♪ judy: good evening. i'm judy woodruff. tonight, a pivotal moment. russia and ukraine discuss a potential path to peace as ukrainian forces take a critical suburb of kyiv. we discuss this with the prime minister of estonia. >> vladimir putin has to be isolateed politically on all the levels. because what we see in ukraine, they are targeting the civilians. and this is a war crime. judy: then, fighting racism, an anti-lynching bill bearses the name of emit -- bears the any more of emit hill. signed nearly 70 years after his murder. and investigating the insurrection. new documents reveal a nearly eight-hour gap in president

trump's january 6th call logs. we talk to a key member of that probe. all that and more on tonight's "pbs newshour." ♪ announcer: major funding for the pbs newshour is provideed 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 look 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 designed to -- for people to do more of

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contributions to your pbs news station from viewers like you. thank you. judy: we'll e. that was president biden's reaction to the news that russia said it would curtail some of its military activity in northern ukraine. american officials across the administration echoed that caution. the u.s. believes moscow is moving troops away from kyiv to redeploy them elsewhere including the donbsa region. russian forces continued their bombardment of cities in southern ukraine. meantime talks in turkey between ukraine and russia showed some signs of progress. and that's where special correspondent jack hussen begins our coverage tonight reporting from harkiv. >> in istanbul today, turkish officials tried to set an early tone as they meet for the first time of in-person talks in

nearly three weeks. [speaking foreign language] >> 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. >> after the meeting, ukraine sent moscow the most detailed proposal for a future peace deal raising hopes for talks between the two leaders. [speaking foreign language] >> 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. >> ukraine pledged to remain neutral witht joining military alliances or hosting military bases in exchange for security guarantees similar to natos' article five which means an attack on one ally is considered an attack against all allies. turkey, germany and poland were named among the potential guarantors of ukraine's

security. ukraine propose add 15-year peaceful period over crimea which russia annexed in 2014. russia said it would reduce its military activity in northern ukraine including around kyiv. >> the russian military has been signaling the likelihood of their operation. they were conducting an operational pause. they lost momentum. the one area where they were still making gains was in the fight for donbas and the city of mariupol. >> we -- michael is a nonprofit analyst r. a redeployment of russian forces throwing them behind what russia has fighting them around donbas trying to en circumstance the troops. are ukrainian soldiers have put

up strong resistance in this town, they take abandoned russian tanks as their trophies. >> we kicked out the russians from here and they are several kilometers away. we will advance and free more in the days ahead. >> further east, the battle for harkiv. civilian lives are not spared the city was 1.5 million people has suffered some of the most relent less bombardment. talk of peace has had little impact here the government has reported 46 strikes in the city over the past 24 hours. predominantly more to fire. and the sound of incoming and outgoing round of art tillery can be heard. >> russian attacks continued in the south. in the port city of mikalaev, the government offices torn apart. [speaking foreign language] >> this is just a nightmare.

a girl died on my floor. what can i say? >> inside, the workplace now turn into wreckage. surveillance footage caught the missile strike. after the impact huge billows of smoke. two evacuate those still trapped by the violence, ukraine sent three corridors were agreed today after a day long pause including one from mariupol where tens of thousands of civilians tried to escape the devastation. but then another 'em passioned speech president zelensky said more has to be done to punish russia. >> we can say that the signals are positive. but these signals can't silence the explosion of russian shells. sanctions must get stronger weekly and they must be a of high quality. >> i'm jack hussen in harkiv, ukraine. judy: the coverage is supported in partnership with the pulitzer

er center. -- pulitzer center. stephanie: we'll return to the full program after the latest headlines. f.d.a. and the c.d.c. endorse add second booster shot of the pfizer or moderna vaccines and applies to younger people with badly compromised immune systems. the news came after a new the omicron variant. 38 state sued today that require people wear masks on trains, planes and other forms overtrain sit it was all led by republicans attorneys general contens that it exceeds the c.d.c.'s authority the current mandate remains in effect until april 18. while the agency considered scaling back max requirements in

china shanghai sweeping lockdown entered a second day. streets were largely empty and shops were shuttered. the lockdown will begin in 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 recues himself from any cases involve the january 6th capitol riot. schumer ced report that ginni thomas, his wife texted the chief of staff regarding the 2020 election. >> it raises serious questions about how close justice thomas and his wife were in the planning of the excuse of the insurrection. i think they will turn over every stone. we await to see the outcome. but there's enough evidence

already i believe that he should recuse himself. >> two dozen other house and senate democrats urge thomas's recuse al on monday there's word that foreman president trump's official phone records during the january 6th assault have an eight-hour gap. various reports says the gap expanse the time that trump supporters stormed the u.s. capitol. t it's widely known that he spoke with republican law makes during those hours. they're looking into whether he used different phones. a gunman killed five people in a tel aviv suburb today the third deadly attack. a man with an assault weapon ran into the street and opening fire before he was killed by the police. israeli reports said he was a palestinian. this evening u.s. national security advise or jake sullivan condemned the string of attacks. south korea has dismissed north korea's claim that it launch a

new ballistic missile. it was reported to be their longest missile yet. it was a less powerful older version and that the video came from a previous launch. the u.s. border patrol report as sharp new increase in migrants crossing the southern bored the agency said today that some 190,000 people have been stopped since the year ban. that's twice the toe federal the same period a year earlier. it comes as the biden administration is deciding whether to end asylum restrictions related to covid-19. the white house budget chief today defended president biden's newly released plans for taxing and spending. shalonda young testified. >> what is the president president's rationale for imposing tax increase that is will 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 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. stephanie: the president called for a minimum tax ton wealthier households but it never gained traction in the congress. the longest serving republican ever in the u.s. house of representatives. he lay in state at that time u.s. capitol. his colleagues attended a ceremony in his honor. president biden visited the capitol to pay his respects. young served 49 years before his death this month at that time age of 88. the u.s. senate ted today to consider lisa cook's nomination to the federal reserve board. she would be t 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. still to come on "the newshour," the president sign as law making lynching a federal hate crime. the supreme court hears an army reserveist case regarding exposure pits in iraq. we discuss the oscars plus much more. >> this is the pbs newshour from weta studios in washington and in the west from the walter cronkite school of journalism from arizona state university. judy: we return now to the announcement today from the f.d.a. and the c.d.c. that they are authorizing an additional covid booster shot for certain americans. william bringhahas been following all of this and he joins me now. so hello, william. both of 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 -- for this move today? william: the f.d.a. and the c.d.c. said that they're trying to do everything they can to protect the people who are most at risk, the serious consequences of covid-19. that and also the fact that there is this sub variant of omicron that is spreading here in the united states but is also been cause ago lot of problems overseas. and so while the f.d.a. today tried to stress that this 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 for the most part. there is some evidence that this protection starts to wane at about four months especially in older people and immuno compromised people. israeli studyies showed that a fourth booster was protecting people and given that and this sub variant officials said we're

going to authorize moderna and pfizer for a fourth booster. separately the c.d.c. said today that for people who got the johnson & johnson vaccine and had been boosted with that, that they might want to consider a booster that's of an mrna booster, pfizer or moderna for those people. judy: there was real disagreement inside these agencies among experts over whether this is the right thing to do. some of them saying that the evidence is not conclusive. explain what that argument is. >> that is exactly right, judy. this was definitely not a universe ally acclaimed move today by the c.d.c. and the f.d.a. some people like dr. bob wachter, he says he's he welcome this is move. he's going to get the boosters himself. he's a mid 60's healthy man. and he's going to recommend it to his patients. but there are many others like

dr. carlos del rio from emry who argues that the evidence is really not clear as you mentioned. they're not as confident about this israeli data because it's fairly preliminary. and they say that maybe for older people, maybe for immuno compromised people. but for 50 year-olds and people younger that there's still getting good protection and that it's not necessarily important. also, many of those people point out that the virus is still quite low in the cntry right now. and so you might want to try to time your booster for when a surge might occur. that's complicated for a lot of people. but if you do get this booster, there's going to be some initial protection for about a week. but then it too will start to wane after three, four, five months. perhaps those people are arguing, maybe you want to wait. d there is some evidences that spreading those doses out has been official. again again, a complicated

reaction to this move today. judy: william, it sounds that what you're describing is what could be a regular cycle, a recurring booster shots needed to -- 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 the -- we don't have to be doing two or three shots every year. this could be more like a covid booster like you get a flew shot. once a year. some of that depends on what this virus is doing. some of tt depends on whether we can do a better job of getting more people vaccinated. and equally as importantly get ago vaccine out to the rest of the world so we can head off the next variant from emerging. judy: well, i know this is something that people really do want to understand especially since this has been going on for

as long as it has. william bringham, thank you very much. >> you're welcome, judy. ♪ judy: we return to the russian invasion of ukraine. the tiny nation of estonia shares a 1180-mile board we are russia. during world war ii, the soviet union occupied the done terrorism and when the soviet union collapsed, estonia regained its independence. now, it is a nato and european member facing russia. for m i spoke with estonia's prime minister earlier today. >> thank you very much for joining us. at the moment we're speaking the russian defense ministry is saying there will be significant military pullbacks 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 kept cal if they're telling the -- skeptical if they're telling the truth now. but if they are telling the truth that means they are struggling because ukrainians are fighting really, really hard. and they're assessing that they can't take kyiv. but we must understand that if we looat that time map, they have progressed in many, many areas of ukraine, and they have not, you know, pulled back from ukraine so the aggression is still there. judy: what more at this point do you believe the west, nato can do to stop vladimir putin? to stop the russian military? and especially to stop them from killing civilians. >> first, we 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 for our $1.3 million people. a lot. but bigger countries can do more. then save ukrainians with human tear aid and trying to get the civilians out. but on the other hand, we also must isolate food in every possible way in all the international horror because what he's doing is clearly committing war crimes. judy: we had on the newshour a respected 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 that time survey that is have been done in ukraine, then ukrainians believe the majority of ukrainians believe that they are winning

this war. and the other question that was posed to them was that she, you know, -- the war peace stopped -- or if like, should it be some territory -- should be left to russia if -- if they achieve peace. and again, majority said that no. so president zelensky is in a very difficult position. because these people are thinking that they are winning this war. and the victory means that russia pulls off completely from their territory. and until that time, they will fight. but at the same time president zelensky really wants to have peace because he sees these people being slaughtered and these cities being destroyed. >> i want to ask you about estonia. you're a much smaller country that ukraine. does what's going on there make

you much more worried about what vladimir putin can do to your country and aimed at your people? many of whom in your east are russian-speak? >> 18 years ago today we joined na and that makes a huge difference no. nato country has ever been attacked. we don't see any military threat and we feel security. at the same time we also discuss the nato to boost our defense because if we have such an aggressive neighbor and is clearly invadeing neighboring countries then our deterrence should be boosted up as well. because in order to have peace, you have to prepare for war. judy: let me ask you about that. how many more troops you do think need be stationed in estonia? how much more weaponry?

how much of that would be troops other nato countries? >> we feel that we should have in the baltics combat-ready division of nato, of course, with the enablers with air defense and other capabilities. we are currently discussing at the nato level and the military is looking into that because one is that we ours are investing a lot. almost 2.5%. now, but also the other one is the defense of nato. so we also have to spend this money wisely which means we have to cooperate more to procure some capabilityies together that would be too expensive for any individual member state to do on their own. >> 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 isolateed 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 is not -- you know, somehow liberated from tall responsibility because if he is, then he will move -- all the responsibility because if he is, then he will make additional moves later on. we cannot forget tall crimes that he has already committed in ukraine. >> what do you mean liberated from responsibility? >> if -- if the goal is to get peace agreement, then, what amean 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. judy: the angst that is 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 want to, you know, lift the sanctions or is talking about this. so definitely, the sanctions hurt them. 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 repairments for

ukraine. but if we compare the sufferings of the ukrainian people it's incomparable what they are suffering to anything that is going on in russia. judy: final question, prime minister, 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 human being? how do you take that in as a leader who is responsible for -- for the estonian people? >> yes, it's very difficult to watch especially because we have had the same kind of faith. i mean, my -- my -- my mother was deported to siberia when she was only 6 months old together with my grandmother and great grandmother for three weeks so

there are exactly the same crimes going on right now in ukraine. and it's very, very difficult to watch. 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 n do much, much more. judy: the prime minister of estonia. thank you very much. thank you. ♪ judy: the emit hill anti-lynching act became law today. a bipartisan step toward anti-violence.

a warning, the story does contain graphic images that may be disturb disturbing to some viewers. amna: a law more than a century in the making reckoning with one of america's most recent legacies. >> no federal law ex- expressly prohibit lynching until today. [applause] amna: the act declares lynching a federal hate crime a decision with deep historical resonance. >> racial hate is not an old problem, it's a persistent problem. >> lynchings are broadly defined as public murders for alleged crimes often led by white mobs to black victims. such killings, violent and in public view replaceed 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. >> lonnie bunch is the secretary of the smithsonian institution and was the founding director of the national museum of african-american 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 distribute. and in essence thisas a way to say that this was a white man's country, not a country that embraced all people. >> law today is named for one lynching victim. 14 year-old emit till. in 1955 till was accused of whistling at a white woman 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's south. till's killers were never convict to have had crime. his murder galvanized calls for change. but the effort in congress to declare lynch ago crime actually preceeded till's death in 1900, george henry white who was at that time 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." congress stalled on the issue 200 times. effort toes from the newly formed national advancement of colored people or n nc a -- naacp met filibusters. >> there may be no nation in

history for which the senate so uniquely bears responsible. >> 105 years later, still no consensus. the senate in 2005 formerly apologized for the crime and for the chamber's inaction. in 2020, the police killing of george floyd and the ground swell 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 maming or torture in order for us to recognize a lynching when we see it. and recognize it by federal law. >> 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 lynching would only be a lynching if someone's heart was pulled out and produced and displayed to someone else is ridiculous. >> fast forward to this year's bill, the definition was revised to quote death or seriously bodily injury." >> hallelujah, it's long overdue. >> this time everyone agreed and the senate moved forward unanimously. >> the yays are 422 will have. >> the nays are three. >> in the house it was a similar result. three republicans oppose. rivet thomas massy andrew clyde and chip roy citing issues with free speech and federal government overreach. >> what do you make of their conference? >> i think you ought to be as broad as you can when it comes to protecting human life, when it comes to insuring that fairness is there for all and

that racial violence is not acceptable in this nation. but also it's important because this is really symbolic. sit really an embrace to say that america was wrong. >> today, harris 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 of our history, to state un unequivocally that lynching is and has always been a hate crime. >> more than recognizing history, the act reshapes federal hate crime standards. it broadened how lynchings are defined to include any attack to seriously injure somebody because of their i'dty it sets a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison if convicted. those standards could apply to the murder of amaud arbery who

was killed by three white men while on a run in georgia. his name was written on posters across the country synonymous with justice. all three ofis killers were found guilty of murder and a hate crime that today could be prosecuted as lynching. >> lynching still exist. >> it's a reminder, bunch says that the deaths of arbery and floyd are bonded to the death of emit till. >> it symbol lieses the recognition of the strength of a mother who at the worst time of her life demanded the casket be open so they can see what they did to her son. i feel like test smiling saying that this death is not in vain. >> a moment heavy with the wrongs of the past and hopeful for a more just future. for the pbs newshour, i'm amna navas.

judy: as we reported a u.s. house panel, is looking to a gap of nearly eight hours then president donald trump's phone records from the day rioters stormed the u.s. capitol. adam schiff is a member of the house committee investigating january 6th 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 it'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 useing 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 get ago lot of information not only

from the archives but from witnesses and we're putting tall 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? judy: former president trump said he's never heard anything such as a burner phone. and i think people were asking was in the result of a deliberate owe mission by the white house? or was the president using phones that were -- belonged to somebody else? >> i don't put much stock in the president's comments because, of course, he has used many falsehoods in the past. but he can say he doesn't know what a burner phone is, but he does know what a 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. >> the latest two individual that is the january 6th committee has charged or recommend be charged with criminal contempt are peter

navarro and danka vino -- dan scavino. how key are they? >> they're very important witnesses. casino was one of the paramount social media for the president. and navarro has been very open about his green base sweep, his plan to essentially overturn the presidential election to come spell the vice president to ignore his constitutional duty i hope it's an easy and swept decision for the justice department to seek indictments for their contempt of congress. >> speaking of the justice department we noticed that you made a point to your re, no the january 6th 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 has so far pursued prosecution in only one out of the five 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 time. we feel a real sense of urgency about it. 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's the joint session of congress. it's not just an obligation of dong 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 be under this kind of scrutiny by the justice department. judy: sit your sense that justice isn't doing what it should be doing right now? >> i don't give -- don't see

uniped chasing the former president's phone call or the secretary of state of georgia in which he insisted to find the exact number of votes to overtake joe biden i think if anyone else was on that call and recorded in the way it was, they should be under investigation. it should be no different because someone was a foreman president if the rule of law applies to everyone equally, it needso apply to everyone equally. >> and do you hold the attorney general merritt garland responsible? >> there's december desire to distance the justice department from any controversy and not embroil it in any political debate. but we can't have a policy that effectively means in if you're president of the united states you're above the law. i am concerned that in a desire to maintain position above the fray that credible allegations of illegality, serus

allegations may not be under investigation when they should be. >> two other quick questions congressman schiff about the wife of supreme court justice clarence thomas. it's been reported that the january 6th committee wants to and will seek an interview with ginin 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 contact with a white house chief of staff and urging support for this effort to overturn the election, if there's pertinent information, they ought to share wit the committee. but we have not issued a formal opinion on ginni thomas. i'm going to defer to the committee until we do. judy: and finally, is it your view that justice thomas should recuse himself with -- when it comes to any case that is have to do with january the 6th as now the senate majority leader

chuck schumer is calling on him to do? >> i'm going speak science i'm committee member and we're conducting this investigation at a higher level of generality as a prosecute or i avoid being involved in any case which not only would there be a conflict but even the appearance of impropriety if you have a supreme court justice sitting on a case in which their spouse is in anyway involved and it gives the public the appearance of a a conflict, they ought to go nowhere near that case this points out the need for there to be an explicit code of ethic first the supreme court, not one that applies to district judges that they can utilize at their discretion. but they ought to have a very clear code that they follow as well. judy: congressman adam schiff who is a member of the january 6th committee and chair of the house intelligence committee. thank you very much. >> thank you.

>> the u.s. supreme court heard arguments today in a case that questioned whether sweeping, legal immunity for states trumps guarantees for america's military veterans. john yang introduces to a texan who served his country and finds himself in a legal battle for his old job. this peace discusses suicide. >> i'm not alone in this battle. >> leroy torres has a constant companion, a medical device that pumps concentrated oxygen into his damaged lungs. >> it's something i struggle with because i don't want to be hooked up to this machine. there was no reason that i had to, you know? and that's another -- a battle that i deal with mentally. it's -- it's a mental battle. you know? but here lately, it's been the

best thing that i can do to help me. >> 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 made a decision at young age, i want to join the army and be an instate police. in 2007, he swapped his state trooper uniform for ay fatigues and applied for second leutenet nan on the reserves. on his first day he noticed something in the air. >> whenever i was out there, it was a sunday afternoon. i was stepping off the shuttle. the question what is that simple in the air? it smelled like burning rubber. it was the not just burn pit that is were used to dispose of everything from plastic water

bottles and batteries to tires, electronic equipment and paint cans. jet fuel was sometim used as an accelerant. >> was there ever a time that you were on base that you didn't smell that smell or see the smoke? >> not a time. every day. smelled it every day. >> did it worry you? >> yes, a lot. >> when torres was honorably discharged in wait to 2008 he was among the hundreds of thou stands of service member who is returned home with severe health problem linked to burn pits living him with mounting medical bills and battles over veteran benefits. >> this is the war that followed us home. >> rosie torres is leroy's life. it's the debilitateing conditions that i've seen plague his body. him cry over things we just didn't have ns. and that's heart wrenching. >> and when he tried to return

to his state police job, a right that federal law guarantees returning reserveist and service member, torres says his nightmare compounded. he says he asked for accommodation dayses for his medical condition. they disagree on 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 is 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're private state should get away with that, period. >> i remember where this pit was at -- >> torres wants to sue texas, but the state says it cannot be sued without its consent, a long standard legal doctrine known as sovereign immune temperature today an attorney for the biden administration told the supreme

court that blocking torres's ability to sue jeopardizing the national defense. >> the constitution was adopted from undermining federal efforts to raise a military. this court has never raised on the federal powers toaise for the states to provide an army or navy. >> they argue that's not what it me >> the bower to expose states to private lawsuits as inextricably intertwined with warfare or that the states intended to be sued without their consent by giving congress the power to raise an army r. this is not the kind of case that will break down along ideological lines. >> marcia coyle is the chief national correspondent. >> the judgesill be looking at the text and the constitution. what were the founders and

framers worried about when they were drafting this? i thought at first that mr. torres's lawyer was getting the more skeptical questions. but then when texas the solicitor general stood up, the se judges weren't convinced about his arguments. >> leroy, can you desibe your experience? >> leroy and his wife, they created annon profit called burn pits 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 take my life that night and -- it was very -- i don't want to be a burden. i felt like i was a burden to my wife. >> 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 is a god-given opportunity that he's given us because it's not just about me but it will be about thousands of others that will ben it from this. that they will have that right again. >> now, he waits to hear if the justices of the supreme courts will give him a chance for a state suit. an answer that is expected to come by this summer. i'm john yang in robstown, texas. ♪ judy: one of the most moving moments from sunday's oscar ceremony was the award for best supporting actor to troy kotzer

making his him if first male deaf actor to win an oscar. this film he appeared in "koda" went on to win for best picture. ♪ >> in "koda" troy place frank rossi a deaf fisherman. his wife and son are also deaf. but his daughter played by amelia jones is no. and the drama focuses on the tension on that dynamic. coda is child for deaf adults. 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. >> i spoke to troy and interpreter and started by asking what he meant by "this is our moment" in >> in the outside world they tend to overlook us. when i received the's car, i wanted to really dedicate it to the deaf and disabled community as well as the coda community to make them feel seen and recognized. and so i really hope that there will be more diversity and more story-telling in hollywood in the future. >> acting is already a tough life for anybody, right? give us a sense of life as a deaf actor, the barriers or frustrations you run up against >> really for deaf actors the biggest frustration or barrier is the communication barrier because i can't hear. i don't 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, mine, we just won three oscars. 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 culture perspectives. so i think this is such a powerful community moment that we as a deaf community, we've been waiting for this moment for so long. >> 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. >> i'm so glad you ask us that question because i was tempted to name them all during my oscar speech but of course, my time was so limited. i was worked for 35 years developing my craft, working with actors, writeers. and i worked several directors

and i learned so much. and i had so many tools in my toolbox that really help med 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 many hearing act worse in neve had experienced working with a deaf actor. you know, when tv and film roles came up, i had the privilege of being able to traverse both worlds, both the stage and tv and film. it was so nice to have had that variety of experiences. >> you've said that this recognition gives you a new confidence. i think you 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? >> i'm extremely excited for this new chapter in my life. it's a bit stage. i had to chase these auditions down. after these nominations and awards, the tables are turned and they're giving me these

offers and these scripts and these meetings. it's been amazing. and so really i would love to play a historical deaf figure from the past. we had so many rich stories, 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. i hope to tell these stories. >> let me ask you, coda" the movie gets between some of the typingses between the hearing and the deaf even within one family. what sit your hope that the hearing community taken from this film? how do we bridge the divisions? >> our film is perfect because i feel like we're finally able to connect the deaf and hearing worlds. and the character ruby played by amelia jones, she represents the coda which is right at that time center.

so she is able to communicate in sign language at home and in english with the outside world and is the bridge to communication between both of them. and most folks don't understand what the life of a coda or a child of a deaf adult is like. and finally our film show this is real culture. people thought sign language is limit and oh, poor deaf people. but no, we are a rich culture. we have rich family life. and hearing people are finally able to than 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 everybody's perspective. it's not just deaf people. there are so many commonalities. it's a university story. i loved, of course, having vulgar sign language and dropping "f"-bombs. i feel like hollywood is finally accepting us. >> all right. troy, thank you so much. and congratulations again. >> thank you for having me, jeffery. it's my honor.

hats off to you. have a great day. judy: a big move forward. that is the newshour for tonight. i'm judy woodruff. for al of us at the pbs newshour, please stay safe and we'll see you soon. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provide by -- ♪ >> b.d.o., accountants and advise ors. 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 requireed 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 stays from viewers like you. thank you. this is pbs newshour west from weta studios in washingn and from our bureau at that time walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. ♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy.visit ncicap.org]

-this is where most of the truck drivers that go along these routes stop to eat. so we're going to try to capture and eat the food, and hopefully you can hear some of the conversation here, too, 'cause it's loud. the idea of the border has profound meaning to me. as a mexican-american, i always feel like i'm treading between two worlds. i was born and raised in mexico, then moved to america, and i'm raising my family here. and i've spent my career traveling my homeland, sharing mexican food and culture with the world. are you with me? i want to tell you things. now i'm setting my sights directly on the place where my two beloved countries meet. i'm traveling the texas-mexico border, from far west texas