $400,000. >> woodruff: the president also called last year for a minimum tax on the wealthiest households, but it never gained traction.

congressional leaders made final farewells today to don young, the longest serving republican ever in the u.s. house of representatives. he lay in state at the u.s. capitol, as family and colleagues attended a ceremony in his honor. president biden visited the capitol later, to pay his respects. young served 49 years in the house, before his death this month at the age of 88. the u.s. senate voted today to consider lisa cook's nomination to the federal reserve board. she would be the first black woman on the fed's board. the nomination had been stuck in committee, as republican members questioned her experience. now, the full senate will proceed with a confirmation vote. and on wall street, stocks rallied again, on hopes that negotiations will end the war in ukraine. major indexes were up 1% to nearly 2%. the dow jones industrial average gained 338 points to close at 35,294.

the nasdaq rose 264 points. the s&p 500 was up 56. still to come on the newshour: the president signs a law making lynching a federal hate crime. the supreme court hears an army reservist's case involving exposure to burn pits in iraq. oscar-winner troy kotsur discusses his historic victory for "coda." plus, much more. >> woodruff: we return now to the announcement today from the f.d.a. and the c.d.c., that they are authorizing booster shots for certain americans. william brangham has been following all this, and he joins me now. so, hello, william. both these agencies authorizing these shots for people who are

over 50, and all of those who may have a compromised immune system. what was the explanation they gave for this move today? >> the f.d.a. and the c.d.c. said they're trying to do everything they can to protect the people who are most at risk of the serious consequences of covid 19. that, also and the fact there's this sub variant of omicron that is spreading here in the united states but has also been causing a lot of problems overseas, and, so, while the f.d.a. today tried to stress that the vaccines are still working in the most important ways -- they're keeping us out of the hospital and they're keeping vaccinated people from dying, fo the most part -- there is some evidence that that protection starts to wane at about four months, especially for older people and immunocompromised people. so they also cited some israeli studies showing a fourth booster was protecting people and boosting their immunity.

so given that and this sub variant, the officials said, okay, we're going to authorize moderna and pfizer for a fourth booster. separately the c.d.c. said today for people who got the johnson & johnson vaccine and had been boosted with that, that they might want to consider a boostsh that's of an mrna vaccine, so a pfizer or moderna shot for those people. >> woodruff: so we were reading there's real disagreement inside these agencies among experts whether this is the right thing to do, some of them saying the evidence is not conclusive. explain what that argument is. >> that is exactly right, judy. this was definitely not a universally acclaimed move today by the c.d.c. and f.d.a. some people like a doctor at ucff we've had many times, he says he welcomes the move, is going to get the booster, is a

mid 60s healthy man and will recommend it to his patient, but many others like dr. carlos del rio from emery who we've also had on the show who argues the evidence is not as clear, they're not as confident about the israeli data because it's fairly preliminary, and say maybe for immunocompromised and older but for 50 and younger they're still getting good protection and it's not as important. many people point out the virus is still quite low in the country right now and, so, you might want to try toime your booster for when and if a surge starts to occur. that's complicated for a lot of people to do, but remember, if you do get this booster, there is going to be some initial protection after about a week, but then it, too, will start to wane, after three, four, five months. so perhaps those people are arguing, maybe you want to wait. and, so, there is some evidence

also that spreading those doses out is benefial. so, again, a complicated reaction to this move today. >> woodruff: william, sounds like what you're describing could be a regular cycle of recurring booster shots needed to deal with covid. is that what people think could be in our future? >> that is what officials are hinting at. there was talk today at the f.d.a. presser that perhaps as soon as next fall people might be up for another booster. i mean, the long-term hope is that we don't have to be doing two or three shots every year, and this could be more like a covid booster, like you get a flu shot once a year. some of that, though, depends on what this virus is doing, some of that depends on whether we can do a better job here in the u.s. of getting more people vaccinated and equally as important getting a vaccine out to the rest of the world so we can head off the next variant

from emerging. >> woodruff: i kow this is something people really do want to understand, especially since this has been going on for as long as it has. william brangham, thank you very much. >> you're welcome, judy. >> woodruff: we return to the russian invasion of ukraine. the tiny nation of estonia shares a 180-mile border with russia. during world war ii, the soviet union occupied the country, and when the soviet union collapsed, estonia regained its independence. now, it is a nato and a european union member, on the front line facing russia. for more on how it is responding to the war in ukraine, i spoke with the estonia's prime minister, kaja kallas, earlier today. prime minister kallas, thank you very much for joining us. at the moment we're speaking, the russian defense ministry

is saying there will be significant military pullback in the north of ukraine, around kyiv and other areas. what do you make of this? >> first of all, they haven't told the truth before, so we have to be very skeptical if they are telling the truth now. but if they are tellg the truth, then it means that they are struggli, because ukrainians are fighting really, really hard, and they are assessing that they can't take kyiv. but we must understand that, if we look at the map, they have progress in very many areas of ukraine, and they have not pulled back from ukraine. so, the aggression is still there. >> woodruff: what more, at this point, do you believe the west nato can dto stop vladimir putin, to stop the russian military, and especially to stop them from killing civilians? >> first, we definitely have to help ukraine with all the means that we can. military aid, we can give them.

we have given-- as estonia, a very small country, we have given a lot over 200 million, which is for our 1.3 million people, a lot. but bigger countries can do more. then second, we must help ukrainians with the humanitarian aid and trying to get the civilians out. but on the other hand, we also must isolate putin in every possible way, in all the international fora, because what he's doing is clearly committing war crimes. >> woodruff: we had on the newshour last night a respected military analyst tell us that he believes that this war could be morphing into something like the bosnian war, which went on for three years, left over 100,000 people dead. do you think that that's a real possibility? >> well, if we look at the-- in the surveys that have been--

have been done in ukraine, then ukrainians believe-- a majority of ukrainians believe that they are winning this war. and the other question that was posed to them was that, should, you know, the war be stopped? or, like, should it be, some territory should be left to russia, if they achieve peace? and again, majority said that no. so the president zelenskyy is in a very difficult position, because his people are thinking that they are winning this war, and the victory means that russia pulls off completely from their territories. and until that time, they will fight. but at the same time, prident zelenskyy really wants to have peace, because he sees his people being slaughtered and his cities being destroyed. >> woodruff: i want to ask you, prime minister, about-- about

estonia. obviously, you're a much smaller country than ukraine. does what's going on there make you much more worried about what vladimir putin could do to your country, and aimed at your people, many of whom in your east are russian speaking? >> well, first of all, actually, exactly 18 years ago today, we joined nato, and that makes a huge difference. no nato country has ever been attacked. we don't see any military threat, and we feel secure at the same time. we also discuss nato to boost our defense, because if we have such an aggressive neighbor and is clearly invading neighboring countries, then our deterrence should be boosted up as well.

because to have peace, you must prepare for war. >> woodruff: let me ask you about that. how many more troops do you think need to be stationed in estonia? how much more weaponry, how much of that is-- is-- or would be-- troops from other nato countries? >> we-- we feel that we should have in the baltics combat-ready division of nato. of course, with the enablers, which means air defenses and other capabilities. we are currently discussing at the nato level, and-- and the because one is that we are military is looking into that, ourselves investing a lot in our defense, almost 2.5% now, but-- but also the other pillar is the collective defense of nato. so we also have to spend this money wisely, which means that we have to cooperate more and you know, procure some capabilities together that would be too expensive for any individual member states to do on their own. >> woodruff: prime minister, let me ask you about what president biden said in the last few days, and that is

that vladimir putin cannot, in his words, remain in power. do you agree with him? >> i think that vladimir putin has to be isolated politically on all the levels, because what we see in ukraine, why there are more civilian casualties than there are military casualties is because they are targeting the civilians. and this is a war crime. what i'm really worried about is that if some kind of agreement is made, that putin, vladimir putin, is not, you know, somehow liberated from all the responsibility. because if he is, then he will move and make additional moves later on. so, we can't forget all the crimes that he has already committed in ukraine. >> woodruff: what do you mean, liberated from responsibility? >> if-- if the goal is to get a peace agreement, then what i

mean is that this is not the end. we should not forget what he has already done to ukrainian people. because if we go back to business as usual with president putin, then his appetite will only grow. >> woodruff: the sanctions that the west has imposed on russia seem to be hitting the russian people much harder than they are either vladimir putin or any of the people around him. are they truly being effective? >> we see that the sanctions work. why else putin is complaining about them, and wants to, you know, lift the sanctions, or is talking about this? so definitely the sanctions hurt and the sanctions should remain in place until, you know, he is moving away from-- from ukraine, and also possibly paying for the

war damages, the repayments for ukraine. but if we compare the sufferings of the ukrainian people, it's uncomparable, what they are suffering, to anything that is going on in russia. >> woodruff: final question, prime minister kallas, and that is, as you watch the suffering of ukrainian people day after day, as this war grinds on, how do you-- how do you take that in, as a-- as a human being? how do you take-- take that in as a leader, who is responsible for-- for the estonian people? >> yes, it's very difficult to watch, especially that we have had the same kind of fate. i mean, my-- my mother was deported to siberia when she was only six months old, together with my grandmother and great

grandmother, in cattle wagons for three weeks. so there are exactly the same crimes going on right now in ukraine, and it's very, very difficult to watch. and what i've been advocating to other leaders of nato is to give more military aid to ukraine so that they can fight back, give humanitarian aid. i mean, if we can do it for 1.3 million people, then bigger countries can do much, much more. >> woodruff: prime minister kaja kallas of estonia, thank you very much. >> thank you. >> woodruff: the "emmett till anti-lynching act" became law today, a bipartisan step toward acknowledging the history of racial violence in the u.s.

amna nawaz has our report on the legislation's significance, and what it took to get here. it's part of our ongoing series, "race matter" and a warning: this story does contain graphic images that may be disturbing to some viewers. >> nawaz: a law more than a century in the making, reckoning with one of america's most horrific legacies. >> no federal law-- no federal law expressly prohibited lynching. untiday.(appl ) >> nawaz: the act declares lynching a federal hcr a decision with deep historical resonance and modern-day meaning for the criminal justice system. >> racial hate isn't an old problem. it's a persistent problem. a persistent problem. >> nawaz: lynchings are broadly defined as public murders for alleged and untried crimes, often carried out by white mobs towards black victims. in the aftermath of the civil war, such killings-- violent and in public view-- replaced slavery as the primary

system of racial terror. between 1882 and 1968, more than 4,000 people-- mostly black men-- are estimated to have been lynched. >> lynchings were very much a means of social control. >> nawaz: lonnie bunch is the secretary of the smithsonian institution, and was the founding director of the national museum of african american history and culture in washington, d.c. >> this was an attempt-- to make sure that racial hierarchies weren't challenged, to make sure that economic opportunity wasn't fairly distributed. and, in essence, this was really a way to say that this was a white man's country, not a country that embraced all people. >> nawaz: the law today is named for one lynching victim: 14-year-old emmett till. in 1955, till was accused of whistling at a white woman in a grocery store in money, mississippi, where he was in town visiting family. his brutal kidnapping, torture, and murder-- laid bare in an

open-casket funeral-- put on national display the violent racism of the jim crow south. till's killers-- like 99% of lynching perpetrators-- were never convicted of the crime. his murder galvanized calls for change. but the effort in congress to declare lyncng a crime actually preceded till's death. in 1900, george henry white, who was at the time the only african american member of congress, introduced the first anti- lynching bill. making his case on the house floor, white said, "i tremble with horror for the future of our nation, if mob violence is not stamped out of existence." it never got a vote-- the first of more than 200 times congress stalled on the issue. the efforts from the newly- formed national association for the advancement of colored people, or n.a.a.c.p., met a staunch southern block in the

senate that, for decades, filibustered civil rights' legislation. >> there may be no other injustice in american history for which the senate so uniquely bears responsibility. >> nawaz: 105 years later? still no consensus. the senate in 2005 formally apologized for the crime and for the chamber's inaction. in 2020, the police killing of george floyd and the resulting groundswell of demands for justice renewed the debate. in minneapolis, a memorial for george floyd was underway. and in washington, a raw fight to pass an anti-lynching law, led by the senate's three black senators: tim scott, kamala harris, and cory booker. >> it should not require a maiming or torture in order for us to recognize a lynching when we see it, and recognize it by federal law. >> nawaz: just one senator stood in the way-- republican rand paul. he argued the bill was too broad. >> it would be a disgrace for

the congress of the united states to declare that a bruise is lynching. that an abrasion is lynching, >> i do not need my colleague, the senator from kentucky, to tell me about one lynching in this country. >> to suggest that a lynching would only be a lynching if someone's heart was pulled out and reduced and displayed to someone else, is ridiculous. >> nawaz: fast-forward to this year's bill. the definition was revised to "death or serious bodily injury." >> hallelujah. it's long overdue. >> nawaz: this time, everyone agreed, and the senate moved forward unanimously. >> the yeas are 422, the nays are 3. >> nawaz: in the house, it was a similarly bipartisan result, though three republicans opposed: representatives thomas massie, andrew clyde, and chip roy, citing issues with free speech and federal government overreach. what do you make of their concerns? >> i think that you ought to be as broad as you can when it comes to protecting human life,

when it comes to being-- ensuring that fairness is there for all, and that racial violence is not acceptable in this nation. but also, i think it's important because this is really symbolic. it is really an embrace to say that america was wrong. >> nawaz: today at the white house,arris reflected on what it took to get the bill over the finish line. >> today, we are gathered to do unfinished business. to acknowledge the horror in this part our history. to state unequivocally that lynching is and has always been a hate crime. >> nawaz: more than recognizing history, the act reshapes federal hate crime standards. it broadens how lynchings are defined, to include any attack intended to kill or seriously injure someone because of their identity. and, it sets a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison for those convicted. >> whose lives matter? >> black lives matter! >> nawaz: those standards could

apply to the murder of ahmaud arbery, who in 2020 was attacked and killed by three white men while on a run in georgia. his name was written on posters across the country, synonymous with the fight for racial justice. >> we, the jury, find... >> nawaz: all three of arbery's killers were found guilty of murder, and also of committing a hate crime that, under today's law, could be prosecuted as a nching. >> lynching, really as we know it, still exists. >> nawaz: it's a reminder, bunch sa, that the deaths of arbery and floyd are bonded to the death of emmett till. >> it symbolizes a recognition of the strength of a mother wh at the worst time in her life, demanded the casket be open to the world, see what they did to her son. so i just feel that she's smiling, saying that this death was not in vain. >> nawaz: a moment heavy with the wrongs of the past-- and hopeful for a more just future. for the pbs newshour, i'm amna nawaz.

>> woodruff: as we reported, a u.s. house panel is looking into a gap of nearly eight hours in then-president donald trump's phone records from the day rioters stormed the u.s. capitol. democratic representative adam schiff is a member of the house committee investigating january 6, and i spoke with him a short time ago. chairman adam schiff, thank you so much for joining us. there were news about a gap in the logs that were kept for president trump's phone calls on january the 6th. how great a concern is that? >> well, i think there's always a concern when it looks like there may be records missing. we're looking at that very closely, and we're trying to determine, was the president using other phones? and we have evidence-- that i

can't go into on that subject, but we're trying to get the complete picture, and we're getting a lot of information, not only from the archives but from witnesses. and we're putting all the pieces together and, exactly what was the president doing, and more importantly, as it would turn out, what was he failing to do during the time when the capitol was under attack? >> woodruff: so former president trump is saying he's never heard of such a thing as a burner phone. and i think people are asking, was this the result of a deliberate omission by the white house in what it turned over to the national archives? or was the president using phones that were-- belonged to somebody else? >> well, you know, i don't put much stock in the president's comments because, of course, he has, you know, used many falsehoods in the past. but more than that, he can say he doesn't know what a burner phone is, but he does know what a cell phone or a staff cell phone or other people's cell phones are. so, we're looking at the range of possibilities that we want to make sure we have the complete record. >> woodruff: the latest two

individuals, that the january 6 committee has charged-- or recommended be charged with criminal contempt, are peter navarro and dan scavino. how key are they to this entire investigation? >> i think they're both very important witnesses. scavino was one of the paramount social media people for the president. of course, we know how much he relied on social media. and navarro, of course, has been very open about his green bay sweep, his plan to essentially overturn the presidential election, to compel the vice president to ignore his constitutional duty. and i hope it's an easy and swift decision for the justice department to seek indictments of both of these men for their contempt of congress. >> woodruff: well, speaking of the justice department, we noticed that you made a point in your remarks to the january 6 committee last night, to say that justice, in your words, "has a duty to act on this referral and others that the committee has sent." justice so far has pursued prosecution in only one out of

thfive referrals from the committee. are you saying that justice may be failing in its responsibility? >> i'm deeply concerned with a couple of things. first of all, the justice department needs to move on these criminal referrals, and it needs to do that with alacrity. we're trying to prevent another attack like january 6, and we feel a real sense of urgency about it. but more than that, what i was referring to was the opinion of the california federal judge that the president, the former president, and others likely committed a crime felony offenses involving conspiracy and fraud and obstruction of the official proceedings-- that is the joint session of congress. it's not just an obligation of congress to be looking into that for accountability. it's also the obligation of the justice department. and that means, more than the people who broke into the building that day need to be under this kind of scrutiny and investigation by the justice department. >> woodruff: and is it your

sense that justice is not doing what it should be doing right now? >> i don't see any indication. to give you an example-- that the former president's phone call with the secretary of state of georgia, in which he insisted the secretary find just the exact number of votes he needed to overtake joe biden. i think if anyone else were on that call and it was recorded in the way it was, they would be under investigation. and it should be no different because someone was a former president. if the rule of law applies to everyone equally, it needs to apply to everyone equally. >> woodruff: and do you hold the attorney general, merrick garland, responsible? >> ultimately, the buck stops with the attorney general. i think there's a desire to distance that the justice department from any controversy and not embroil it in any political debate. and while that is laudable, we can't have, at the same time, a policy that effectively means if you're president of the united states, you are above the law. so, i am concerned that in a desire to maintain a position

above the fray, that credible allegations of illegality, serious allegations, may not be under investigation when there should be. >> woodruff: two other quick questions, congressman schiff, about the wife of a supreme court justice clarence thomas. it's been reported that the january 6 committee wants to and will seek an interview with ginni thomas, in connection with her contacts with the white house, with mark meadows and others. can you confirm that? >> anyone that has relevant information, anyone that is in contacwith the white house chief of staff, and urging support for this effort to overturn the election-- if they've got pertinent information, then they ought to share that with the committee and the committee is certainly interested in it. but we have not issued a formal opinion on ginni thomas, and so i'm going to defer to the committee until we do. >> woodruff: and finally, is it your view that justice thomas should recuse himself with when it comes to any cases that have

to do with january the 6th, as now the senate majority leader chuck schumer is calling on him to do? >> you know, i'm going to speak since i'm a committee member, we're conducting this investigation at a higher level of generality. as a prosecutor, i avoided being involved in any case in which not only would there be a conflict, but even the appearance of impropriety. if you have a supreme court justice who is sitting on a case in which their spouse is in any way involved, and it gives the public the appearance of a conflict, they ought to go nowhere near that case. i do think this points out the need for there to be an explicit code of ethics for the supreme court, not one that-- as applies to court appeals judges and district judges that they can utilize at their discretion. but i think they ought to have a very clear code that they follow as well. >> woodruff: congressman adam

schiff, who is a member of the january 6 committee and chair of the house intelligence committee, thank you very much. >> thank you. >> woodruff: the supreme court heard arguments today in a case that questions whether sweeping legal immunity for states trumps guarantees for america's veterans. john yang introduces us to a texan who served his cntry, and now finds himself in a legal battle for his old job. a warning to our viewers: this piece discusses suicide. >> yang: le roy torres has a constant companion: a medical device that pumps concentrated oxygen into his damaged lungs. >> i don't want to be hooked up to this machine. there was no reason that i had to. you know, it's a-- it's a mental

battle, you know, but here lately, it's been the best thing that i can do to help me. >> yang: it's as much a badge of his service to his country as a decoration, or a battle scar. as he fights through a migraine and what he calls brain fog, he describes a southeast texas boy's dream come true. >> i had already made a decision, at a young age, that when i grew up, i wanted to join the army. and also to be in state police. >> yang: in 2007, he swapped his state trooper's uniform for army fatigues, and deployed to iraq as a second lieutenant in the reserves. on his first day on the u.s.base in balad, he noticed something in the air. >> it was a sunday afternoon. i was stepping off the shuttle on the first. the question: what is that stench in the air? it's like burning rubber. >> yang: it was the noxious fumes from the burn pits that

were used on u.s. military bases in iraq and afghanistan to dispose of everything from plastic water bottles and batteries, to tires, electronic equipment and paint cans. jet fuel was sometimes used as an accelerant. was there ever a time when you were on base that you didn't smell that smell, or see the smoke? >> not a time. every day-- smelt it every day. >> yang: did it worry you? >> yes, a lot, worried me a lot. >> yang: when torres was honorably discharged in 2008, he was among the hundreds of thousands of service members who returned home with severe health problems, believed linked to exposure to burn pits-- leaving them with mounting medical bills and battles over veterans benefits. >> this is the war that followed us home. >> yang: rosie torres is le roy's wife. >> it's the debilitating conditions that i've seen just plague his body, and him cry over things that we just didn't have answers for.

and that's heart-wrenching. >> yang: and when he tried to return to his state police job- a right that federal law guarantees returning reservists and guard members- torres says his nightmare compounded. he says he asked for accommodations for his medical condition. torres and the texas department of public safety disagree about what happened next, but torres left the force in 2012. >> you should be honored to have these veterans as your employees, right? because, i mean, they went to defend our nation. who's going to come back and want to feel as if they're disposable? like, no state agency and no employer-- i don't care if you are private, state-- should get away with that. period. >> yang: torres wants to sue texas, but the state argues it cannot be sued without its

consent-- a longstanding legal doctrine known as sovereign immunity. today, an attorney for the biden administration told the supreme court that blocking torres' ability to sue jeopardizes national defense. >> the constitution was adopted in large part to stop states from undermining feder efforts to raise a military. this court has never imposed a state-sovereignty-based limitation on the federal powers to raise and support armies or provide and maintain a navy. >> yang: but the texas solicitor general argued, that's not what the writers of the constitution meant. >> there is no evidence that the founding generations saw the power to expose states to private lawsuits as inextricably intertwined with warfare, or that the stes intended to be sued without their consent by giving congress the power to raise an army. >> this is not the kind of case that will break down along ideological lines. >> reporter: marcia coyle is chief washington correspondent for the "national law journal." >> the justices are going to

be looking at the history, the structure, the text of the constitution. i thought at first that mr. torres' lawyer was getting the more-skeptical questions. but then, when texas solicitor general judd stone stood up? the justices weren't quite convinced by his arguments. >> yang: le roy and rosie torres are prominent advocates for veterans exposed to burn pits. in 2009, they created a non-profit called "burnpits 360" to press for v.a. benefits. but torres almost didn't get to see this day in court. the mental anguish of losing his job, and the physical pain of his medical ailments overwhelmed him. >> i was struggling. i was struggling that night, and my plan was to end my life that night. it was very-- ( sighs ) i didn't want to be a burden

anymore to my wife. >> yang: his wife and service dog-- named "hope"-- intervened just in time. torres says he emerged from those dark days by finding new purpose. >> this is an opportunity that i believe was a god-given opportunity that he's given us, because it's not just about me, but it'll be about thousands of others that will benefit from this, that they will have that right again. >> yang: now, he waits to hear if the justices of the supreme court will give him the chance for a state court to hear his suit- an answer that's expected to come by this summer. for the pbs newshour, i'm john yang in robstown, texas. >> woodruff: one of the most moving moments from sunday's

oscar ceremony was the award for best supporting actor to troy kotsur, mang him the first male deaf actor to win an oscar. the film he appeared in, “coda”" also went on to win the oscar for best picture. jeffrey brown has our look for "canvas," our arts and culture series. >> brown: in “coda,” troy kotsur plays frank rossi, a deaf fisherman in gloucester, massachusetts. his wife and son, played by actors marlee matlin and daniel durant, are also deaf. but his daughter, played by emilia jones, is not, and the affecting family drama focuses on the tensions in that dynamic. the term "coda" stands for“ child of deaf adults." kotsur himself, now 53, has been deaf since birth. he's a veteran stage and screen actor, but this is his first moment in the national spotlight. in his acceptance speech, he addressed the moment's larger

meaning. >> this is dedicated to the deaf community, the coda community, and the disabled community. this is our moment. >> brown: i spoke to troy kotsur and interpreter justin maurer earlier today, and started by asking what he meant when he said, “this is our moment.” >> ( translated ): you know, i think in the outside world, they tend to overlook us. anso when i received the oscar, i wanted to really dedicate it to the deaf, just disabled community, as well as the coda community, to make them feel good, make them feel seen and recognized. and so i really hope that there'll be more diversity and more storytelling in hollywood in the future. >> brown: acting is already a tough luck for anybody, right? give us a sense about life as a deaf actor, the barriers or frustrations you run up against. >> ( translated ): well, really, for deaf actors, the biggest frustration or barrier is the communication barrier, because

because of course, i can't hear. i don't really use my voice to communicate. i use sign language. so that's been my barrier to really find a role that would really help them think outside of the box and collapse that box. and with our film "coda," i mean, we just won three oscars best picture, best adapted screenplay and best supporting actor. so i think that hollywood's finally ready to open their hearts and minds to us, and really, finally be able to tell stories that are empathetic and can shift and transform cultural perspective. so i think this is such a powerful community moment that we as a deaf community, we've really been waiting for this moment for so long. >> brown: i noticed at the oscars, you went out of your way to thank the deaf theaters where you had the opportunity to hone your craft as an actor. tell us why it was so important to you, and how it was important. >> ( translated ): i'm so glad you asked me that question, because i was so tempted to name them all during my oscar speech, but of course my time was so limited. i was working for er 35 years, developing my craft, working with different directors,

actors, writers. and i worked with several directors again and again, and i learned so much, and i had so many tools in my toolbox that really helped me develop my craft as an actor. and my hope and dream was to be involved in tv and film, but there was more access for me to perform as a deaf actor on the theater stage. and also, it was great working with and collaborating with so mny hearing actors who never had experience working with the deaf actor. you know, when tv and film roles came up, you know, i had the privilege of being able to traverse both worlds, both the stage and tv and film. so it was so nice to have had that variety of experiences. >> brown: you've said that this recognition gives you a new confidence, and i thinyou said it was the beginning of a new journey. towards what? what roles do you want to take on, what do you hope to be able to do now? >> ( translated ): i'm extremely excited for this new chapter in

my life. it's a bit strange because in the past i really had to chase these auditions down, and after these nominations and awards, the tables are turned and they're now giving me these offers and these scripts and these meetings. and so it's been amazing. and so, really, i would love to play a historical figure from the past. we have so many rich stories, really a treasure trove. there was a deaf boxer. there was someone who developed technology for the deaf. and believe it or not, football. the football huddle was created by the deaf. and so many people are oblivious to our rich treasure trove of history. so i hope to tell many of these inspiring true stories. >> brown: and finally, let me ask you-- "coda," the movie, gets at some of the tensions between the hearing and deaf, even within one family. what is your hope that people that the hearing community takes from this film? how do we bridge the divisions?

she was able to communicate in sign language at home and the outside world and is the bridge to communication for both of them. most folks continue understand what the life of a "coda" or child of a deaf adult is like and finally our film shows this real culture. people thought sign language was limited and poor deaf people but, no, we are a rich culture, we have rich family life and people are able to witness that on the big screen. and so you have deaf people that work hard, they have fun, they love their family. and of course, they go through struggles to change everyone's perspectives. it's not only deaf people, but there's so many commonalities and it's a universal story. you know, i loved, of course, having vulgar sign language and dropping f-bombs on the big screen, too. so, finally, i feel like hollywood's finally accepting us. >> brown: all right, troy kotsur, thank you so much, and

congratulations again. >> ( translated ): thank you for having me, jeffrey. it's my honor. hats off to you. have a great day. >> woodruff: a big move forward. 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: >> fidelity wealth management. >> b.d.o. accountants and advisors. >> bnsf railway. >> consumer cellular. >> carnegie corporation of new york. supporting innovations in education, democratic engagement, and the advancement of international peace and security. at carnegie.org.

>> the target foundation, committed to advancing racial equity and creating the change required to shift systems and accelerate equitable economic opportunity. >> 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 u. thank you. captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org >> you're watching pbs.

hello, everyone. welcome to amanpour and company from the ukrainian capital. here's what's coming up. >> reporting from kyiv, is putin's war on ukraine entering a new phase? after a month of setbacks. tonight, we'll ask a top aide to president zelenskyy, igor zhovkva. and a man who one sursed in the russian parliament, now he's here fighting against him for ukraine. >> plus -- >> if russia sees this, i want them to know they aren't defending us, they are killing us. >> escape from hell. ukrainian families forced to flee the besieged city of mariupol share their stories of loss and survival. >> also ahead -- >> vladimir putin obviously is pretty paranoid that the united states is out to get him. he's been convinced for years. in fact, that we