judy: good evening. i'm judy woodruff. russia is pushed back in northeast ukraine leaving ordinary citizens to pick up the pieces. then, a lawyer who argued against abortion rights discusses the expected ruling to overturn roe v. wade. and rethinking college. colorado institution reconfigures campus life to reckon with the troubled legacy of boarding schools that aimed to erase indigenous students way of life.

>> i feel more at knowledge tear whereas before, there were like it's just indian kids, they are doing nothing. judy: all that and more on tonight's "pbs newshour." >> major funding has been provided by -- >> the landscape is changed and not for the last time. the rules of business are being reinvented with a more flexible workforce by embracing innovation, looking at current opportunities and ahead to future once. resilience is the ability to pivot again and againor what is next. >> for 25 years, consumer cellular has offered plans to help people do more of what they

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thank you. judy: congress is considering a new aid package for ukraine tonight, including an additional $40 billion dollars in weaponry and economic and humanitarian assistance. this comes as top intelligence officials told senators today that russia's president putin is aiming for a longer, wider war not just in the eastern donbas, but with further flashpoints along ukraine's southern coast. national intelligence director avril haines warned such plans could push the conflict down a devastating new path. >> "the uncertain nature of the battle that is turning into a war of attrition, combined with the reality that putin faces a mismatch between his ambitions and russia's current conventional military capabilities, likely means the next few months could see us moving along a more unpredictable and potentially escalatory trajectory. >> haynes added that what --

vladimir putin seems to be counting on western news all -- resolve weakening overtime. also today, the ukrainian government announced that russia is withdrawing some, if not all, of its troops from the rtheastern region around kharkiv, ukraine's second largest city and a crucial base for its military. e announcement comes after ukrainian soldiers recently re-captured tos, including one east of the city, where nick schifrin reports tonight. >> east of kharkiv, ukrainian soldiers are pushing forward. they patrol an area recently liberated from russian troops and now, they're preparing for a counterattack. they build defensive positions foxholes that will be linked to make a new line of trenches made confident recent success. >> and what is the threat from the russians in this location? >> mostly artillery, artillery and mortars. 1711 also, there could be like small reccie groups, but we're ready to engage. >> captain jan fidra's mission

is to prevent russian troops from moving through here, south to the donbas. last week they came under fire by russian cluster bombs. >> one of our soldiers died during the attack. our medics tried to help him, like, but, he was dead before the body hit the ground. before we could take his body away, like, me and a few soldiers just spent it, a couple ofours with his body, like in that area. those woods in front of us, they're shooting at us from there. >> we first met then lieutenant fidrya in 2016 on the front line in eastern ukraine, faced off against russian-backed separatists. nick: how's your leg? yan: could be better. we met him again this past march, after he was shot through the leg defending kyiv. first two weeks when i was in the unit, like, i couldn't i barely could walk, but i was working on it. um, like you see,

i'm good right now. >> how are the ukrainian forces around kharkiv gaining such success right now? >> mostly the russians they're using right now mixed units they're not organized and that gives us more big opportunities like to push them back. they don't calculate their fire, and our artillery they can, find the positions, calculate the fire, and just destroy their positions. his men are a company in ukraine's international legion. they're all foreigners, who write messages on their rpg's to the russians they target. and are paid and armed by the ukrainian government. some have faced combat, but never against a modern military. steve is from washington state. >> there are a number of us here who've been in plenty of gunfights before. and we all said the same thing. you know, getting into a gunfight with another human being is a different animal. here, there's no fighting back against death that that falls from above. >> how long will you stay?

>> as long as it takes. i'm. i'm here until we win. >> you have two triggers >> they're just learning how to use the american anti-tank javelin so effective because it can be used from cover, quickly. >> fire, forget it, and that's all. that's allowed ukrainian soldiers to destroy hundreds of russian tanks. they refer to this as a lollipop the shape of a turret blown off the tank body. this is another village, mala rouhan, liberated a month ago. >> today ukraine fires artillery from nearby but hasn't cleaned up abandoned russian barracks, with discarded russian uniforms and even russian borscht. the fields that residents used to till, the final resting place for a russian helicopter. 81 years ago, the nazis occupied mala rouhan. two months ago, the russians occupied and tried to convince these villagers to go with them to russia, including 48-year-old oskana. >> why did you refuse their offer to go to russia? >> i don't know. i had a bad feeling, because i didn't believe that ukrainians would reach russia without an

incident. i didn't trust the russians that i would be safe. >> do you ever get used to the sound? >> no. nyet. >> she walks me through the village, past a destroyed car. you can still see the tracks of the tank that ran it over. >> so what happened here? >> she says a cluster bomb landed right outside their house, throwing shrapnel at the front door. she stayed despite her husband's wanting to leave, because of her cats. they bear the wounds of this war as do families that once considered themselves cross-border. oksana was born in russia, and moved to ukraine when she was 12. >> ieel sorry for russians who did this to us. no one will respect them after what they have done. even though i'm russian myself. i don't know, it's hard to explain something feels wrong in my soul. >> for weeks russia used mala rohan to bombard kharkiv, just 12 miles to the west. the fiercest fighting in this area

took place in a village up the road, vilkhivka. 8000 people used to live here. w it is no more than 50. even though the major fighting ended weeks ago this place is a ghost town, there is literally nobody out on the streets. and parts of this village, still smell acrid. you can still smell the war. the russian army didn't bother to pick up their dead. dozens of homes took direct hits from russian artillery. and in the street, leftover russian munitions, just a few feet from the colored tires that outline a playground. in this village in ruins, we founoleksandr. he grew up here and said he would never leave, no matter what. >> what's life like here today? is there any food, is there any water? >> water? what water? water, gas, electricity? the wires ve been cut. what are you talking about? food is scarce. some people go to the city, some people share their food. humanity is being tested.

>> so what happened here? >> down the road, yaroslav bodyrev shows me what used to be the back of his friend's home it was blown out ban artillery shell just two weeks ago. >> when the fighting was very heavy, people were hiding in the basements and had to take all their food with them. and at some point, i was living on the street, all by myself. he's living here now, despite the damage. and he too vows to never leave. i never could understa how people could live in syria. they've have war for many years. and peopleust go about their lives. the same for us, here. we got used to it. and now, when it's quiet, i have this strange feeling that something is missing. a lot is missing here. including the children who used to fill the village's only school, now bombed, and burned. for e pbs newshour, i'm nick schifrin in vilhivka. judy: and a reminder that our coverage of ukraine is supported in partnership with the pulitzer center.

judy: in the day's other news: president biden defended his economic policies in the face of the worst inflation in the u.s. in 40 years. instead, he blamed the pandemic, the war in ukraine and spending from the trump era. the president said his proposals from taxing billionaires to cutting drug prices could help. >> "i think our policies help not hurt. think about what they say. the vast majority of the economists think that this is going to be a real tough problem to solve, but it's not because of spending. we brought down the deficit." >> meanwhile, "triple a" reported average gas prices nationwide are a dollar and 40 cents higher than a year ago.

treasury secretary janet yellen argued today that abortion rights are key to economic health. she told senators that legalizing abortion helped women control their lives, go to school and get jobs. she said if "roe versus wade" is overturned, it will damage the economy and set women back decades. the rate of gun killings in the u.s. jumped 35 percent in 2020 the most in more than 25 years. the c-d-c reports total gun deaths topped more than 45-thousand the most on record as the pandemic spread and firearms sales jumped. gun homicide rates rose the most among young, black men. they were 20 times more likely to be killed than young, white men. the head of the world health organization today criticized china's no-tolerance approach to "covid-19". under that policy, much of shanghai has been locked down for nearly 6 weeks. but in geneva, the w-h-o's

director-general said strict quarantines are no longer the answer. >> we don't think that it's sustainable considering the behaviors of the virus now and what we anticipate in the future. and especially when we have now a good knowledge, understanding of the virus and when we have good tools to use." >> another top w-h-o official said any benefits of a "zero-covid" policy must be weighed against damage to economies and human rights. in the philippines: ferdinand marcos junior son of the one-time dictator called for unity after winning the presidency. he asked to be judged by his actions and not by his family history. but, hundreds of students protested outside the election commission in manila. other activists charged that marcos won because he whitewashed his history. south korea's new president took

office today. conservative newcomer yoon sook yohl was sworn in during a ceremony in seoul. he campaigned on a harder line on north korea and its nuclear weapons program, but today, he talked of conciliation. >> "if north korea genuinely embarks on a process to complete denuclearization, we are prepared to work with the international community to present an audacious plan that will vastly strengthen north korea's economy and improve the quality of life for its people." >> the british parliament opened a new session today without queen elizabeth for only the third time in 70 years. buckingham palace blamed her mobility issues. instead, vince childs -- prince

charles stepped in. a boston city judge acquitted mario batali of indecent assault and battery. his accuser says he forcibly kissed and groped her into thousand 17. he apologized but denied criminal wrongdoing. the nasdaq rose 114 point. andy warhol's silkscreen of marilyn monroe sold monday for $195 million.

christie's auction house says it is the highest bid for any work by an american artist ever. still to come, mark esper discusses his fraught relationship with president trump. india experiences an earlier than usual heat wave. a highly contagious strain of bird flu plagues farmers across the u.s. and much more. >> this is the pbs newshour. >> it has been a week since the leaked draft of the supreme court decision. advocates on both sides are turning up the pressure.

>> following protests outside the homes of conservative justices, congress is considering a bill to protect their families. dozens marched outside the home of samuel alito. the last decision reaffirmed the right to an abortion with some restrictions. at that time, the attorney general asked the supreme court to overturn roe v. wade. i want to ask your opinion for the leaked document fro last week. >> i've been practicing for 50 years, and i've never seen a draft opinion leaked at any court level.

it just doesn't happen. this has to be investigated early. >> when you say a terrible thing, it's the leak itself not the proposed outcome? >> there's two things. one thing is the leak which is bad and the second thing is the opinion. we don't have the official opinion of the court yet. we have seen some indications from the draft which is from february 10 that there is a tendency to overturn. in june, the actual opinion will be released. it is calmed down a little bit, let's wait to see what they say. >> your experience about casey?

>> the chief justice change to his vote in the last day or two before the opinion was announced. relax and let see what happens. >> how likely will it be that the outcome of this opinion will change? that they will not overturn roe v. wade? >> i don't know what to speculate. i argued for the overturning in 1992 and i represented governor casey in the commonwealth. he sat right behind me. it's not unheard of the people are asking for overturning roe v. wade. we asked f in 1992. what we got was the gutting of roe v. wade. it put in an undue standard for review. it also put in a viability

standard. then, it was 23 or 24 weeks. mississippi says 15 weeks. that's where this battle is over. >> yesterday, we interviewed the opposing cast -- counsel. i want to get your reaction. >> we have had five decades of support for roe v. wade. entire generations women have relied upon this decision and ordered their lives. millions of women have obtained abortions as a result of roe v. wade and that is being rolled back because five individuals decided willy-nilly to change the law. that is a real hit on the institutional integrity of this court. >> what do you say? >> the case has not been overturned yet. let's wait to see what the actual opinion of the court is going to be.

there is always been a contest about whether or not roe v. wade was properly decided from its inception and if there is a right to life or right to abortion, the only thing i know about the constitution is there is a right to life. i don't know about right to abortion. that's going to be up to the states. this opinion holds, it's not the end of abortions, it's the transfer of regulation to the states. the states are already doing. many are already putting forward state statutes that regulate or allow abortions up until even the moment of birth. it's not the end of the world. another thing you have to recognize is that we have new science. the new science is that we can have viability of the fetus may be at 15 weeks. we also have an abortion pill which we didn't have been.

almost half of the abortions in the united states are done by pill. we have to start focusing on let's get better care for women and children. once the child is born. let's have better instructions on what we do about avoiding pregnancies, what we do about taking care of women during pregnancies and of course after pregnancies. we just wasted hundreds of billions of dollars through it away. wouldn't it be wonderful to take $100 billion and use it to feed people and keep families together safe and healthy. >> you talked about rights not found in the constitution. e supreme court has ruled in the past that they do exist. do you think justice alito's argument should apply to the marriage intimate sexual relations, purchasing

contraception, those sorts of things. you think those argument should apply? >> no, let's focus on one thing at a time. there has been a decision made in 1973 that there was a right. there have been contest ever since that there was not a right. let's see what the supreme court says on the case itself then take it from there as to whether it's going to apply to any other thing. i doubt it. i don't want to get into that speculation. let's wait until the end of june when the decision comesown and see what the court says. >> think very much. >> thank you.

ju: during the 18 months mark esper served as secretary of defense, he clashed at times with former president trump over proposals to use the military in ways esper thought were inappropriate. trump fired esper in november 2020, a few days after trump lost re-election. i sat down with esper yesterday to discuss his experiences, which he details in a new book, "a sacred oath: memoirs of a secretary of defense druing extraordinary times." ma esper, thank you very much for joining us in this book. i think there are so many questionable, even astonishing ideas that you write about that emerged from either former president trump or the people around him, that it was hard to keep track of them all. i wrote i wrote down firing missiles from the us into mexico to go after the drug cartels, striking iran, sending 250,000 u.s. troops to the southern border. how is it that none of these actually came to happen? >> well, i think, judy, that

there were myself and others in the cabinet who successfully, at times either individually or together, were able to talk the president and others out of these ideas, which which we thought just didn't make sense and would could end up doing more harm than good. >> and i in particular, i mean, you open the book with june the first, 2020. this is in the aftermath of the murder of george floyd, when there had been protests in washington. and there's a meeting in the white house where former president trump is asking you and others to do something about it. tell us about that particular day, that meeting. >> well, as i recount in the book, general miller and i get called to the white house early that morning and we report in and people are already assembled. and almost immediately the president begins, you know, shouting that he's very irate that the protests were occurring and that, you know, so much was

happening. and it was true that we did have violence taking place. people were hurt. you know, park police, national guard. and it seemed to be that violence was breaking out, at least to him all around the country as well. and so his frustration, you know, really grew to the point where he was talking about the invocation of the insurrection act and the deployment of 10,000 active duty troops into the streets of the nation's capital. and it was at that point in time that i, bill barr and with general miller's assistance as well, began pushing back on that notion. and my view was that this was a law enforcement problem, that the that the military, the national guard, could support and should support as needed. but this was a law enforcement issue, not certainly not a matter for the active duty forces to be involved in. >> but at the time, the public didn't know exactly what the president was asking for. he also, as you say in the book, in your opening page, was saying, why can't you just go out and shoot the protesters in the legs? you know, that was around the time or it was later on that you and general milley and others walked with the president over across lafayette square, stood in front of the the church

there he was holding the bible. what was going on in your mind at that time? >> look, it was obviously a very shocking and troubling remark for the president to suggest that we shoot protesters, we shoot americans in the streets of the nation's capital. and needless to say, i and i suspect others, they were all taken aback by that notion and successfully were able to push back on that and come up with, you know, a proposal that didn't call for that. but, you know, clearly it took hold of us for the day with you, will, and it obviously resulted in or led to the my mistake in terms of walking across lafayette park. and i think general milley feels the same way as well. >> what do you say, mark esper, to those who look at what happened that day, what the president was suggesting, and say, you should have spoken up at that moment and you should have even resigned your position. >> boy. look, it's it's a great comment. and i wrestled with this constantly about what to do. and you've got to keep in mind the context, because it always matters. it was in the in

the weeks and months leading up to this that other proposals were put forward, such as shooting missiles into mexico, the deployment of a quarter million troops to the border, possible strikes against venezuela. and each of these i was able with with the help of others at times to to kind of push back on. and my view was that, look, i thought i was serving the country better by staying in the job than by resigning. and then, of course, i had no idea who he would put in behind me. and that was my bigger concern was would the president put in an uber loyalist who would really carry out these ideas that he and others were puttinforward? >> i've seen that some people have said why you would watch this president. you had seen what happened to your predecessor, james mattis. why did you take the job in the first place? >> ]well, look, i've been serving my country since the age of 18 when i went to west point.

served ten years in the army, both during war and peace, and then another 11 years in the national guard. i worked on capitol hill. look, i believe in service to country, and i thought i could make a difference. and i do think i made a difference. i think all the great people i had the honor of working with the pentagon really served their oath honorably. and and that was my view is if the nation calls, i think we should all serve and look at the bottom. the bottom line is duty. if good people don't serve, then you're left with the bad people. and that's not what our nation needs, particularly now in this era of sides. we need good people to serve in government, to stay in government and do the right thing. >> but you did you had seen how he operated as president and you still went to work for him. and you stayed with him for 18 months. >> i was serving the constitution. i was obeying my oath. i didn't work necessarily for the president or for the party or for a certain philosophy. my duty, my oath was to the constitution, hence the name of my book. and to me, that's the important thing. >> you do write in the book, mark esper, that you said the

most shocking and troubling event of the trump presidency was the, quote, organization and incitement of the pro-trump mob that attacked the u.s. capitol. as you know, we know he was impeached for that. should he have been convicted, do you think, by the senate? >> you know, i'd obviously like to see the senate have a hearing and tease that out. but to me, it was a very troubling event the moment it was an insurrection, an attempt to overturn a free and fair election and to prevent the peaceful transfer of power. and and it was right to be impeached and he likely would have been convicted. i just don't know. but i'd want to see that trial play out. >> had you voted for him in 2016? >> yes, i did. [0.3s] >> and do you think he's qualified? he is clearly thinking about running again. is he qualified to be president again? >> i hope. i hope he doesn't run for

president in my view that any candidate for president from either party, by the way, should put country over self. they have to have, you know, a level of integrity and principle that will carry them forward. they've got to be willing to reach across the ale and work with others. and president trump just doesn't meet those marks for me. >> i do want to read you, mark esper, some of what president trump has said in the last 24 hours and some of your comments have come out. he has said, quote, he was you were a lightweight, a figurehead. he said mark esper was weak, totally ineffective. he said he would do anything i wanted. >> well, clearly, i didn't do anything he wanted. and if you recall, i think another author published a story where president trump's head of personnel put forward a two page memo outlining, outlining all the reasons why i should be fired, because i didn't agree with the president or i sagree with him and push back. and look, that's the bottom line is i would expect no less from the president to do some degree of name calling and badmouthing. but that's fine. look, people make their own decisions about about him, about me and and about who's telling the truth. and look, what i what i'm trying to do is tell an important story for the american people, for history about a very tumultuous and consequential time in our

nation. and that's the purpose behind me writing this book. >> mark esper the book is a sacred oath memoirs of a secretary of defense during extraordinary times. thank you very much. >> thank you, judy. judy: extreme heat is gripping large parts of india and pakistan, affecting hundreds of millions of people in one of the most densely populated parts of the world. temperatures in india's capital rose above 100 again today. fred de sam lazaro reports from india. >> may is the hottest month in india a time when schools are out and kids learn various ways to cope with the stifling heat like sharing this muddy pond with the water buffalo.

>> it is too hot inside, the water has stopped coming to our house. my mother told me go to pond and take a bath. >> for many mothers, the daily routine makes it difficult to escape >> it's really hot here. when i cook, i get flashes of heat from the stove. it's hot even in the shade. >> temperatures like these are not unusual for may. but this year they came early really early and across a much wider swath of the country >> it is the hottest april in 122 years, march was the hottest march in 122 years >> i met urmi goswami, a journalist covering climate issues for india's economic times, in one of the delhi's poorer neighborhoods. >> it is getting hotter, you're building more and more cars on the street, there are all kinds of other things that are happening, water stress is increasing. so clearly, the factors that add to your discomfort are growing i mean, look around, the housing that you see, its not really conducive to any weather

>> only about one in ten indian households have access to air condioning, but the sharp spe in electricity demand due to the heatwave has caused rolling blackouts. that stops the ceiling fans sometimes for hours each day the one coping mechanism for many lower income people. the heat has been particularly stressful for those who labor outdoors >> i was working every day last week, even though it was making me sick, my eyes were getting red, that's why i stopped working today. >> it's hard to measure the full toll on human health from all of this heat. several dozen deaths have been reported as a direct result of heatstroke. but that doesn't take into account the many deaths that go unrecorded, and long term consequences of sustained heat exposure, like cardiovascular disease, respiratory distress, and ver and kidney failure.

the government has implemented early weather warnings that have allowed local municipalities to provide shelter, water and relief. but for many day laborers in india's economy, to get paid, they have to go to work. >> it's severely hot. if i work 10 minutes, i have to sit for half an hour to take rest. it's so severely hot, i feel like i could faint. >> extreme heat more than anything else impacts productivity. and that itself is an issue when it comes to economic output >> that's especially true--and worrying in agriculture, where the searing temperatures damaged this spring's wheat crop at this market just outside delhi, farmer raghubir singh khatri showed us the difference between this year's crop and the last year's. >> if it wasn't for the extreme heat in march, we would have had

20% more harvest. the grains are smaller this year. if temperatures were cooler, they would have looked bigger, like these. >> that definitely has an impact on the quality of the production and the nutrition aspect of the wheat. and, and i think that will affect the sale value of the crop itself. >> surichi bhadwal, a climate scientist at the energy and resources institute in delhi, says there's no imminent danger of food shortages. india still has substantial reserve stocks and a free food distribution for low income households that began during the pandemic. but as india and so many countries lurch from one extreme weather event to the next, bhadwal says these become ever louder warnings of a climate catastrophe absent global action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. >> no country is spared from the ill effects of the consequences of climate change whether it's floods, cyclones, or tornadoes, or storm surges or heat waves,

you know, today we are facing it, we do need very stringent action. to make sure that we are not converting this world into an uninhabitable place to live. >> yet india's heatwave illustrates the difficulties countries face in living up to their coals to transition to cleaner energy, says journalist goswami. >> look what happens as the first sign of a crisis. you go running back to what you know best to meet your demand. what you can do quickly -- >> which is coal. >> which is coal! uh, is it is the transition easy? no. is it necessary? it's essential. it's critical. >> today 70% percent of india's power supply comes from coal and it's had to step up production and imports of the polluting fuel to cope with the surge in heatwave driven demand. on a more hopeful note, the june monsoon is forecast to be normal this year. for a billion people across the subcontinent, june and that rain cannot come quickly enough.

for the pbs newshour, i'm fred de sam lazaro in new delhi. judy: and a note that fred's reporting is in partnership with the under-told stories project at the university of st. thomas in minnesota.id of its worst bird flu outbreak in years. millions of poultry and wild birds ha been killed. and although the risk to human health is low, the impacts are trickling down to consumers. william brangham recently traveled to the midwest, where producers and scientists are desperately trying to stay ahead of the virus. and a warning: some viewers might find images in this story disturbing.

for minnesota turkey farmer john zimmerman, there are some added costs of doing business these days. >> this is the dirty side and anything from past that mark is considered clean, inside the barn. >> every time zimmerman, or one of his employees, enters this

barn home to some 7,500 turkeys they have to put on fresh boots and coveralls, wash their hands, and slide on gloves. it's all meant to prevent the spread of a deadly avian oufluenza or bird flu.e cath f anisy ssn of his barns would likely force zimmerman to kill his entire flock. >> it's just a little bit more stressful now because that uncertainty of that virus can come in and in the morning the birds can be fine. and at night you're going to be picking up hundreds, if not thousands of dead birds. and, you know, oh, crap, what do i do now? >> this new virus spread from migratory birds coming from europe many birds carry flu viruses all the time, and it doesn't usually harm them. but sometimes a strain can get passed to domestic birds like chickens, ducks, or turkeys and with the right mutation, can then spread like wildfire. in 2015, during the last big outbreak, more than 50 million birds were killed or died nationwide. with this new strain, over 37 million birds are dead across more than 30 states. >> every morning i get up and i look into the sky and make sure i don't see any ducks or geese flying overhead. >> because if you see ducks or geese flying overhead, they could be dropping feces >> correct. >> that might be loaded with virus. >> it's an it gets to be a knee jerk reaction and you do it. you know, since 2015, my son is seven years old and so he was born in 2014, you know, right before the last outbreak. and he knows daddy does not likes duck, does not like ducks and geese,

and they're the worst animals in the world. and he's grown up with duck bad, goose bad. >> this flu strain is so contagious that it could even enter a closed barn traveling on airborne bits of dust or dirt, leaving farmers like zimmerman always on edge >> in the morning you go check your barns and you make sure you don't your mortality's not up and the birds are healthy and active and you breathe a sigh of relief that you've made it through another night. >> but what happens when farmers do see signs that their birds might be sick? here at the minnesota poultry testing lab scientists test about 100 samples a day for bird flu, using the same p-c-r process used for covid tests. jerry torrison directs the veterinary diagnostic lab at the university of minnesota, which jointly runs this facility with the state. jerry torrison: producers, veterinarians, animal health regulatory people have to decide the fate of a flock of birds. they have to decide if it's negative, it's business as usual. if it tests positive, if they have flu, then that flock is depopulated and they want to make those decisions as soon as they possibly can so that everybody can respond accordingly. >> the state expanded this lab in the heart of minnesota's turkey country after the 2015 outbreak. it's part of a

nationwide network of labs tracking bird flu, with positive results reported to the u.s. department of agriculture. >> it's like we're in the fire watch tower and watching the lightning strikes hit out in the forest. and so we're we're the fire spotters. and that's different this year in that there are so many more premises. there are actually more sites, more flocks already this year than there were in 2015. >> right now, there is no evidence this flu is a danger to humans. last month, an inmate in colorado did test positive for the virus, after helping remove chickens from an infected barn, but he's recovered, and officials stressed that risk remains very low perhaps the greater impact of this outbreak on humans is to their wallets. >> chicken and turkey prices are about 20 to 30% higher. egg prices are actually up almost double since the same time last year.

jayson lusk is an agricultural economist at purdue university. while the flu outbreak plays a role in higher prices, lusk says so do other factors, like supply chain issues and rising feed costs driven partly by the war in ukraine. >> while it's true that a very large number of birds have been affected by bird flu, they represent a very small share of the overall inventory for broiler chickens, slightly more for eggsand maybe a quarter of turkeys. but if you're a producer that's been hit by bird flu, it can be devastating. this virus is also proving deadly to certain wild birds like this eagle who've been hit much harder by this strain than in past outbreaks. >> we've never seen this before. >> dr. victoria hall directs the university of minnesota's raptor center, well over 100 raptors have come into the center suffering with avian flu seizing, unable to stand, unresponsive. only one lucky owl which may have had a lower viral load has survived so far. it's not clear why this year's outbreak is so much worse for wild birds than in 2015, back

then, not a single raptor at the center tested positive. >> we know there are species like bald eagles that have made a comeback historically. now they're still challenged with things like lead poisoning. what happens when you add highly pathogenic avian influenza on top of that? >> another difference this year? many more backyard flocks have been hit by the virus, compared to 2015. >> stacy decorsey started with three chickens at her house in suburban minneapolis about seven years ago. she's lost count now of how many chickens, turkeys and ducks she has even though she knows all their names. and as i learned with the big gray turkey, hermione they're very happy to be with humans. while decorsey can't implement the same so-called bio-security as a commercial producer does, her birds were healthy before, during, and after our visit. to avoid attracting any migratory birds, she's not

leaving food or water outside. but she doesn't have the space to keep her birds cooped up indoors. >> it's stressful. i know i lost sleep the first the first week, first two weeks. and then, you know, my grandpa, a farmer from iowa that just kicks in and it's a farm animal and it's a bird and we can rebuild. i certainly feel really bad for those who their livelihood depends on their flocks. while affected farmers are eligible for some compensation from the federal government, john zimmerman says recovery is not that simple. >> you put a lot of time and energy, your heart and soul into raising these birds. and the fact that you have to destroy that is incredibly tough. now, we understand we're doing that. we're euthanizing these birds to save other birds, but it's incredibly difficult and it's emotionally, physically and mentally devastating to the to the farmers that they have to do that. >> so for now, he's keeping everything as clean as psible, watching the skies closely, and hoping he makes it through this outbreak.

for the pbs newshour, i'm willm brangham in minnesota. judy: over the course of more than a hundred years beginning in the 1800s, hundreds of thousands of native american children in the u.s. were removed from their families, placed in federal boarding schools and forced to abandon their native languages and culture. one college in colorado which is also one of the top native american degree conferring institutions in the country is reckoning with that history. special correspondent hari sreenivasan reports for our rethinking college series. >> on a recent evening, the pounding of drums signaled the start of an annual tradition at fort lewis college in durango, colorado.

after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, a sold-out crowd packed the stands to watch the powwow which dates back to the 1960's. while the mood was celebratory the night's theme was somber: remembering those who never made it home. those being honored: the unknown of native american children who died at indian boarding schools around the country including one with a historical connection to the college. there has been a huge reckoning in this country to say that institutions must take a look at their own racialized history and understand the ilications of that racialized history. for fort lewis college, that racialized history is embedded in the fact that we started as a. federal indian boarding school and those histories are a tragic and sad one. >> tom stritikus is the president of fort lewis college.

eeasn energaged in an effort to explore and acknowledge that history and provide a more supportive learning environment for native american and alaska native students who make up about half of the school's enrollment. nationally, only about a quarter of 18 to 24-year-old native americans are enrolled in higher education. stritikus says over the years, the college's history and long-standing native american tuition waiver weren't a secret but they also weren't widely understood by the campus community. >> the native american tuition waiver is actually connected to the fact that the students who are attending today potentially had ancestors who were abused and traumatized by native american boarding schools, those things are connected. so it's really our job as the leaders of the place to talk about the waiver, to talk about that in

the context of no, this isn't free. the indigenous communities paid a tremendous price because of federal indian boarding schools. >> this is the original boarding school site a rural stretch of land about 15 miles from the fort lewis college campus which moved to the current location in the 1950's. today, the land is used by the college for agricultural education. only two of the original buildings remain. >> for twenty years, from 1891 to 1910, several thousand native american children went to school here where they were stripped of their language and culture. the impact of that cultural genocide is still being felt today. >> my father grew up not learning the dakota language because his parents again made a difficult decision that my dad would be better served if he just spoke english without any accent. many, many descendants of boarding school survivors know that experience. >> fort lewis college associate professor majel boxer's grandparents attended boarding schools in other locations around the country. she's an enrolled member of the fort peck assiniboine and sioux tribes of northeastern montana her research is focused on the history of the boarding school which was called the fort lewis indian school. >> this building here would have been used for agricultural purposes. >> while the original boarding school grounds have not yet been searched for unmarked graves a

bill has been introduced in the colorado legislature that would fund culrally appropriate exploration later this year boxer says that process will be an important part of the healing. >> the stories that are shared with me by tribal elders are that they know children have passed away. it's reason why chief ignacio did not want children to come to fort lewis indian school is because parents knew that their children did die from disease. and so part of that reconciliation includes that truth telling. >> the campus-wide reconciliation process now underway is due, in large part, to this woman. >> i'm joslynn lee and i am assistant professor of chemistry here at fort lewis college i am enrolled for the pueblo of laguna they are one of the 19 tribes of new mexico. as a student at fort lewis college in the early 2000sd returning as a new faculty member in 2019 she was troubled by panels under the colleges

prominent clock tower that depicted the boarding school history with photo captions that included the children are well clotd and happy. i was riding my bike through campus and i decided to visit the clock tower to go back and e what the imagery, photography and language used. so i spent about five nutes and did get upset again of this an inappropriate representation, and i'm not too sure why we're still allowing that to be shared. she says her relatives and many other native americans at boarding schools contradict the photo captions and impressions of that era including the children are well clothed and happy. one big step in that process was removing the boarding school panels during a special ceremony last year. majel boxer has been part of the on-going reconciliation work which includes faculty, staff and students.

>> it felt gooto be listened to after many years of raising the concern, then to have our college president just simply say, you're right, let's remove them. and then we spent a good year in town halls and listening sessions to really listen to students, faculty and staff to see how weould improve our campus and our understanding of the indian school history. so in many ways, little small efforts are coming together --an indigenous language revitalization program. funded through a grant from the mellon foundation. --three new faculty hires in the native american and indigenous studies department. and a land acknowledgement before college ents and in classes at the start of each >> we acknowledge the land that fort lewis college is situated upon is the ancestral land and territory of the nuuchiu (ute) people who were forcibly removed by the united states government. >> i feel more recognized. i feel more acknowledged on this campus rather than, um, you know, how it was before was just like, oh, there's just some indian kids over there, you

know, they're not doing nothing. they're just, they're just here, you know? but he says there is still work to be done. for president stritikus, a big part of the work still to be done is getting students across the finish line. before the pandemic, the school was starting to see some gains in first-year retention rates. >> the pandemic has eroded those gains. i think that when we put the notions around academic support gether with sort of the broad, culturally responsive work we're doing in terms of acknowledging the importance of native culture that we're going to continue to pick back up the gains that we started to see before the pandemic >> for joslynn lee, the work over the last few years has been meaningful >> i'm hoping that this is a more holistic approach to learning about each other so that we can all start to get along better than the last. >> there's been a steady uptick in the number of native

american students enrolling over the last four years and the college expects a record number of applications this spring. for the pbs newshour, im hari sreenivasan in durango, colorado. judy: later tonight on pbs, you can watch the season three premiere of 'beyond the canvas' hosted by amna nawaz. the show features interviews and profiles with some of the brightt stars in music, art, literature and more. tonight's episode focuses on the art "all around us." here's a sneak preview, >> we revisit artists changing the world around them. >> i don't think i have ever been as nervous as a director. >> for most people, the communities are underrepresented. >> latinos have changed the sport. judy: watch the first of this season's five episodes, staing tonight on most pbs stations check your local listings.

and online right now, follow live coverage of the primary election results for key congressional and gubernatorial races in nebraska and west virginia that at pbs dot org slash newshour judy: and that's the newshour for tonight. i'm judy woodruff. join us online and 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 architect. beekeeper. mentor. a raven financial advisor taylor's advice to help you live your life. life well planned. carnegie corporation of new york. supporting innovations in

education, engagement, and international peace and security. the target foundation committed to advancing racial equity and creating the change required to shift systems and accelerate equitable opportunity. with the ongoing support of these institutions. this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you.

♪ hello, everyone, and welcome to "amanpour & co." here's what's coming up. ♪ putin marks world war ii victory day with no major declarations, and i get reaction from russia's first post-soviet foreign minister, andrei kozyrev. and -- >> translator: on the day of victory over naziism, we are fighting for a new victory. >> president zelenskyy vows to fight till the end. u.s. general ben hodges joins me with his latest battlefield assessment. plus -- >> what we see is a ratcheting up of discourse, of demonizing liberal, secular, and progressive jews around the world, both bys