♪ amna: good evening. i'm amna nawaz. judy woodruff is away. on the "newshour" tonight... at the extreme -- public health concerns abound as millions of americans suffer under a dangerous, record-breaking heat wave. then... a show of support -- the european union takes the first step toward allowing war-torn ukraine to join the bloc -- but full membership could take decades. and... the costs of war -- tens of thousands of indian medical students face an uncertain future after fleeing violence and destruction in ukraine. garima: we are going back in september, according to them. fred: and according to you? garima: i don't know. because security, or maybe other reasons. i don't think it is possible right now to go back. amna: all that and more on tonight's "pbs newshour."

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this program was made possible for the corporation for public broadcasting and contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. stephanie: i'm stephanie sy with newshour west, we'll return to the full program after the latest headlines. the food and drug administration today authorized the first covid-19 vaccines for children under five. the move would allow toddlers and infants as young as six months old to receive smaller doses of the pfizer and moderna vaccines. the fda's commissioner said those shots will help save lives. >> any death of a child is tragic and should be prevented if psible. and covid-19 is one of the leading causes of death in children. by vaccinating our youngest children, we hope to prevent the most devastating consequences of covid and by extension providing benefits to their families and communities.

stephanie: the cdc is expected to make its final decision this weekend. if approved, child vaccinations could begin as early as next week. a third victim in last night's church shooting in a suburb of birmingham, alabama has died. police have now identified the suspect as a 70-year-old man who occasionally attended services at the episcopal church. he was taken into custody after opening fire during a potluck dinner and was charged with capital murder today. authorities are still trying to piece together a motive. the federal reserve today doubled down on its pledge to curb soaring inflation, now at a 40-year high. in washington, fed chair jerome powell said the central bank was "acutely focused on returning inflation to our 2% objective." this week, it raised interest rates by three-quarters of a percent. former trump adviser peter navarro pleaded not guilty today to contempt of congress. navarro defied a subpoena from

the house committee investigating the january 6th attack on the capitol, and refused to provide testimony and documents. he'll go on trial in mid-november. in a 2-1 vote, commissioners in new mexico's otero county have certified the results from their primary election after refusing to do so for over a week. the all-republican commission had made unfounded claims of voting machine fraud fueled by conspiracy theories. a state supreme court order and threats of legal action by new mexico's attorney general, a democrat, ended the stand-off today. couy griffin, the one comissioner who voted against certification, was separately sentenced today for illegal ly entering capital grounds on january 6th. officials in brazil today confirmed human remains found in the amazon rainforest were those of british journalist dom phillips. a fisherman confessed to killing phillips and indigenous expert bruno pereira. police said they suspect others were involved.

authorities have not yet identified pereira's remains. the british government approved the extradition of wikileaks founder julian assange to the u.s. on spying charges. u.s. prosetors want him to stand trial for releasing thousands of classifed military and diplomatic records. his supporters say he's being politically targeted for exposing the u.s. military's wrongdoing in afghanistan and iraq. assange's wife warned the decision could set a dangerous precedent for press freedom. stella assange: he has done everything that any self-respecting journalist should do when given evidence of a state committing crimes of corruption, they publish it because their duty is to the public. and julian's duty to the public has landed him in prison for already more than three years. stephanie: assange's lawyers are already planning to appeal.

his legal battle could take months or even years to wrap up. still to come on the "newshour"... jonathan capehart and michael gerson weigh in on the latest political headlines. how the golden state warriors have built a dynasty led by steph curry. acvist virginia rose gives her brief but spectacular take on increasing access to natural spaces. and much more. this is "the pbs newshour" from weta studios in washington, and in the west from the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. amna: this week more tha100 million americans were under some sort of heat advisory, and were warned to stay indoors if possible. from texas to california, a massive heat wave has set record temperatures, raising concerns about how hot is too hot. william brangham has our report. william: amna, las vegas, phoenix, denver and st. louis, are among some of the cities that have reported record-setting temperatures this

month, and more than 50 million americans are expected to endure triple digit temperatures in the days to come. and we know these heat waves can be deadly, like this time last year in the pacific northwest where hundreds of people in the u.s. and canada were estimated to have died from the heat. for more on how extreme temperatures impact the body, i'm joined by w. larry kenney. he's a professor of physiology and kinesiology at penn state. great to have you on the newshour. i think most people have some sense of how they personally react when they go outside and work outside on a really hot day, but can you give us a prim on what extreme heat does to the body? prof. kenny: thank you for having me on. we've been studying the effects of heat stress on health and human performance a long time. these recent heat waves you

mentioned have brought it into focus for a lot of people. humans are really tropical animals, so we are pretty much gear depth physiological to withstand short piods of high temperatures and humidity, but it is the prolonged exposure to temperature and humidity that has taken its toll. when we are exposed to prolonged high temperatures, there is an increase eventually in our body core temperature which can, if lucked -- if left unchecked, can affect many of the body's systems. it also affects the cardiovascular system. because the heart has to work increasingly hard to pump ludlow to the skin to try to dissipate the heat we are building up, and we are doing that in the context of profuse sweing, which decreases body fluids and blood volume. william: what are the worst examples of the things that can happen?

illnesses that can come from extreme heat? prof. kenny: the two most serious illnesses are heat exhaustion, primarily a function of exercise and a hot environment, a that is primarily cardiovascular consequences that can be treated by moving to the shade, resting and getting body fluids. the more severe manifestation of heat illness is heatstroke. heatstroke is exemplified by two criteria, and excessive rise in your body to pitcher over 104 degrees fahrenheit, and some sort of cognitive dysfunction such as not knowing where you are, losing consciousness and so on. heatstroke is a life-threatening situation that always needs to be treated with exigency.

william: we know people who are vulnerable to these kind of couple occasions, it is not spread equally across the population. certain people are more vulnerable? prof. kenny: absolutely. our interest has been in the aging population. in reference to your lead in, we are doing a series of experiments now looking at that specific question, how hot is too hot, how humid is too humid? where being over the age of 65 or 80 makes a difference. even in healthy aging, we have increased vulnerability to heat stress. and all of the comorbidities that come with aging like cardiovascular problems, diabetes, respiratory problems, some of the medications add onto that toll. the other group that has a disadvantage when it comes to heat stress are infants. primarily they ar at the beck and call of parents to make sure

they stay cool and will hydrated. william: we know that climate change is making these heat waves more common and the ones that come are more intense. human beings will have to be living in these extreme circumstances more and more often. you touched on the idea of how hot is too hot -- when do we get to the point where human beings cannot be living and working outside? what is that? do we know? prof. kenny: we have a pretty good idea, especially in humid climates. there is an old adage among the meteorological community that that will happen when the ambient temperature gets to about 95 degrees fahrenheit and 100% humidity. but our research, especially recent research, has shown that occurs at lower temperatures. something more on the order of 88 degrees and 100% humidity,

or 100 degrees and 60% humidity, even in hlthy young men and women. so we have not approached that 95 degree, 100 percent humidity extreme anywhere on earth for prolonged periods but we are close to the one we uncovered. william: it seems like that will then change how we build our cities, how we air-conditioning our homes. it seems like we are talking rangeif we will keep living in this warming world. prof. kenny: absolutely. a lot of the problems in addition to or on top of health related problems come from disparities in socioeconomic status. accessed air-conditioning, being able to be looked in on by neighbors and taken to some place that has air conditioning if necessary. a lot of these problems are really coming to a head at the present time. william: larry kenney, thank

you for being here. prof. kenny: you are very welcome. ♪ amna: the european union's executive arm today recommended putting ukraine, and its smaller neighbor moldova, on paths to eu membership. this comes after the u.s. and europe pledged earlier this week to further support ukraine militarily, and as the war grinds on. john yang has the story. john: in the southern port city of mykolaiv, another residential building crushed by russian shelling. after nearly four months of war, destruction and death seem endless. in the east, cities strewn with rubble. a russian rocket hit this bomb shelter in lysychansk, once a cultural center where 40 people took refuge. at least four of them were killed. shell-shocked residents are

hanging by a thread. vira: what is going to happen to us? we don't know ourselves what is going to be tomorrow. this war has to be finished. john: the twin city of nearby sievierodonetsk has been besieged for weeks. on russian state tv, moscow showed off its handiwork on the azot chemical plant, where hundreds of civilians shelter underground. sievierdonetsk remains the focus of fighting in eastern ukraine, where russian forces aim to capture the entire donbas region. ukrainian officials say hundreds of their soldiers are killed each day. but in kyiv today, a show of support. in his second surprise visit, itish prime minister boris hnson offered to train up to 10,000 ukrainian soldiers every 120 days. prime minister johnson: we are here to underline that we are here with you and to give you the strategic endurance that you will need.

john: and in brussels, a morale boost for ukraine. the president of the european commission ursula von der leyen said the bloc should consider kyiv as a candidate for membership in the eu. pres. von der leyen: ukraine has cleay demonstrated the country's aspiration and the country's determination to live up to european values and standards. john: european leaders tried to present a united front this week, as the french, german, romanian and italian leaders visited president zelenskyy for the first time since the war began. they toured irpin, a town outside kyiv hammered by russian forces and brought with them a message of solidarity. pres. macron: you can count on us. ukraine can count on us. europe, from the first day of this war, has clearly chosen its side, that of a free and sovereign ukraine. john: but eu leaders have been divided over what victory should look like in ukraine, hinting at a cease-fire. macron has even said russian interests must be considered. kyiv has criticized the bloc for

a perceived lack of unconditional support. still, zelenskyy urged them to stay united. pres. zelenskyy: russian aggression against ukraine is aggression against all of europe. our response mt be united. john: nato defense ministers also met in brussels this week, pledging to send ukraine more weapons and boost its forces in europe's eastern flank. at the annual international economic forum in st. petersrg, president vladmir putin hit out at the west. pres. putin: they think the domination of the west in global potics and economics is constant and eternal, but nothing is eternal. john: but for these ukrainian soldiers defending their country's eastern frontline with everything they've got, ukrainian nationalism is eternal. mykola: we are a strong nation. we will prevail. victory is ours. john: for more on these developments in russia's four-month long invasion of ukraine, we're joined by jeremy

shapiro, research director of the european council on foreign relations. he was on the state department's policy planning staff during the obama administration. mr. shapiro, thanks so much for joining us. what's the significance? the european union beginning the process of eu membership for ukraine. what's the significance of that? jeremy: at the moment, the significance imostly symbolic. it shows a great deal of solidarity with ukraine, and it's a message that the europeans are sending to both russia and ukraine, that they are with ukraine and that they are going to do their utmost to support them. but it's you know, it's a long term process and it probably won't make any immediate difference on the battlefield in any way. john: you talk about european solidarity with ukraine. there has been some question about that, about whether some european nations wouldn't prefer a quick settlement of this war, even if it meant ukraine giving up some territory to russia. did this visit with the leaders of france, germany and italy

dispel any of that? jeremy: i'm not sure i'd go so far as to dispel that, but certainly there was no hint of that in the visit. in no way, shape or form did they signal that they were pressuring the ukrainians in any way to settle this war, which is a little bit, as you point out, at variance with some of the hints that president macron of france and chancellor schulz of germany have given in the past. john: the headlines coming out of ukraine every day are about fighting, russian bombardment, buildings being destroyed, lives being destroyed. are there negotiations going on? and is it possible that that could lead anywhere? jeremy: there is some level of negotiation going on, as i understand it. there is some contacbetween the ukrainian and russian side, but i wouldn't say that there's any real negotiations going on there. there was some effort at that in march, but really nothing has progressed since then.

i think that the sort of scale of the russian atrocities that has been demonstrated since then have made it very difficult for the ukrainians or anyone else to negotiate with the russians. and so there's really very little happening and there's massive disagreements in any case on what that settlement would look like. but at the same time, i think we need to understand that nobody knows how to get out of this war except through a negotiated settlement. john: should there be a limit to the united states support for ukraine in this? jeremy: president biden likes to say that the support is unlimited, but that doesn't really make a lot of sense. obviously, the united states is not the same as ukraine. and even if the united states is clearly in ukraine's camp, it's not going to be willing to expend all of its efforts for ukraine. their interests are not

distinct. and i think that the united states has had a lot of trouble sort of signaling to the ukrainians that while their support is real, while their support is meaningful, they've given, after all, well over $50 billion in assistance at this point, or at least promised that , that their that their support is not unlimited. and that ukrainians also need to be thinking about how to get out of this war. but that is not the message i think has come across as yet. john: if the biden administration were to suggest to the ukrainians that they they -- that there should be a negotiated settlement what would , be the contours of that? what would be the goals that the united states -- i don't want to say settle for, but would be acceptable. jeremy: well, the united states has outlined that the goal of the war is to protect ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity. they have further pointed out that they are not going to force the ukrainians into any settlement. and i think that ty mean that.

but as i said, the degree of u.s. assistance gives them the right to express an opinion on what the contours of that settlement might be. and i think what they would want to bthinking about is, first of all, a status for ukraine. the ukrainians floated a neutrality status to the russians in march. they would also wanted to be thinking about security guarantees that could be provided to the ukrainians by the united states, by other western allies and perhaps by russia, in order to guarantee that neutrality and to guarantee ukrainian territorial integrity. and then in the most difficult area of all, i think that they would want to be thinking about how to resolve the territories that are being occupied by russia. there is absolutely no agreement on that front at all. and i think it's very difficult to understand even what the u.s. could ask of the ukrainians.

it would be quite difficult to ask them to give up territory that rightfully belongs to ukraine. but one could at least imagine a formula that, while not in any way giving up ukrainian claims, at least puts those territories to the side and allows them to have some sort of cease fire ere they can then negotiate the final status of those territories. it's important to emphasize that we're very far from that right now, and the u.s. is not asking the ukrainians to that and may never do so. but ultimately, if the war wants -- if we want to solve the war through negotiation, we are going to have to at least start to look at those issues, even though many people think that it is wrong to even talk about them. john: jeremy shapiro of the european council on foreign relations, thank you very much. jeremy: thank you.

♪ amna: more than 7 million people have fled ukraine since the fighting broke out in february. among them, nearly 80,000 foreign students, most from developing nations. although ukraine is better known as one of the world's top agricultural pducers, it has also become a hub for higher education. indian nationals account for almost a quarter of all foreign students enrolled in ukraine, most of them studying medicine. as fred de sam lazaro reports from new delhi, they now face an uncertain future. fred:t's a special friday lunch, a traditional punjabi meal being prepared for a family get together. but the girdhar family's only daughter, garima, helping mom in the kitchen, shouldn't really be here. relieved though, her folks are that she is.

just over 3 months ago, she was sending home images from ukraine, where she was in the middle of her third year of medical scol, being assured by authorities that there would be no conflict, she says, until just hours before it actually gan. [air raid siren] garima: every two or three hours there would be sirens. and we have to run down to the bunkers. fred: in the bunkers, they planned their escape. garima: we were all afraid about everything. i contacted with my agent and he booked the bus to romania. the bus dropped us 20 kilometers before the border. fred: they walked 12 and a half miles in frigid temperatures to the romanian border. but unlike thousands of fleeing ukrainians, she says, the indian students were not allowed to pass. garima: they said, "we will not let you cross, we will allow first a local citizen to cross, and then we willet you cross."

we have to wait there for like one night and we were on the roads lighting a fire so we can get some warmth to us. fred: the group returned hours later, desperate to try their lu again. garima: we were, you know, like pushing, pushing. i just crossed the border. and when i turned nobody was there with me. fred: it was several days before she was able to join thousands of other indian students returning home, in an evacuation organized by india's government. ritu bala: i was not able to breathe properly until she came back. fred: for garima's mother, ritu bala, that relief has gradually given way to worry that three years of medical education they could barely afford could now be wasted. ritu bala: it's always been her dream. it's been fficult, but we took out bank loans to send her to study. we are worried about what will happen in the future. fred: in india, it's extremely

competitive to get into public medical universities and prohibitively expensive in private ones. the cost of a medical education in ukraine can be as little as 1/3 of what it costs here in india. since her unexpected return, garima has continued to hang on to a semblance of normalcy -- as has her school, the ternopil medical university, with online instruction. teacher: what more can we give? fred: dr. oksana drapak is one of garima's professors, in pharmacology. thanks for making the time. i spoke briefly to her over a shaky video connection. dr. drapak: where i live now is the most calm part of ukraine but when we hear the signal of air alarm, yes, we should go to the safe place. usually, it's somewhere on the undergund. fred: one benefit of the pandemic is it familiarized teachers and students with working online, she says. today, amid the war's horrors,

dr. drapak says, it's been a lifeline. dr. drapak: it takes me out from this horrible things i see and hear everywhere, it helps me to keep normal way of life, yes? for some period. fred: it keeps you from going crazy, just all the time focusing on the news? dr. drapak: keeps me from going crazy, yes. fred: garima girdhar is grateful to attend online, something not available from all ukrainian medical schools. but she worries about missing a critical component of her education -- clinicals. garima: when we were in practicing in person, we are able to see the patients we are , able to do the clinical practice, but now we cannot do so. fred: she hopes that gap could be filled in india. how many people belong to this group? garima is among 6000 students in a group pulled together on the social messaging app telegram by pulkit pareek, a fourth year student at bogomolets national medical university in kiev.

pulkit: we are approaching the central governments. fred: they've been lobbying government officials at federal and state levels to allow them to transfer into indian med schools. pulkit: the main thing is that because now it's have been a long time, and we don't know when the war will stop. fred: india's supreme court has ordered the country's national medical council to develop plans to accommodate students forced to return from abroad, especially in finding clinical placement. it's a heavy lift. curriculums are structured differently, and there's the sheer number and space. india's 542 medical schools are at their enrollment limit. reddy: for every 17 students who appeared for the national entrance examination, there is only one medical seat. fred: dr. srinath reddy of the public health foundation of india hopes the plight of the ukraine returnees forces this country to sharply increase the number of doctors it produces. dr. reddy: in oecd countries, it

is 44 per 100,000 medical graduates graduating. fred: this is in generally rich countries? dr. reddy: rich countries. whereas in india, it's nine per 100,000. fred: it's sort of ironic, is it not, that india is such a major exporter of doctors, isn't it? dr. reddy: unfortunately, that's true. fred: one 2017 study showed that 69,000 indian medical school graduates now practice medicine in the u.s., canada, the u.k and australia, pursuing superior facilities and pay compared to what's available in india when they graduate. the question for students like garima today is graduate from where? and when? garima: we are goingack in september, according to them. fred: and according to you? garima: i don't know. because security, or maybe other reasons. i don't think it is possible right now to go back. fred: for her part, pharmacology professor drapak reflects a

resolve heard frequently from ukraine's leaders. dr. drapak: i have a great belief in our army, which will overcome this problem. and students may come back. i hope, yes, that in september, we will see each other. fred:arima girdhar is due back in september for a critical final exam in ukraine,hich must be taken in person -- one that determines if she'll move on to the fourth of her six year course. for the pbs newshour, this is fred de sam lazaro in new delhi. amna: and a note that fred's reporting is a partnership with the under-told stories project at the university of st. thomas in minnesota. ♪ new revelations are reverberating across the political landscape after the third public hearing on the january 6th capitol attack. meanwhile, a framework for new

gun regulations is beginning to splinter as senators try to turn their broad agreement into a detailed law. that brings us to the analysis of capehart and gerson. that's jonathan capehart, associate editor for the washington post, and his colleague at the post, opinion columnist michael gerson. david brooks is away. welcome to you both. let's start with the talks in the senate, the bipartisan group of senator we know have been close, they say they have the framework for gun violence prevention, led by chris murphy of connecticut and john cornyn of texas. just yesterday, john cornyn walked out of those talks, saying this as he lked out -- it is fish or cut a. i don't know what they, meaning democrats, have in mind, but i am through talking. could the talks fall apart again? jonathan: yes they can. how ma weeks have i said here on friday saying i am happy they are talking, it is great they

are talking, but i will believe it when i see iwhen we go from talks to press conference to passage of the bill to signing. the fact that senator cornyn has walked away from the table is the least surprising thing. the announcement of the framework on sday was really hopeful. and in fact, there were a lot of things on there that democrats thought, wow, we did not think we could get this as part of the framework. but the fact that senator cornyn has said it is time to fish cut bait, what is the issue? does he have a problem with the boyfriend loophole, which a lot of the reporting is? what is your proposal? we have to keep in mind it is not like democrats haven't compromised. if democrats put forth all of the stuff they wanted, an assault weapons ban and so any other things will be in it, but democrats made clear, we need to do something. the fact that senator cornyn is walking away from the table --

quite frankly it is more of the same. amna: the reporting is it is closing the boyfriend loophole, keeping guns away from abusive partners, that is a sticking point for republicans. there's a lot of stuff in here, funding for school safety and mental health, background checks , red flag laws. what does the walking away do? michael: i agree that this is an cremental bill and that's how it was designed. what is in there, my fear is it would not do enough to address these issues and then we still have difficult problems. but it does matter that mitch mcconnell has at least pr aioovnyis approach like this. that gives kind of permission to a group of senators, i think, who are in more purple states and some of them running for

reelection, that they may want to have something to say about a problem- a huge moral problem. we need to remember the context, which is the murder of children. i think senator cornyn looks bad because he is ignoring the moral imperatives of the moment. amna: he also got booed. today he was speaking at a republican convention in texas, he brought this outcome and he got booed. what does that tell you? michael: i assume this was a hard-core core audience of texas republicans but there is some risk in any deal. my concern is we were moving toward a deal on criminal justice reform, for example, and it fell apart. i am afraid that may happen in this case, although i think not yet. amna: i want to move on the

generally six committee hearings. another big -- january 6 committee hearings. another big week. three hearings behind them and three more to go. there was a lot of information in those hearings. i want to play some moments and get you to react. jonathan, you remember this momentrom a former appellate judge advising vice president mike pence, saying he could not throw out the election results. here's part of what he said. >> i would have laid my body across the road before i would have let the vice president overturn the 2020 election on the basis of that historical precedent. amna: why did that moment stand out to you? jonathan: that jue is a giant. he is a giant among conservative

lawyers. his reputation -- i'm trying to think of the liberal equivalent. you don't get more senior and revered than that. the fact he said he would have thrown himself in vice president pence's way to stop him from doing that was incredible. the other thing he says that we did not show is he had a warning that donald trump and the folks who follow him present a "clear and present danger" to our american democracy. this is no liberal democrat, this is no rank-and-file democrat, this is a tried and true mud died in the wool conservative jurist who is ringing the alarm about this scheme that eastman had come up with, that they were trying to get vice president pence to go along with, and who is also saying they are not done. this scheme is not done.

he did not say this part, i am saying this part -- january 6 is a rehearsal for what we could see in 2024. amna: michael, i found it interesting that most of the people we heard from were republicans. you recalled one moment this stood out to you where we heard from chief counsel to the vice president. we learned a lot about what mike pence was doing on january 6, how he was in a secure location and continuing to work even as rioters outside were chanting "hang mike pence." here is a moment where he was talking about that. >> does it surprise you to see how close the mob was to the evacuation route that you took? 40 feet is the distance from me to you, roughly. >> i could hear the din of the rioters in the building while we moved, but i do not think i was aware that they were as close as that. >> make no mistake about the fact that the vice president's life was in danger. amna: why did that moment stick with you? michael: because it is something

we shouldn't get used to. we had a moment with the mob intent on harm. fed and pushed by the sitting president of the united states against his most loyal lieutenant. and it was a near run thing. this could have been the murder of the vice president. how would american politics have responded to such a thing? one thing that came out of the hearing is during this, as it was happening, president trump was tweeting pressure tweets attacking the vice president for lacking courage. as this was happening. that indicates to me a reckless regard for not just his political future but his life. this is a president, i think we learned again, but it is the

most dramatic example, this is not just a corrupt politician, this is an evil man, an amoral man. it is important as we come around to the next election, where he is a republican front runner. that is a dire situation for the republic. amna: jonathan, another moment stood out to me, when we heard communications between trump's lawyer john eastman sending messages, he's going to recommend a plan for how to do this, to overturn the election results, and the committee basically shared he emailed saying i decided i should be on the pardoned list if that is still in the works. what was your reaction when you heard that? jonathan: i mean, my mouth was agape. you only ask for a pardon if you know or feel you have done some thing wrong.

i would never ask for a pardon, right? why? what have done? but eastman knew, the committee showed he knew from the beginning that what he was proposing was -- [scoffs] -- this is public television and i almost went there. it wasn't right. he pushed and pushed it, and extra january 6, he sees what happened and says give me a pardon. amna: we still have three more hearings to go and there's already been so much evidence laid out by the committee. michael, do you see a world in which they end the hearings and wrap this up and there is no action from the department of justice? is that a possibility? michael: it is a definite possibility, although the department of justice made some noise this week, essentially saying we would like those transcripts, the ones you have

of the witnesses. because there is a parallel investigation going on with the committee and the justice department and they have started stepping on one another's feet a little bit. it does show the doj is looking closely at what is happening in these hearings, which i regard is a good sign. there will be tremendous pressure on garland to do this. but i think it will be a very tough choice for them because it would set a precedent of pursuing criminal charges against former presidents that we've never really had before. we will see. amna: do you think mike pence should testify? michael: i would have loved to hear him, about all this. but he has tried to get as far away from his own actions as he possibly could, because he still sees a path to the presidency that doesn't exist. amna: three more hearings to go. jonathan, iant to get your thoughts on this, because sunday

is juneteenth, just the second time in this country's history we are markinghis day as a federal holiday. i just wanted to ask, as the country notes this day and we market, how are you reflecting on what it means this year? jonathan: i am reflecting on the facthat there are school districts in states that would make it difficult to even teach what juneteenth is about simply beuse some parents are offended that the word slavery is used, that peop were enslavednd worked for free and were tortured and other things in the creation and building of this country. you know, we just saw in buffalo, african-americans targeted by someone who is a believer in great replacement conspiracy. juneteenth gives us an opportunity to talk about this nation's foundational wound we

still refused to talk about, that we still refuse to confront. and so we are in a moment in this country where juneteenth, if a lot of these folks get their way, might just be a marker on the calendar with no explanation about what it means and why it is important we commemorate that holiday. amna: let's hope we don't waste that opportunity. thank you. thank you both so much for being here. good to see you. ♪ after a two-ar absence from the playoffs, the golden state warriors are back on top of the nba. and the warriors -- often referred to as t dubs -- are staking a new claim on the reach and influence of their dynasty. they were led once again by steph curry, widely considered the best pure shooter the league has ever seen.

there's also a lot of talk about curry, his teammates and where the warriors belong in the pantheon of basketball history by changing the game. we're going to dive in with nba writer michael lee, who has long covered the league for the washington post. he joins us now. welcome to the newshour, thanks for being here. michael: thanks for having me. amna: this core trio in particular on the warriors, steph curry, draymond green and klay thompson, they have won together before, the first in 2015. going into this season, a lot of doubt about whether they could pull it off again. why was there so much doubt an how did they do it? michael: they missed the playoffs -- two years ago they had the worst record in the nba and a lot of people were wondering if they could bounce back. klay thompson had an acl and achilles injury, which most people can never recover from. draymond green is on the downside of his career and steph curry still putting up big numbers but they were not impacting winning. it was unknown if they could

come back. they made so many sneaky moves in the last two years, trading for andrew wiggins, drafting jordan poole and accumulate so much young talent that they can keep this dynasty going a lot longer than anybody anticipated. they had a lot of faith and confidence that they had a foundation of players, like steph curry, that could deliver when it counted, and the other guys could step up and have the type of performance that could lead to another championship. amna: you usedhe keyword, dynasty. it is a comparison to dynasties of the past, the 1960's celtics, and 1990's bulls, and steph curry acknowledged the pressure that comes with that. he said i don't know how any other teams could have these kinds of records and still come out on top of the mountain, as he put it. they have four titles in eight seasons, and is it fair: a dynasty? michael: absolutely.

especially when they had kevin durant. you hear a lot that we will never see another team like this built, and you won't. a lot of times when you have a dynasty, you have a top three pick that turns into someone li michael jordan or magic johnson, you know when you pick them you will win some titles with these guys. with the warriors, knowing that steph curry would be e foundation for a franchise team, klay thompson was the 11th pick, draymond green the 35th. they are picking the back end of the lottery. the guys they selected were not selected to be foundational pieces. and then steph curry's slow pace to become a star in the league, he was not an all-star until his fourth. there were doubts because he had injuries with his ankles. he signed one of the best deals in the history of the nba that allowed the dynasty to take place because they had the space

to sign others. they were able to sign kevin durant. it was unprecedented, and they were able to build a dynasty with that. every thought was over when kevin durant left, but again, steph curry, he is a unique player that we have never seen in this league, a 6'3" guard that can dominate the game. you usually get that kind of dominance from a center. but the three-point shot and the way he revolutionized the game and his entire movement, this is his moment and he is taking advantage. amna: the dynasties of the past playing at a different time, the game was played very differently. you look at the way the game has changed, there is so much more reliance on three-point shot's, where steph curry is a master. has he changed the game and is he the best shooter we have seen? michael: no question about that. but i think limiting him to shooter diminishes everything he brings to the table. he has an impeccable handle, he

can dribble better than anybody, and he doesn't get tired. the one thing about being a great shooter, what can you do beyond that? he creates space for everybody on the floor. there is a fear cross court the know that is his range, once you cross half-court, you draw the defense, and guys can be themselves and play at a high level because of your presence. that's what he's brought to the game. a lot of times you hear he's the greatest shooter we've ever seen, and yes, but he is a great shooter, a great pastor, a great dribbler, and great teammate. not a lot of guys will step aside for others to flourish. not many guys will look at young players like andrew wiggins and say i have faith in you and i think we can trust you to come through in big moments. steph curry has done that. spirit has lifted the franchise in a way i can only find maybe magic johnson or tim duncan with

the spurs in previous multiple time champions. and i don't know that they are done. the weird thing about this title is i think they are a little bit ahead of the curve. they have a stockpile of young talent sort of waiting for a chance to break through. they could keep this going a little while longer. that is the scary thing about what is happening. this could be the beginning of another run for this crew. amna: we will hold you to that prediction and we will have you back. meantime they are a lot of fun to watch. michael covers the nba fothe washington post viewed thanks for joining us. michael: thanks for having me. ♪ amna: virginia rose, who has been using a manual wheelchair for more than 40 years, knows how difficult it can be to enjoy nature as a disabled person. with her organization "birdability," rose finds ways to increase access to nature for people of all abilities, and to

help others find community. tonight, she offers her brief but spectacular take on finding independence while birdwatching. virginia: when i started birding, and there were disabled people on the trails, i loved watching their faces, make this look like this when they saw a bird through binoculars or through a scope for the first time. this, and then [gasps] [bird calls] carolina wren. purple martins. lawnmower. ♪ in 1973, i was 14 years old. i was riding my horse in a rural nearby homestead. he spooked, i fell and was paralyzed in that accident. and i've been in a manual wheelchair ever since.

in so many ways, i was exactly the same person. i was still fairly gregarious, still fairly interested and curious in the world around me and people. and so the only thing that i felt really changed was that i had to manage getting around in a wheelchair. i think part of the beauty of nature is this very experience of stopping and listening and giving yourself the time to be there, find the bird, identify it. i think each of us has had an experience in nature when we've been alone. we're not entertaining anybody nor are we being entertained. i think it's a very important experience, especially for people who have disalities. i always say that when i'm alone

in nature, i show up because there isn't anyone else there. birdability is an organization that seeks to help people who have access challenges be outside in nature. when i was introducing disabled people to birding, i focused on the things that would keep them from coming. and of course it's gonna be parking and of course it's gonna be restrooms. i can't tell you how many disabled people, when they saw me as the leader of this event, were so relieved. when i first started birding and i was the only person in a wheelchair that was not unusual to me at all. i feel like my entire life i've been the only person in a wheelchair. hear that? warblers off to the right. chimney swifts above us. i think one of the most important areas for people who have disabilities to explore is this idea of independence. you yourself are figuring out

your environment. how do i gt off the trail? how do i get back on the trail without help? and even if it's the littlest accomplishment, you come home more empowered than you were when you left. my name is virginia rose and this is my brief but spectacular take on finding independence in birding. that was a scissor-tailed flycatcher. amna: you can watch more of our brief but spectacular videos online at pbs.org/newshour/brief. for more analysis on the january 6 committee hearings and the federal reserve's interest rate hike, don't forget to join moderator yamiche alcindor and her washington week panel. that's tonight on pbs. and join us again here tomorrow evening for pbs news weekend. geoff bennett sits down with singer bonnie raitt to discuss her new album and her enduring career. geoff: i can imagine the

patience and persistence it takes to navigate 50 years in this business. what have you learned about yourself along the way? bonnie: i have learned i really love doing this and i will make whatever sacrifice i need to make sure my voice is at its peak, my health is good, i keep my band and crew in salaries and my causes supported, and i have a bigger cause than having a blast on stage. amna: that's tomorrow on pbs news weekend. i know will be watching. that's the newshour for tonight. i'm amna nawaz. for all of us at the pbs newshour, thank you for joining us. please stay safe and have a great weekend. ♪ >> major funding for "the pbs newshour" is provided by -- ♪

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>> and friends of "the newshour." ♪ this program is made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy.] >> this is pbs newshour west from weta studios in washington and the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. ♪

tonight on kqed newsroom. the warrors beat the celtics, capturing their fourth nba championship in talking about a basketball dynasty. what happened when an alleged group of proud boys scare children at a library this week. our news panel digs in this week. this week something beautiful, a walk down clarion alley in san francisco's mission district. coming to you from kqed's headquarters in san francisco, friday, june, 17, 2022. >>