geoff: good evening. i'm geoff bennett. tonight on “pbs news weekend,” florida politics -- we look at the races toatch ahead of tuesday's primary as the state's republican governor tests s influence on the national stage. then, a parents' plea -- the fight to have lieutenant richard collins iii buried at arlington national cemetery, after his murder by a white supremacist. dawn: we feel that our son was murdered in an act of terrorism, and so therefore, he should be placed at rest in arlington cemetery. geoff: and back to school anxiety -- a mother and daughter's advice for overcoming fears of returning to the classroom after covid-forced remote learning. all that and the day's headlines on tonight's "pbs news weekend."

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this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs statiofrom viewers like you. thank you. geoff: gd evening. it's good to be with you. we start tonight in ukraine, where the war there nears its six month mark. ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy warns that the fighting could escalate this week, and he's calling for strength as the country prepares for ukrainian independence day. on the streets of kyiv this weekend, the burnt out remai of russian tanks and battalion vehicles. ukrainian civilians, defiant and proud, snapping pictures on their cell phones. so close to these weapons of war, they can touch them. >> it is very beautiful that we made such an exhibition. it raises morale very much. geoff: on the streets outside of moscow, a vivid act of violence unusual for the russian capital.

forensic investigators combed through debris today after a car bomb detonated late last night, killing the daughter of a putin ally. russian officials blame ukraine for the attack, but ukrainian officials deny any involvement. elsewhere, in nikopol, down the river from europe's largest nuclear power plant, residents clear rubble and sweep up debris. russia has accused ukraine of new shellingangerously close to the zaporizhzhia plant, stoking fears of a nuclear meltdown. >> i'm worried about there being a leak, because there is fighting going on there. we don't know exactly what's going on. geoff: meantime, in the eastern donbas, where much of the fighting in ukraine has been concentrated, residents endured more shelling, leaving entire blocks in ruins. >> when they don't shoot, it's like the calm before the storm, and we wt for something to happen at any moment. that's how we're living now. geoff: as the country looks

ahead to its independence day wednesday, president volodymyr zelenskyy warns of more fighting to come. >> we should be aware that this week, russia mayry to do something particularly nasty, something particularly cruel. such is our enemy. geoff: a country bracing for the worst, as it continues fighting for its freedom. in today's other headlines, a federal appeals court has granted republican senator lindsey graham temporary reprieve from testifying before a special grand jury in atlanta on tuesday. graham's testimony is part of the fulton county district attorney's investigation into former president donald trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in georgia. a lower court will now look at whether graham should be exempt from answering certain questions. and, first lady dr. jill biden has ended her isolation from covid after receiving two negative tests. the first lady spent the last five days isolating in south carolina, where the bidens were on vacatio

she reportedly only ever experienced mild symptoms. she will now join president biden in delaware for the rest of their summer vacation. still to come on "pbnews weekend," parents fight to have their son buried in arlington national cemetery. and, the anxie of returning to in-person learning during a pandemic. >> this is "pbs news weekend," from weta studios in washington, home of the "pbs newshour," weeknights on pbs. geoff: time now for our weekend briefing with a focus on florida politics. as voters there head to the polls in tuesday's primary, democratic voters will decide who takes on republican governor ron desantis in november, and which candidate will go up against senator marco rubio this fall. we've got gary fineout with us. he covers florida politics for politico. it is good to have you here. let's start with this race she

were to draw the most national attention, democrats deciding who will face off against ron desantis. we have charlie crist, he used to be a republican, used to be the governor of florida. he is up against the state's agricultural commissioner, nikki freed. how is that race shaping up? gary: it has been very did -- it has been very interesting. when nikki freed came on the scene four years ago she was the ly democrat to be elected statewide in 2018 when ron desantis narrowly won, and she kind of became the face of the democratic party. what happened is charlie crist, who ran for governor in 2014 against rick scott and lost as a democrat, decided to also jump into the race. he's managed to out-raise her and has gotten a lot of endorsements from establishment democrats. a couple polls show fried edging up a lot have shown crist

ahead and it might be him going up against ron desantis in an election in which there could be a lot of money spent. geoff: ron desantis this past week he announced criminal charges against 20 people for illegally voting in 2020. this is the first major public move from his controversial election police unit. florida has a new election law making it harder to request and turn in absentee ballots and it makes it easier to challenge votes that are past. so how is that expected to affect the outcome not just on tuesday but in november? gary: i think that is what we are going to wait and see in terms of how it is going to play out. the thing is there were some things they delayed the effect. one of the big things they did not do, and iis interesting, the santos yesterday engine he wanted to do it for this cycle but did not, which is cancel everyone's vote by mail request

and require everyone to do it again. they did not do that. they kind of grandfathered everyone in. i am not sure we are going to see the full effect. but some people had to provide additional identification. if you are on the books long enough and you register before you had to give a full amount of information, you have to give that now. i think all of that is going to play into how we go into the fall. there are also some rules relative to what they call line norming activities and what can take place out of polling places heading into election day. so this will be attached. in terms of what is going to be the impact of these changes. there has also been changes to drop boxes. there are no longer called drop boxes, they are called secure intake ballot stations. they are drop boxes, but they changed the rules to make it abundantly clear they have to be supervised and they can only be used during certain hours. geoff: voting rights advocates

make the case this is all various forms of voter suppression. let's talk about the senate race. you have democratic congressman val demings, she is all over the florida airwaves, against senator marco rubio. you have a committee supporting her which has raised nearly $48 million. we should say of course money is not always determinative, because rubio has the advantage of being an incumbent and has huge name recognition. what is the state of play there? gary: that has the potential to be one of the most interesting and competitive races on the ballot in florida. she has done a very good job raising money. and she has been using that to go on the air. so far she h outspent marco rubio on television ads, but to your point, she needed to introduce herself to a lot of voters. even though she was on the shortlist for vice president. she is still not known statewide like marco rubio is.

obviously he ran for president against donald trump and lost, then ran for reelection in 2016. so there's going to be a lot of interest in that race. i think big question becomes, how much of a play are democrats nationally going to make. they have competitions going all across the country. the plain fact is it is very expensive to play in florida. the question is do you take your money and use it in a state like georgia, like new hampshire, someplace where your money is going to go further because you don't have to spend as much, or are you going to use it to knock out marco rubio? i think part of that is going to play into, where are the democrats heading into the final weeks? how big of a deal is florida? do they need florida to hold onto the senate? geoff: florida is a big state with a lot of media markets. gary fineout, thank you so much for your reporting and for your insights. gary: thank you.

geoff: in may 2017, richard collins iii was days away from graduating bowie state university and had just been commissioned into the u.s. army. when he was iting at a campus bus stop after visiting friends, a white university of maryland student approached collins and stabbed him to death after ordering him to move out of the way. his killer had links to a white supremacist group and was sentenced to life in prison for what prosecutors said was a racially motivated hate crime. for years, the collins family has been pushing arlington national cemetery to have their son buried among the heroes there. a request that has repeatedly been denied. as rick and dawn collins told me, it's a battle they'll keep fighting to honor their son. dawn: we feel that our son was at the pinnacle of life and that he should receive all military

honors. he took an oath to defend this country against all -- and i'm using the word all -- both foreign and domestic terrorists. so we feel that our son was murdered in an act of terrorism and therefore, he should be placed at rest in arlington cemetery, national cemetery. geoff: mr. collins, a question about the timing. as i understand it, after your son's death, you were consumed with the trial, making sure that his killer was brought to justice. after that, you set up a foundation to preserve his legacy. all of that took time. is that why now, five years later, you're coming back to this issue of his burial? rick: yes, geoff. this has been an ongoing, i guess you could say, ordeal for my wife and i and all of our families since this occurred. as i'm sure you can imagine, the

shock of something so horrific happening to your own child, your only son. and to later find out through the course of trial and listening to law enforcement explain to you how the individual that stole his life s involved in actions or groups with ideology based on domestic terror. and we find it quite striking that this would happen. geoff: and what's been the response so far from the defense department, from the department of veterans affairs, from arlington national? rick: we spent quite a bit of time in reaching out to the veterans administration, as well as the army, writing letters and actually making contact with staff through phone calls to petition for our son to receive full military honors, which is

something that wasn't offered at the time he was murdered due to the technicality of the army's policies. so that's what we're trying to have rectified now. geoff: in preparing to speak with youoth, i reached out to arlington national ahey gave us a statement that says much of what you said, mr. collins, it reads this way -- arlington national cemetery offers its heartfelt condolences to the collins family. their request for an exception to the burial policy at arlington naonal cemetery underwent a thorough review. while first lieutenant collins' death was tragic, and his commitment to serv the army is extremely admirable, the secretary of the army made the decision to deny the request. exceptions to the policy are rarely approved. unfortunately, burial space at arlington national cemetery is extremely limited, and service members with no active duty military service other than training do not qualify. there is a finality to that statement, the way that it reads. what next steps await, do you think? dawn: this was extraordinary

circumstances to be standing on the streets, or the corner of a university of maryland college park and to have your life taken from you. because that was extraordinary, we're asking for an extraordinary exception to policy. geoff: and mr. collins, i'm told that the department of defense said that quantico national cemetery would be available to you if you paid all of the expenses related to that. is that the case and how did that make you feel? ck: it's kind of a gut punch, you know. you're telling me, yeah, i'll help you up. but at the same time, you're going to punch me in the gut and tell me, but you've got to pay all the expenses of having our son's body exhumed and transported to be able to be buried in a national cemetery. because when our son raised his hand and took that oath of commission, as mwife stated earlier, he took that oath and pledged allegiance to this nation to defend it against all enemies, both foreign and

domestic. that'no small thing. and all of those, myself included, who have served, have taken that same oath, as well as those who are previously have occupied the offices at the pentagon and in the department of army and defense, as well as those who are currently serving. so that's no small thing in our estimation. that in and of itself deserves to be honored under these extraordinary circumstances. geoff: mr. collins, your son, richard collins iii shared your name. what was he like? there's so much focus on how he was ripped from this world. what was he li when he was here? ck: our son was -- he was the type of person who was ambitious. he was athletic. he loved sports. he was a big lacrosse fan, as well as playing soccer. and he also just enjoyed life. heoved meeting people.

he loved engaging with people and, you know, finding common ground and common interests with other people. so i guess i would define him as being a people person who look for opportunities to stretch himself and extend himself. one of the things that he did after he expressed to us that he wanted to join rotc in college, he went on to go to airborne school. and when he first told us he wanted to go jump out of a plane, i was like, are you sure you want to do this, son? i mean, that's pretty dangerous stuff. he's like, yeah, dad, i can handle it. so i'm like, okay. and sure enough, he went through and successfully completed it and he was really proud to be able to wear the airborne emblem on his uniform. geoff: and mrs. collins, what do you want folks to know about your son? your only son? dawn: my only son. and again, it's difficult for me to say this because he loved this country.

when he took that oath, he was on top of the world. and one of the fondest memories i have of him saying, mom, i did it, and don't worry. i'm on the trajectory to succeed. and the world is my oyster at this time. i'm going to win. geoff: well, i appreciate you both sharing your story with us, and i wish you all the bes dawn: thank you so very much for your time. rick: thank you, geoff. geoff: your heart just breaks for the collins family. we are going to shift our focus now and turn to back-to-school season. while most schools across the country returned to in-person instruction last year, many families opted to stick with virtual instruction or transition to homeschooling. and, for them, the start of this new school year is bringing with it a new range of anxieties. students and even their parents.

>> my daughter just went back to school today. she is now a sixth-grader. geoff: taking to social media like tiktok to share their stories. kimberly fro kentucky, last year homeschooled her two girls. because she says she was unsure of the school policies and coven protocols. for delilah, that means making one of the most nerve-racking academic transitions after years spent away. how has it been so far? >> it has been good. i've been having a lot of fun with my classes. geoff: do you have any anxieties, given that you had not been in school, in person for at least two years, maybe more? >> yes. mainly it was just talking to people, because it used to be just like, a google meet for a little bit, or texting. not like, long, social interactions. geoff: kimberly, for your

youngest who is now going into second grade, what has it been like for her? i am sure there are number of things a number of parents we take for granted that kids pick up in school that she might not have been exposed to. >> absolutely. it's been full throttle fund mode for her. it has been interesting to see all the quirks that kids learn in kindergarten. of years maturity.ouple in a way, a couple things have been easier, but she is also makinghese in-person connections with her peers for the first time. so every day when she comesome it is talking about meeting new friends. we would go together to play grounds and parks and things, but this is her first time having all those interactions with people her age at school. so that has been a very welcome experience for her. geoff: i was going to ask you, what advice he would have for parents were helping their kids face any anxieties they might have about returning to school after now, what, 2.5 years in

this pandemic? >> the most important factor is communication and making sure to check in with your kids. i think that advice can be for all grade levels. talk to them about in person aneties, those fears. keep two-way communication with them and share your own fears within reason. you can be open with each other, something going on or something is concerning that they can come talk to you. and be sure to utilize school resources. all the teachers and administrators are there to love the kids and embrace them again. they are as excited to be back as the kids and falies are. so keep those lines of communication open. geoff: for otherids who might be going back to school in person for the first time, now that you have been back at school for a week or two, what advice would you give them in facing their anxieties? >> probably just go for it. [laughter]

i mean, literally on the first day of school, i was attacked by a friend that i had that i made over the pandemic. she basically brought me over to her whole friend group. it turned out it was some people i recognized. like, one kid was from my elementary school, others she had talked about before. so it was exciting. just go for it, who knows. geoff: thank you both so much for being with us. we appreciate it. >> thank you. >> thank you. geoff: on our website right now, former inmates describe how rising temperatures and a lack of air conditioning took a toll on their health while behind bars. read more abt the growing

problem at pbs.org/newshour. and that is our program for tonight. i'm geoff bennett. for all ofs here at “pbs news weeken” thanks for spending part of your sunday with us. have a great week. >> major funding for "pbs news weekend" has been provided by. 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 statiofrom viewers like you. thank you. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy.]

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