judy: good evening. i'm judy woodruff. on the "newshour" tonight, an attack on children. uvalde, texas, mourns the students and teachers killed in a horrific shooting at an elementary school as new details eerge. then, the results are in. voters in georgia make their voices heard in critical primary elections as former president trump's endorsement yields mixed results. and two years later, a new biography of george floyd contextualizes his life against the united states' legacy of systemic racism. > he was surrounded by the crime and the drugs and the issues that come along with deep poverty. and it made it very difficult for him to envision how to escape. but that was always his goal. judy: all that and more on tonight's "pbs newshour."

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thank you. judy: investigators continued to -- continue to search for a motive tonight in the elementary school massacre that killed 21 people, including 19 children, in uvalde, texas. texas governor greg abbott said the gunman shared messages about his intents on facebook shortly before the attack. facebook said those messages were sent privately, not publicly. calls are growing in washington and elsewhere for changing gun laws. and in uvalde, the community is -- residents are grieving over indescribable loss. amna nawaz is there and begins our coverage. reporter: today, the community of uvalde, texas is reeling. one day after some of its youngest members were killed by a gunman at rob elementary school. >> this does not feel real. it's unbelievable. reporter: 17-year-old jared hernandez said his friend's

siblings were among those killed. his little brother, a second grader, survived. >> he was in shock when i saw him. i have never seen him like that. he was just scared. reporter: has he talked to you out what it was like or what he heard or saw? >> at the moment, he was at lunch, he was going back to his class. i asked him if he heard anything. he just said he heard screaming and gunshots firing. reporter: the uvalde attack is now the nation's deadliest school shooting it -- since 2012 when people were killed at sandy hook elementary school. residents are grappling with grief rippling across this tightknit community 85 miles west of san antonio. >> my heart is broken for the parents here in uvalde. never thought something like this would happen in a small town. and friendly as uvalde. but we know each other. it has been a very, very bad,

tragic thing here. reporter: investigators have shared more information about the shooting and the gunman. 18-year-old salvador ramos was a uvalde resident. he shot and wounded his grandmother before driving to the elementary school, crashing nearby, and running into the building. ramos carried one assault rifle, walked into a fourth-grade classroom, and officials say shot everyone in sight. >> what we do know at that point, the shooter was made to -- able to make entry, barricaded himself in the classroom, and began shooting numerous children and teachers in the classroom havinno rdreor fga h reporter: among the victims, eliana garcia, whose and found out yesterday she was killed. like many others, her family had congregated at the civic center hoping for a different outcome. >> she was very happy and very outgoing. loved to dance and sing and play sports.

she was big into family and enjoyed being with the family. reporter: also among the victims, eliana cruz torres, javier lopez, marie joe garza, and couns annabelle rodriguez and jacqueline because ours, all of whom were just 10 years old. special education teacher even modelo's who had worked in the district for 17 years, dedicating herself to ildren like audrey garcia's ughter, gabby. >> that kind of teaching that -- that kind of teaching, that hands on, to do whatever she good to help -- she could to help gabby, that is the kind of thing she did every day. reporter: the victim -- the gunman was killed. authorities confirm ramos left one of his two assault rifles in his car. both weapons were purchased legally days before the shooting. ramos even posting about the purchases on instagram. his motive for targeting the school is under investigation. the tragedy has re-sparked the

debate over gun control. tensions spilled over toy during a press conference in uvalde when democratic beto o'rourke interrupted greg abbott and uvalde mayor don mclaughlin. >> you are doing nothing. >> this is not the place to talk. >> this is totally predictable. >> sir, you are out of line! sir, you are out of line! please, leave the auditorium. i can't believe you are a sick son of a -- to come here and make a political issue. reporter: divisions along party lines showed on the senate floor. senate majority leader mitch mcconnell she stopped short of calling for legislative action, while chuck schumer demanded votes. >> it is literally sickening, sickening, to consider the innocent young lives that wer stolen by this pointless, senseless, brutality. >> i just had heard the minority

leader say he was sickened by what happened in uvalde. will he join us in allowing a debate and amendments to that bill that will address the gun plague in america? thoughts and prayers are not enough. we need action. reporter: back in uvalde, residents are relying on themselves and their community in this moment of shared grief. >> i don't want people thinking uvalde is a scary place. we are a loving community. we just want to take care of people and show love. everyone is here for each other pretty much. reporterthat is exactly what we have seen here on the ground, people here for each other as the area outside of robb elementary school has turned into a command post for federal and state investigators trying to figure out how and why this happened. this school is nestled in the heart of a community that is very much still in shock, very much in disbelief that this happened at all. judy: we are learning more about

this community, just 16,000 people live there. it is a farming community. what else are you hearing from the people who live there? reporter: it is a remarkable thing. i can tell you from the moment we have arrived, we have not let a single person who has not been touched by this in some way. that is how tightknit this is. one woman told me her grandson is in second grade, and he is likely se. her cousin's's daughter is among those who was killed. i met another woman leading her third-grade son by the hand out of the civic center where they are offering counseling services. they looked shellshocked. they said we wanted to come here to find his teacher. he wanted to make sure he's teacher was ok. 600 kids went to the school. this is a town where everyone knows everyone. even if they were not personally impacted, people know these kids families. they have watched them grow up, and now they are mourning their deaths. the sense of grief and loss is palpable. judy: and as he said just now in

your report, this has reignited a national conversation about guns and what to do about guns. is that what people are talking about their? reporter:eople are very focused on each other, on healing, helping each other. they are moving from site to site offering services. one woman set up a blood drive and said they were so overwhelmed th walk-ins, they had to bring in extra trucks from san antonio just to handle the load. at the end of the day, they know the world is watching. they know the questions outside will resonate here. 19 children are dead. 19 nine-year-olds and 10-year-old started their day like any other in what should have been there last week of school and they were murdered in their classroom. there is no making sense of that because it should not happen. this is a uniquely american problem, and uvalde is the latest community to feel this pain. judy: it is just impossible to understand.

thank you very much. as we have been hearing, the shooting in texas has renewed calls for more gun regulations but congress remains gridlocked on the issue. democratic senator chris murphy represents the state of connecticut, where the deadliest elementary school shooting in american history happened in 2012. and he joins us now from capitol hill. thank you for being here. you stood on the senate floor yesterday and you said to your fellow senators, and i'm just quoting "what are we doing?" you said, why are we spending all of this time running for the senate if your answer is as the slaughter increases, we do nothing. have you heard any answers from your fellow sell -- fellow senators? sen. murphy: this is a moment that compels us to action. my question is sincere. i don't understand why you spend this time being a member of the

world -- of this body and let the slaughter continue without answer. i have been engaged all day with republicans and democrats trying to see if we can find some common ground. i understand republicans will not support everything i can support. we probably cannot get a universal background check bill or a ban on assault weapons. maybe we can do smaller things to show parents and kids that we take seriously the fear, the anxiousness that they labor under every day in their classrooms and at home. senator schumer has said he will give us about a week to 10 days to work out that compromise, but then he will bring votes before the senate, either compromise that we work on and put before the body, or something very much like what has passed the house of representatives, expanded right -- expanded background checks. let's have space for debate, discussions, negotiations. ultimately, we need to have a debate and take votes. judy: what kinds of smaller things do you think are possible?

remind us why can't bigger things get done? sen. murphy: we have 50 votes in the senate for expanded background checks. that is the clearest intervention that would reduce the pace of gun murder in this country. we pay attention when these mass shootings happen, and they are cataclysmic. every single day, more people are dying from guns than at any time in the last several decades. we have a huge surge in gun violence in our cities, in our rural areas in the last several years. we have the majority of senators support things like universal background checks, we just don't have 60 senators. we need to find 10 republicans that will support any ofhese interventions. we are talking about minor expansions of background checks, getting more sales through the background check system, we are talking about red flag laws, these laws that will allow you to take weapons away from people showing signs of breaks wit

reality or showing signs of future violence. those are the kind of things we might be able to find 60 votes on. we will see. we will work at it in the next several days. judy: you are saying you don't even know you could get the votes for one of these issues, as you describe them, smaller things. sen. murphy: i don't. the problem is that the gun industry has had such a grip on the republican party here in congress, that it is hard to break. but sometimes, when these particularly cataclysmic shootings happen, enough republicans are willing to enter into discussions that we can get a breakthrough. i don't know if this is one of those moments, but i'm going to try really hard in the next coming days to find that compromise. judy: are you sensing any movement on the part of your republican colleagues? sen. murphy: i don't know yet. i have been in conversation all today. i don't know that i have seen

any of my republican colleagues have an epiphany. but there is a willingness to sit down and talk. that is my job, right. i went to the floor last night, told my colleagues that they were not doing their job if they were not prepared to be engaged in conversation about fixing this problem. i am going to meet them where they are. sit down and talk about some changes we can make to background check laws, red flag laws. but if we cannot come up with a compromise, we have to take votes and show the american people where there senators stand. judy: are you putting any energy into trying to change the filibuster rule or is -- we know there has been opposition from senator manchin in west virginia, senator cinema of arizona. any sense of movement on their part? sen. murphy: no, i don't have any sense that that is going to change. i think right now, we have to deal with the rules as they exist that requires us to get 60 votes. you can see why people are giving up on democracy across the country. the american people did

everything we asked of them. they elected to congress a majority in the house and senate and a president who also supports universal background checks, which would undoubtedly dramatically stem the number of murders in this country. even having gone through that exercise of electing majorities in the house and senate, a president who believes in changing on laws, they still cannot get it done because of this requirement in the senate of a super majority. you can see the american public has a right to be frustrated with washington now. when they do their job, but the rules prevent us from an acting there will. judy: what does it say about the senate, about the american system of government that even a shooting as unspeakable as this one, another sandy hook if you will, what happened in your home state 10 years ago, is not changing any minds? sen. murphy: i have not conceded that yet. we are 24 urs since this horrific incident. and i am going to meet with some

republicans and democrats in the capital in about 10 minutes to begin those discussions. i am not going to concede that this is not a moment where something different can happen. as a parent of two school age kids, and know what parents of kids are going through now. as terrifying as it is to deal with a prospect of your child being shot at when they go to school, just as terrifying as the idea that the adults in charge of your country are gngoi my belief is that we could potentially find some common ground. on not giving up. i'm not willing to concede that this moment is not different. judy: senator chris murphy of connecticut, thank you very much. sen. murphy: thank you. judy: as we just heard, many of those prior efforts to pass new gun laws have hit a wall in the u.s. senate and in many state capitols. the national rifle association, or the nra, has been a key player in those battles,

particularly at the federal level. john yang looks at the organization and its influence. john: judy, the nra's blessing or opposition has meant passage or defeat for gun legislation over the years, as the group argues the supremacy of the constitution's second amendment right to keep and bear arms. in a statement today, the nra said its "deepest sympathies are with the families and victims involved in this horrific and evil karen." -- evil crime." the statement never mentions the weapon used, saying instead that while "an investigation is underway and facts are still emerging, we recognize this was the act of a lone, deranged criminal." mike spies has long written about the nra. he is a senior writer at the trace, a non-profit newsroom that focuses on gun violence in america. we just heard senator chris murphy of connecticut talk about what he calls the unbreakable grip that the gun industry has on the republican party. we have talked about

conversations he has had with it republican colleagues to seek common ground. the nra may not be present for those conversations, but do you think their influence will be felt? mike: to be totally honest with you, i think it is not. i think historically, the grip was a reality. it up until probably 2016, its ability to not spend its opponents in elections, anduch t job of socializing into this absolutist idea of the second amendment was hung over every gun debate. i think their influence has been significantly lessened over the last few years, linked to their deep financial troubles, their demonstrated inability to spend to influence elections, sort of takes the teeth out of anything that they could do. what was such a force they had

for so long was their messaging apparatus. that was largely driven by the pr firm that was their contractor for such a long time. all of the combative messaging, ads, personalities that people were familiar with, those were all created by an ad firm. that no longer works at the organization. go ahead. john: but given those changes, where they so successful at creating a gun culture in america at making nra support a must-have credential for conservative politicians that they influence -- that the influence continues beyond their current power? mike: absolutely. yes. i mean ultimately, the machine works on its own now. i think actually, what they did so successfully, and what republicans helped them do so

successfully was to socialize their constituents into this idea of not just -- socialize constituents into gun culture, but also this idea that they are citizen protectors. this idea of being a sheepdog where you are protecting the helpless flock of sheep from the wolves that could do harm to society. a lot of people have really bought into that a very potent narrative. and i think now, the issue is that the republican party, specifically, is beholden to its constituents who have been socialized into that and will punish them whether the nra is involved or not. john: you talk about the financial problems the nra has been having, the internal on. has that shown any sign of affecting their membership, support from the grassroots? mike: it has. there are people on the board now seeking to oust wayne lapierre who is the last holdout in some ways from the old nra. there are members that have

voiced anger and have broken ranks with therganization. there is a class-action lawsuit, i believe that is still going. it has. it has definitely resonated. people feel like they have been taken advantage of. there is definitely a desire to kick the moneychange out of the temple. john: as you say, they have created this culture, and created a constituency that republican lawmakers still have to answer to. mike: right. it is effectively -- it is like a classic frankenstein story. you create the monster, and then it ultimately, you no longer have control over it. and i think that is basically what happened. john: given all that you said and what has been going on internally with the nra, their convention is coming this weekend in houston which is only abou300 miles from uvalde. do you think that what happened yesterday, the events of yesterday, will have any change

on the rhetoric on what we see at that convention? mike: i think it will have no change at all. i think those who are willing to talk about it will focus on the idea of this fallacy that the school was a gun free zone, and disregard the fact that the shooter encountered law enforcement at various points while entering the school, and then after entering the school, and managing to still kill 19 children. beyond that, no. i don't think there is going to be -- there is not going to be any soul-searching, if that is what you mean. it is going to be the same as it always is, and largely the purpose of that event is to in some ways be a pep rally. for the membership and also for the featured speakers who are some of the most well-known republican lawmakers in the country, and of course, the former president. john: thank you very much. mike: thank you for having me on. ♪

judy: in the day's other news, the head of the u.s. food and drug administration acknowledged failings by his agency in the baby formula shortage. robert califf testified remotely at a congressional hearing. he said the fda made missteps after contamination closed the nation's largest formula-making plant in february. >> it was too slow and there were decisions that were suboptimal along the way. and i'm sure you also know that as ias going through confirmation i got many calls from people concerned about the food side of the fda because of the lack of resources and concerns about the organizational structure. judy: meantime, a second shipment of infant formula from germany arrived in the u.s. first lady jill biden and the u.s. surgeon general, dr. vivek murthy, welcomed the plane at dulles international airport,

outside washington. the president of ukraine sisted today he will not trade land for peace with russia. volodymyr zelenzkyy spoke via video link to the world economic forum in switzerland. with rocket strikes blasting towns in the donetsk area, zelenskyy demanded that russian forces begin withdrawing and that president putin agree to direct talks. >> today you can only talk to the president of the russian federation. there is no point in doing this with intermediaries . when he is ready to come to reality, and when he gets to reality, he will understand that many people are dying, innocent people are dying. judy: in turn, president putin said today that russia's economic problems are not all due to the war. he spoke as he ordered 10% increases in pensions and the minimum wage to compensate for surging inflation. the u.s., south korea and japan have issued fresh condemnations

of north korea, for firing 3 missiles into the sea. south korea said one may have been an intercontinental ballistic missile. in response, u.s. and south korean forces fired short-range, surface-to-surface missiles into the sea off the korean peninsula. police in pakistan used tear gas today to push back protesters, who threw stones and tried to march on islamabad. ex-prime minister imran khan called for the rally in a bid to oust the new government. authorities banned the march and used shipping containers and trucks to block roads. they reported arresting more than 1,700 people. in britain, an investigative report formally blamed senior government leaders for an office culture that allowed parties despite covid restrictions. the gatherings took place at number 10 downing street, prime minister boris johnson's official residence. some were described as boozy parties. johnson apologized again to the

house of commons, but also dismissed calls on him tresign. >> i overwhelmingly feel it is my job to get on and and deliver. and and no matter how bitter and painful the conclusions of this may be and they are, and no matter how humbling ey are, i've got to keep moving forward. judy: johnson still faces a paiamentary inquiry into whether he lied to lawmakers. israel and turkey took a major step today toward repairing relations after years of tensions. the two nations' foreign ministers met in jerusalem and said they agreed to re-energize diplomatic ties. it was the first trip to israel by a senior turkish diplomat in 15 years. back in this country, west virginia's attorney general announced a tentative opioid settlement with two drug makers, worth $161 million. the deal with teva

pharmaceuticals and abbvie's al'er-jen came as closing arguments were about to begin in a 7-week trial. it has focused on the companie'' role in fueling the opioid epidemic. and on wall street, stocks bounced back as small company and retail shares recovered some ground. the dow jones industrial average gained 191 points to close at 32,120. the nasdaq rose 170 points, that is 1.5%. the s&p 500 added 37, that is 1%. still to come on the "newshour", a new biography of george floyd puts his life in context, against the united states' legacy of systemic racism. former president trump's endorsement yields mixedesults in georgia's republican primaries. and in the wake of the uvalde massacre, how parents might talk with their children about school shootings. >> this is the "pbs newshour"

from weta studios in washington and from arizona state university. judy: today marks the second anniversary of george floyda™s -- george floyd's murder at the hands of police in minneapolis. his death touched off protests and a global movement for racial justice. since then, reforms at the federal level in the u.s. have stalled. so today president biden signed an executive order aimed at overhauling policing practices. we will focus on those in a moment. but first, special correspondent fred de sam lazaro reports on a new book that examines what we didn't know about george floyd's life, and america's struggle with systemic racism. it is part of our ongoing series , race matters. fred: his face became a global symbol. his name, a rallying cry. within days of his murder on may

25, 2020, george floyd became an internationally recognized figure. millions watched the video of his death under the kneof a minneapolis police officer. took to the streets demanding justice. but who was george floyd? >> the first thing that we thought about was how much people saw his face, but had no sense of who he was. fred: roberts samuels and tolu -- and another person is the author of "his name is george floyd: one man's fight and his struggle for racial justice." >> wanted to bring back his humanity, a human being who had loved ones and had thoughts and dreams and who saw a lot of those deferred and a railed, in part because of who he was and how society treated people like him. fred: the two washington post journalists conducted hundreds of interviews, spending time with floyd's family and friends, civirights leaders, and politicians. they reported in the sprawling

cuny homes public housing complex in the shadow of downtown houston where floyd came of age, and where we met them recently. >> he was surrounded by deep poverty. he was surrounded by crime and the drugs and the issues that come along witdeep poverty. and it made it difficult for him to envision how to escape. but that was always his goal. >> for as long as anyone can remember, george perry floyd, jr. wanted the world to know his name. he was young, poor, nd black and america. a recipe for irrelevance in a society that tended to push boys like him onto its margins. but he assured everyone around him that someday, he would make a lasting impact. sis, he told his sister when he was a teenager, i don't want to rule the world, i don't want to run the world, i just want to touch the world. fred: the book traces floyd's story from his ins -- his enslaved ancestors to the struggle of his single mother, to his only challenges in his

nearly alllack schools. >> one floyd was being educated here, it was clear that he was not getting the kinds of educational investment he needed in order to see this as a place where he could build his dreams. it was a place where he did time and spend time here in the classrooms, and was really focused on athletics. fred: he did become a football star at the athletic powerhouse gates. people around third ward thought floyd could play in college or even the pros, but he repeatedly failed the test needed for a high school diploma. >> he worked himself into having this massive frame, because he was given a promise, and that promise was if he becomes an athlete, you will be able to be successful and lift your family out of poverty. and then when that drain did not happen, he had this body that was big, twahaltst elim uat thes acutely aware of his 6'6", 225

pound frame. >> he told his family members, whenever i go into a room, i go to shake everyone's hand, i want to make everyone feel comfortable. i know i'm a big guy. . i need to let them know i'm ok. fred: floyd often used his sture around cuney homes for good. >> he was someone whoroke up fights because he was respected by people from different parts of the community, different parts of third ward, especially for younger people coming up behind him. he was the one saying put the guns away. fred: he wanted people to avoid the traps into which he ultimately fell, which are detailed in the book. teddy drug dealing, addiction, and prison time and an unforgiving judicial system. after spending four years in for armed robbery, floyd came to this third ward church and its pastor, john riles. >> when pastor riles started this church, he knew that it could not just be an everyday ministry. that he saw so many people

struggling with drug addiction, with an inability -- with inability to get a job, trying to get their lives together after being incarcerated. he started to try to find places for people to go to get their lives together, to go to rehab. the sad truth of the matter is that a lot of that infrastructure did not exist in texas. so he started looking around and found minnesota. fred: but minnesota, a state with some of the worst racial disparities in the nation, presented its own challenges. >> when george floyd gets to minnesota, he also has to confront those things. most notably, an alarming rise in the number of black people living in that state who are getting addicted to opioids. and it is not until a few months before dortch floyd dies that public -- george floyd dies that

public experts realize it is happening. the help that could have come to george floyd came too late. fred: it was all supposed to be a fun, freewheeling day. an afternoon barbecue, a trip to wendy's with a friend, a rendezvous with an old flame. and yet it ended with floyd's face on the warm asphalt on a muggy, late spring evening. thanking an agent of the state to believe that he was not -- begging an agent of the state to believe that he was not a bad guy. the last conversation floyd had was under duress with an elderly black man he did not know who told him that in this country, he could not win. >> in the aftermath of floyd's death, you saw this incredible outpouring, not just onto the streets and all the uprising happened, but you also heard commitments toward some form of

equity. two years on, do you sense that needle has shifted? >> all the time. i think about the idea that there is dortch floyd demand and there is george floyd the movement. we have to ask ourselves the question if the country would be more accepting to listen to george floyd's cries for help now compared with the day he died. i think in a large sense, for a lot of people, that would be yes. if you look at george floyd the movement, it is a lot more complicated. fred: there has been little vement on big issues like police reform, the george floyd justice in policing act installed in congress, prompting the executive order from president biden. and voters in minneapolis rebuffed an effort to drastically reshape policing and public safety in the city. the authors say there has been some regression on confronting

inequality. >> this broader idea where there is more -- too focus on race in the country's history, there is too much focus on addressing systemic racism. that is having a lot of political force and is causing some people in favor of making those changes to shy away from it now. fred: in third ward, the conditions that plagued george floyd mostly persist two years after the world learned his name. for the pbs newshour, i am fred de sam lazaro in houston. judy: a reminder, his reporting is in partnership with the under told stories project at the university of st. thomas in minnesota. and now, geoff bennett has a closer look at the president's executive order on policing. >> judy, the president's executive order, among other actions, revises use-of-force policies for federal law enforcement and creates a national registry of officer misconduct. it also encouages local agencies to change their practices regarding use of force and no-knock warrants. to discuss what kind of effect

these changes could have, i'm joined by christy lopez of georgetown law school. she worked at the justice department to change police practices. and she led the department's work on reforming the ferguson police department. it is great to have you with us this executive order instructs federal law enforcement agencies to revise some of their policies. the president can't order local police agencies to follow suit. he does not have the authority. the white house hopes that this could be a blueprint. is that an effective approach? christy: i think it is. it is the most you can do at the federal level to regulate policing which is so state and locally regulated in the united states. and these are strong federal standards. they have the potential to be -- geoff: on all the reporting that i have done, i get the sense that these policies mean one thing on paper, but if they do

not make their way into the culture of a police department, they are effectively meaningless. christy: i think you have hit on the key question. these are just words on a page. what is going to be really important is for there to be the political will at the state and local level to follow through on these measures. that will require people, advocates, people who care about effective policing to keep doing the woroingok e hthavbeen state and local agencies will actually avail themselves of the resources this executive order makes available. geoff: this order directs the justice department to create a new national law enforcement echo debility database which would keep track of substantiated misconduct claims and disciplinary records of officers. the idea is to prevent officers who are fired for misconduct in one jurisdiction from finding jobs someplace else. there is already a privately run database, only about one third of police departments ever check

it when hiring new officers. how will this new system be different or more effective? christy: i think this new database, and i do think it is an important database, having it be run through the government rather than a private entity will elevate its status. people's knowledge about it. it should result in more agency's putting information into it and agencies checking it before they hired an officer. there will be incentives. it requires incentives to provide agencies technical assistance and guidance on how to use this database, as well as another database that is in the executive order, which has the potential to be quite important. geoff: the president is signing this executive order because his overhaul, the sweeping police reform pushed fell apart because it was blocked by republicans in congress. on the executive order, the white house says it consulted with progressive activists, and

it consulted with law enforcement groups. the international association of chiefs of police and the fraternal order of police put out statements in support of this executive order. there will be people who see that and say there is no way this executive order can be significant if you have law enforcement coming out in support of it. what do you say to that? christy: i understand that argument and that concern. i have looked at this language and i think there is some really important stuff in here. part of the reason law enforcement is signing on as because they are feeling the political pressure at the state and local level to support efforts like this. is going to mean that people need to work together to make sure the words on the page are implemented. i think that is what is going to be key. if they look at what is in the order, i think they will see for themselves that it is said -- that it is significant. despite the fact that so many law enforcement agencies signed on. geoff: i just want to draw on

your personal experience working at the doj and reforming the ferguson police department. what three or four things to do pull from that that might be instructive for other police agencies that might want to take a deeper look at their own practices? christy: one of the things that e exutorderequires bes actuallya provided to departments, creating alternative responders for persons and mental health crisis. i think that's going to be a potentially really important part of this. i think the provision requiring training on active bystander ship and de-escalation could be very important. and i think the provisions around data collection and transparency have the potential to be transformative as well. geoff: georgetown law school professor christy lopez, thank you for your time and your insights. christy: thanks so much. ♪

judy: the results from georgia's primary elections yesterday are the most high-profile rebuke of former president donald trump's chosen candidates so far this season. two republican incumbents, who both stood up for the 2020 election results, survived primary challenges. georgia's secretary of state brad raffensperger, whom the former president once pleaded with to help find the votes to overturn the 2020 results, won his race. and governor brian kemp easily beat former senator david perdue with more than 70% of the vote. >> even in the middle of a tough primary, conservatives across our state did not listen to the noise. they did not get distracted. they knew our record of fighting and winning for hardworking georgians. judy: governor kemp will face

democrat stacey abrams in november, a rematch from four years ago. but yesterday wasn't all bad news for the former president. his pick for the u.s. senate a“ former nfl player herschel walker easily won the nomination. and controversial congresswoman marjorie taylor greene won the backing of 70% of republicans in her district. stephen fowler is here for a closer look. welcome back. we see that some of former president trump's indoor seas did well, others did not. what does this say to you if u put it all together about his influence among georgia voters and also the strength of the big lie that he actually won and joe biden did not in 2020? stephen: i think there is a ceiling on just how far focusing on false claims about the 2020 elecon can get you as a republican candidate.

we saw that wi david perdue struggling and jody hi struggling in the secretary of state's race. the reason trumps candidates lost as wellad two popular incumbents that have a long record with georgia voters, that have a long conservative record. for example, brian kemp flexed the power of his office in recent years to cut taxes for people and to pay teachers more and state employees more and to enact conservative policies around abortion and voting rights and firearms. and really did not give georgia voters, the republicans, much reason to go with somebody else. same with secretary of state rad raffensperger who touted georgia's turn out to say that he is the one who should be in charge. judy: when it comes to belief and the big lie, does -- do these results give you a sense of how firm a hold that view has on many, on republican voters in georgia?

stephen: i think the message republican voters are sending is that it is time to move on and that there is a future for the republican party, not the past, and the resounding margins for camp and raffensperger show most voters are looking ahead and not focused on the past, and that trumps sway does not necessarily carry as much weight as it used to. judy: we are including in that a look at herschel walker. he did not have the significant opposition that the others did. let me ask you about marjorie taylor greene, congresswoman, controversial. what about her race? stephen: marjorie taylor greene is exactly what the voters in that district want in a representative. she also now has the power of incumbency and time in office and many of the people running against her ran as an opposition to marjorie taylor greene, and

that is just something the voters did not want. she is very controversial, but she is very representative of trump's policies. obviously trump-endorsed or. she is very close to the former president. . and for the people of northwest georgia, one of the most conservative districts in the country, that is who they want representing them in the halls ofongress. judy: a look ahead to the fall, to november. what does it look like for brian kemp facing a rematch with stacey abrams? stephen: brian kemp won by 55,000 votes in 2018. george's politics have become even more of a hardened battleground since then. both sides are expecting a really tough race. kemp is riding this wave of cumbency where he had a decisive victory at a time where people were saying he may be he will face a runoff. it is going to be tight, it is going to be expensive, and it is going to be a nationally watched

election. judy: and the senate race, tight as well? stephen: absolutely. rafael warnock is the democrat who won in the 20 special election, one of the most vulnerable incumbents in the ballot. herschel walker has a lot of celebrity power in georgia that trump's endorsement probably would not matter because georgians love him so much and know him so much from his football past. walker has a past where there are questions about domestic violence allegations and overstated resumes. this too will be a deciding race for georgia, but also potentially for the u.s. senate and who controls it. judy: all eyes on the peach state now and for the months to come. thank you very much. stephen: thank you. ♪ judy: the uvalde school massacre

is leading to tough questions all over again about how adults should talk with children about these shootings. william brangham has our own conversation on this. william: judy, parents and families around the untry are struggling with that very issue today. trying to figure out the right balance of reassurance, information and honesty. research has shown that even if they didn't witness a terrifying event, young people can still suffer knowing it happened, or hearing about it. dr. melissa brymer helpses. sh™r de -- sithe isal the w director of terrorism and disaster programs at the u.s. -- at the ucla-duke university national center for child traumatic stress. ou on the newshour. this is something so many parents are struggling with. a national tragedy like this occurs. we know our kids will hear about this in some way and we wonder how do we talk to them about it? can we start with the youngest

kids, how do we approach this with them? what should we be doing? dr. brymer: let's take a step back and as adults, we need to take care of ourselves first. we need to have a moment, maybe talk to a friend or loved one about what this event has meant to us. then we can have that conversation with our kids. it is important to be honest, that we initiate the conversation. for those young kids, we are going to have to have several small conversations that are short, in this importantly, they are going to want to know that they are safe, that you are safe, that their family is safe. providing them extra love and attention during this time when they might be feeling a little bit unease. william: can you help us unrstand, how do kids process? is it accurate that hearing about these things or learning about these things can in and of themselves cause trauma for kids? dr. brymer: it can cause additional anxiety. some of our kids, if they have

had traumas where they may have had recent losses because of the pandemic, or have experienced violence before, it could be a reminder about what they have experienced in the past and that could cause a reexperiencing of their trauma. it is important that we provide these kids the support they need to help to heal. william: l's talk a little bit about older kids. late middle school, high school. do we assume they have hrd online, and then we initiate the conversation or do we wait for them to come to us? dr. brymer: i always assume that they are going to find out whether it is through texting or social media. most kids will wait for us to start the conversation. we need to initiate it. we need to be truthful about the conversation. and we might be having to discuss what our family values are, or how this has impacted us

and sometimes have those societal discussions about what the situation has meant, and how we can help to support change. william: i want to ask about something that i have struggled with in my own family, which is older teenagers whonow a great deal about the world, and they look at these events, gun violence or climate change or racial injustice. and they have a sense of pessimism, because in their lifetimes, things have not moved. how do you wrestle with that? to be honest with them about the shape of the world as it is and yet not contribute to their despair? dr. brymer: you have to acknowledge how painful it is that this happened again. we can't sugarcoat that. but i would challenge our teens, what are they going to do this summer or next year to maybe be that change? can they initiate something at school? can they think about at school, is there somebody who does not have a lot of friends, or who

just moved to the neighborhood? or are their family members in the military and reach out? there are things all of us can be doing. helping to have our teens get anchored into those things that can be done, that can actually make a difference. william: i want to touch on something you mentioned before, which is the pandemic. kids have been under a lot of stress from the isolation and school closures. we lost a million americans. that is many millions of families and children that have lost a loved one. this is a compounding issue. these add up onto each other. dr. brymer: we know so many kids have lost a primary or secondary caregiver. as they are seeing the news of how many have died in this instance, they are also thinking about their recent losses. we need to make sure that they are getting support for their own loss of a loved one, and giving them that comfort. and if they are struggling with their grief, there are so many resources out there to support

youth who might need additional levels of support. william: how does a parent or a grandparent or an aunt or uncle, a caregiver, no when a kid has moved from just being upset and distressed about events to something more serious? how do you know when you need to pull the lever for more professional help? dr. brymer: i say, has there been a change in the functioning? are they stepping away from doing those things that they enjoy? are they retreating from spending time with their friends or with their family members? we see a change in academics? we can ask our kids, do you feel like this has been too much and you need to talk to someone right now? school guidance counselors, 211 is available in most communities that can show what kind of resources are in your community

so that child can get help. william: dr. melissa brymer, thank you for helping us wade through all of this? dr. brymer: thank you so much. judy: so important not to rush on after this terrible event in texas, to take the time to have these conversations and be there for each other. and that is the newshour for tonight. i am 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. [captioning performed by the nationalaptioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy.] >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by -- >> 25 years, consumer cellular's goal has been to >> the ford foundation, working with visionaries on the front

lines of social change worldwide. and with the ongoing support of these individuals and 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. i believe putin's attempt to do is eliminate the -- >> three months into putin's unprovoked war. will russia pay? what lies ahead for ukraine? i'm joined by the ukrainian ambassador to the u.n. palestinians still reeling ask the icc to investigate. i speak to palestinian prime minister amid heightened tensions with israel. >> plus -- >> it was death threats for almost every day. >> how the department of homeland cu