quick i hope our elected officials know this is a huge problem, food insecurity is a big problem for families all across the country. judy: and primary colors.

democratic groups pour millions of dollars into republican primaries in an attempt to ensure their candidates face less appealing opponents in the upcoming election. all that and more on tonight's "pbs newshour." >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by. >> it's the little things. the reminders of what is important. it is why fidelity dedicated advisors are here to help you create a wealth plan. a plan with tax sensitive investing strategies. planning focused on tomorrow while you focus on today. that is the planning effect from fidelity.

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by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. judy: ukraine's military is pushing ahead with a fast-moving counter-offensive against russian occupiers and has retaken territory in both the country's northeast and south. the move has taken russian troops by surprise, and provoked outrage in moscow among supporters of the war. nick shifrin has our report from kharkiv. >> first they ripped through russian lines, then, the russian flag. another day, another ukrainian town liberated. the videos are filmed by ukrainian soldiers who wipe their shoes on the enemy's flag before raising their own after seven months of russian occupation. the russian rout happened so quickly, their troops left behind dozens if not hundreds of armored vehicles, and entire stockpiles of weapons and munitions. on russian t, russia's

appointed kharkiv administrator admitted today his forces were badly outnumbered. >> in order to preserve our personnel i think command decided to retreat and regroup. the situation is becoming more difficult by the day. >> that admission sparked rare doubt on state tv. boris nadezhdin is a regular pundit. >> it's absolutely impossible to defeat ukraine using these resources and colonial war methods with which russia is trying to wage war, without mobilization. >> ukraine's gains began in cities that russian troops used as logistics hubs and command posts, and spread to much of the kharkiv region. in response, russia launched its largest recent strike on ukraine's critical infrastructure, including this power station outside kharkiv. it caused water shortages and a blackout in a region 250 miles across. and russia has now struck civilian targets inside kharkiv

city. is was a law enforcement building. firefighters have been trying to fight the fire for the last couple of hours, but because russia has now hit critical infrastructure in ukraine. they're short of water, so they're struggling to overcome the fire. reporter: 14 fire brigades battled a fire that killed one person inside. it spread rapidly through a building that firefighters said was fullf wood. the russian rockets hit near the middle of the city, in the middle of the day. >> for the second day in a row, they are destroying the city. i think it shows their weakness, because these people can't do anything else other than cau the defenseless pain. reporter: volodymyr tymoshko is the kharkiv's regional police chief. he called today's attack with a multiple launch rocket system, indiscriminate terrorism. >> because if this quote "second greatest army of the world" can only destroy the civilian population, it shows theirack of capabilities, and that they're savages. they're barbarians, and the whole world sees that.

reporter: in total, russia struck the city and its outskirts at least half dozen times. this one, landed across the street from 78-year-old lidia vasilivna's home. she has a message for putin. >> i have lived a long life but i never thought this bastard would come to our native land. why are they destroying children and people? he's a bastard. reporter: ukraine tries to harness that anger, and its recent success, to increase western support. one of the officials asking for that support is igor zhovka, president zelensky's deputy chief of staff in charge of foreign relations. i spoke to him this weekend at the yalta european strategy conference. welcome to the newshour. are you worried about what one u.s. official told me: ukraine fatigue, the west losing patience, losing the ability to continue to support ukraine for the long term?

>> if you ask me personally, i am not. we are fighting, we are struggling, we are making success. maybe russia wants the world to have ukraine's fatigue. but again, what we hear from our partners is as far away the case. reporter: as the saying goes, winter is coming and there's a lot of talk here about making progress before the winter. are you worried about when winter arrives and natural gas prices in western europe go up? europeans are paying more for their gas. that will erode support for ukraine? >> if in western countries people suffer from a little bit higher prices, here in ukraine, people dying. [13.4s] -- people dying. so if we all togetr we will have to tighten our belts for all these 90 days of winter, in spring, we will come out much more stronger, much more safer, much more united, hopefully, and much more near to ukraine's victory. reporter: how important is it, do you think, that the counter offensive succeed or have a

level of success in the next few weeks or months before the winter time starts in order for that political support for ukraine to continue? >> definitelyime matters for us. it's in the interest of russia to prolong the war, to drag on the war. yes, probably ey were counting on the wintertime. that's much easier to defend, to fortify its positions and much difficult to make an offensive. and again, it will be ukrainian decision when to start. where to start. how to start. because once and again, our general aim is to liberate our territories. reporter: president biden recently said that he opposed labeling russia a state sponsor of terror. what is your response? >> i don't think this is a final push on this issue. this is the bullet, which will definitely make, you know, the final end to this aggression.

besides the instrumental thing which it entails, you know, cutting all the ade, making more severe control the financial system, it has a very important moral meaning. it has a very important signal. russia is good at reading the signals. >> the u.s. continues to deny ukraine's request to send longer range munitions for the himars system, for the multiple launch rocket system that ukraine is asking for. what's your response to that continuing resistance to send some of the longer range weapons that you are asking for? >> everyone in the u.s. and the other countries see ukrainians know how to fight. thatas the concern at the beginning. that the ukrainians would not be able to use them. we are using them sometimes better than some other armies in the world. we will continue to do this and will continue to say we do not want any other territory, but we have all the rights to take back

each and every inch, each and every piece of ukrainian terrory. >> does that include crimea? >> yes. >> has ukraine used american weapons to attack crimea? >> i don't know. i'm not a general, but we see that something not good for russia has happened in the crimea, which really sisfies us. we need more and more avy weaponry. we need air defense systems. we need ammunition. we need armored vehicles and tanks. we are fighting but to win we need more weapons. reporter: ukraine's government needs at least $5 billion a month just to make up for budget shortfalls. are you getting enough economic support from the west separate from all that military support? not enough. right you are. we need $6 billion per month just in order to have our

payment system, social payments, salaries to soldiers fighting. it's very important for the world now to help us financially and economically and, you know, helping us to win. if we do not stop the aggression here in ukraine it will spread. >> do you think the world needs to be prepared to support ukraine's government with $5 billion a month indefinitely? >> yes. reporter: do you think the west will really step up and do that? >> if not the west then who? we have to be united and it's in everyone's interest for ukraine to win and to be successful later on. reporter: ihor zhovka, thank you very much. >> thank you. vanessa i'm vanessa ruiz in for : stephanie sy with newshour west, we'll return to the full program after the latest headlines. thousands of people in scotland turned out for final tributes to queen elizabeth, a somber

processional and an overnight vigil. malcolm brabant reports from london on the day's events. reporter: from edinburgh castle, a traditional salute rang out across the city in tribute to queen elizabeth, who died in her beloved scotland four days ago. king charles iii walked behind the hearse bearing his mother's casket, draped in the royal standard, as it was driven the short distance from holyrood house to st giles cathedral for a service of remembrance. he was accompanied by his three siblings as the procession made its way along edinburgh's narrow main street known as the royal mile. normally bustling, its crowds watched on in respectful silence. despite his grief, the new monarch has made a point of reaching out to the british people in person. >> it just brought me to tears really.

really emotional. and i just feel so privileged. reporter: earlier, king charles received the condolences of the british parliament in london as he addressed lawmakers for the first time since ascending the throne. >> as i stand before you today, i cannot help but feel the weight of history which surrounds us and which reminds us of the vital parliamentary traditions to which members of both houses dedicate yourselves with such personal commitment for the betterment of us all. reporter: the king's final duty of the day was to return to st giles to stand vil next to his mother's coffin, alongside his brothers and sister. there, the queen will remain for the next 24 hours, so thousands of scots will bid a final farewell. then she will be flown to london to lie in state for a further three days. the authorities are expecting

around one million people. officials warn they may have to wait in line for 30 hours or more to pay their respects. for the pbs newshour, i'm malcolm brabant. vanessa: in sweden, sunday's elections have given a populist, anti-immigration party a new voice. supporters of the "sweden democrats" celebrated last night after becoming the country's second-largest party. but it's unclear if they'll be accepted into a governing coalition. back in this country, former esident trump's lawyers urged a federal judge to continue barring investigators from reviewing government documents found at his florida home. they pressed again for an outside arbiter to review the material first, and they objected to the government's candidates for that role. the lawyers also argued the case amounts to a document storage dispute. some 15,000 nurses in minnesota launched a three-day strike today over pay and staffing. nurses picketed 13 hospitals

around minneapolis and st. paul. the hospitals said they're using using temporary fill-ins during the walkout. the biden administration today urged railroads and unions to reach an agreement to prevent a nationwide railroad strike this weekend. the u.s. chamber of commerce says the economy could lose $2 billion a day. some 60,000 rail employees may strike over workloads and time-off issues. california's first monkeypox related death was confirmed today by los angeles county health officals and the centers for disease control and prevention. it marks the second possible death resulting from monkeypox in the united states. another death following a monkeypox diagnosis was reported in texas late last month. still to come on the newshour, tamara keith and amy walter break down the latest political headlines also how jackson, mississippi's water crisis is

indicative of larger racial inequities. and benjamin franklin's literary legacy lives on in the country's longest-running lending library. and much more. >> this is the pbs newshour from wetatudios in washington and in the west from the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. judy: the start of this new school year is bringing an important change for many students in k-12 schools. the end of universal free meals. back in 2020, congress gave schools waivers to provide free breakfast and lunches regardless of family income. that was after many schools went virtual and both political parties agreed to prioritize reducing hunger and economic hardship. but those waivers came to an end at the start of september. lisa desjardins looks at what that means for students and their families.

>> judy, at one point, about 30 million children were getting those free meals. but republicans blocked another extension of the program this summer, saying the worst of the pandemic was over. and so was the urgent need. reporter: students and families still can apply for free meals but they must meet income thresholds to be eligible. a family of four, for example, can only earn about $36,000 a year. and the limit is lower for smaller households. here's what some parents and educatortold us about these changes and their frustrations. >> my oldest son started school last year during the program and it was wonderful. i never had to worry about packing his lunch. i knew that every day he was going to get fed and it was just a worry off my plate, right? with this program ending, of course we are incurring additional costs because we have to buy groceries to pack lunches. >> i have four children who go to school.

when they and their friends are all fed equally, the learning activity is more positive. there's probably less fighting. to me it seems like it is ideal for each child to have the same opportunity for nourishment. >> really have to have to for whole conversations and understanding that sometimes there just is not enough, is not enough resources, is not enough food, not enough support, and that they are still expected to learn if they have classmates that are hungry or classmates that are stressed about money owing the cafeteria money. classmates that are worried because they may not know money but they will down the line. classmates worried what are their parents going to have to cut in order to pay for their

lunches at the school? things that they were not worried about for the past two years. >> schools sent out an announcement ahead of the school year that the program would be ending. they gave a link and instructions on how to load your child's meal card as well as provided information about applying for free and reduced lunch. when you look at the numbers, you have to be in pretty serious financial dire straits to qualify for free or reduced lunch. >> we have the ability to come together and advocate for each other and help each other and empower each other to ask the hard questions. what are my rights? should i have a right toave nutrition that is offered to me so that i'm able to learn?

what child under the age of 18 is empowered to ask those questions? >> i hope that elected officials can look and say hey, this is a huge problem. food insecurity is a big problem for families across the country. implementing free school lunch is an easy way we can provide hungry kids with food to eat. while the program was in effect, it was a good use of my tax dollars. >> five states have changed their policies to pick up the tab and make school meals free to all for this school year. at least 10 other states are considering changes in their laws to make lunches free permanently. some are expanding eligibility. that still means most states will not have free school lunches or breakfast this year. elaine waxman studies this for the nonpartisan institute and joins me now.

what do we know about this unprecedented federal program and what it meant for child hunger and what does its end mean? >> we learned important lessons from the pandemic. school meals has really been a critical portion of what families relied on to feed their kids. that became very clear during the last couple of years. we also know from research there are a number of benefits for everybody in school whether or not they are low income. schools that have universal school meals tend to have higher test scores, fewer disciplinary problems, less bullying, less stigma. from an evidence base, we know it is a good investment. unfortunately e pandemic may be abating somewhat, but what has not changed and has accelerated is the cost of food.

so food price inflation is double-digit. that is not something we are used to. that is creating a lot of pressure on food budgets just at the time these are being rolled back. >> critics say this $11 billion was simply too much for the federal system to take on. some repubcans said this would encourage dependence on government. can you talk about the idea this was helpful in the school environment? what do we know from research? that having all kids with nutritional supplements as one parent talked about at the same level. what is that doing educational? >> we have to think about it as an investment in education. we can see universal school meals increases test scores, improves the overall school environment. when we talk about it as a cost, i think we are using the wrong language. it is an investment in kids and we know food insecurity is associated with a host of

negative outcomes for children and their families including learning delays, depression in adolescents, suicidally itty asian -- suicidal ideation. these are things we are doing to improve outcomes rather than the language of cost. >> some did not know this program was ending and now it seems like some may be left outside because they have not known to reapply. can you talk about what is going on with school districts and what this means for parents? what is the situation? >> there are a few things to be concerned about. first of all schools have a lot on their plates so to speak. there's a lot of pressure from food supply chains, so watching a program in the midst of all that is challenging. we know a lot of children are

just over the cut off -- a lot of the children that are just over the cut off our children of color. it's going to fall more inequitably on those families and we worry about that because typically food insecurity rate in those households are about twice what they are for white households. parents may or may not realize they have the ability to apply but they also may be just over the cut off, so that is something they have got to build back into their budget when grocery bills are very high. >> we are seeing record inflation for food prices, so much stress there. can you talk about what we are with food insecurity and hunger overall? what does the loss of this program mean in terms of our country and dealing with hunger? >> that's a great question. we just had some new data from usda that suggested that in 2021, food insecurity for households with children fell to an all-time low in the period we

were measuring. at the urban institute we conducted a new survey this summer and found that households with children have food and security rates creeping back toward what they were at the beginning of the pandemic. that reflects two things. higher cost of food, but also fewer supports. the loss of universal school meals, the rollback of the monthly child tax credit payments, and other resources that were available in 2021 like enhanced unappointed benefits that are not available -- enhanced unemployment benefits that are not available. reporter: something we are going to be paying close attention to. we appreciate your time. >> thanks for having me. judy: in primary contests in new

hampshire tomorrow, money is pouring in for republican candidates from an unusual source. democrats. >> in tv ads like th one, an unexpected and risky strategy. >> i'm an america first candidate. >> burns follows the trump playbook on immigration, the border and guns. reporter: what at first glance looks like a typical campaign message for a republican primary candidate is actually an ad paid for by democrats. >> democrats for service responsible for the contents of this ad. reporter: bob burns - a former county treasurer and loyal supporter of former president donald trump - is hoping to take on democratic congressman ann kuster to represent new hampshire's second district. >> i'm the only pro-life candidate up here. reporter: but first burns who has questioned the legitimacy of the 2020 election has to beat keene mayor george hansel in the party primary on tuesday. cancel -- hansel is a centrist backed by the state's republican governor chris sununu and he has sharply different views on

issues like abortion. >> personally i'm pro choice. reporter: burns already leads in the polls. democrats boosting his candidacy are essentially rolling the dice: that in a district president joe biden won by 9 points, burns is easier to beat. >> an agenda too conservative for illinois. reporter: it is part of a national strategy. official democratic campaign arms and outside groups are pumping millions of dollars into republican contests in at least seven states, betting that trump faithful, election denying candidates will be less competitive in november. >> donald trump's hand picked candidate for maryland governor. cox worked with trump trying to prove the last election was a fraud. reporter: in maryland, democrats spent $627,000 to elevate dan cox, who won the primary over a moderate backed by republican governor larry hog. in a blue state, cox's victory all but clears the way for a democratic win in november. >> handpicked by trump to run for congress, gibbs called trump the greatest president. reporter: in a michigan swing district, democrats poured $435,000 into promoting john gibbs, who has spread election

lies and conspiracies. he beat freshman congressman peter meijer, who voted to impeach trump. to mike madrid, a republican who has worked to defeat trump and election deniers, the strategy is hypocritical and a danger to democracy. >> it's aiding and abetting a social movement that is trying to destroy our democratic underpinnings and to be involved in that, to be engaged in that is a moral travesty. it is literally feeding into the same toxicity that the problem we are trying to address has created. >> republican chris mathys. a true conservative. 100 percent pro-trump. reporter: theds are similary designed, emphasizing ties to trump and conservative positions on abortion and immigration -- all issues democrats should use to define and challenge their republican opponents, argues martha mckenna, a democratic ad maker. >> these candidates are a threat. they're a threat to our democracy, whether they're on the ballot or not. so we should be running as smart and as tough campaigns against them as possible, because they

will be dangerous if they are elected in november and we have to stop them. >> she also said it's republican voters elevating these candidates, not the ads democrats are running. >> these are the types of republican candidates, these trump republican candidates who are coming through primaries that are determined with a plurality of the vote. so the fact that democrats are, you know, pulling out all the stops to try to halt the march of these rht wing candidates in primaries, certainly in general elections, is is an important strategy. reporter: in new hampshire, democrats are also trying to help senator maggie hassan win reelection. >> chuck morse, another sleazy politician. reporter: spending $3.2 million on republican primary ads attacking the moderate candidate as a mitch mcconnell acolyte. in a crowded field, the candidate closest to trump -

don buldoc leads the polls. proponents of this strategy point to senat claire mccaskill's reelection victory over republican todd akin in 2012. >> if it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down. reporter: that comment effectively doomed akin's candidacy and mccaskill's bet paid off. she had cut this radio ad boosting him during the republican primary. >> akin wants to stop all funding to planned parenthood. reporter: i'm claire mccaskill candidate for senate and i approve this message. >> madrid says ten years later, the stakes are higher - >> what we're dealing with now is foundationally different. todd akin was not suggesting that the elections were being stolen. he was not suggesting that it was okay to engage in insurrection. reporter: with potentially long-term consequences. >> many of these candidates develop a much larger following. as a result, they get much higher name recognition. and even if they lose the current race, what we have seen is they come back and win for school board or state legislative race or for city councils because of this new awareness and this new recognition. reporter: that contrast and risk

is clear in this year's governor's race in pennsylvania. >> they don't want everybody to have the opportunity to vote reporter: the democratic nominee for governor josh schapiro spent an estimated $855,000 on ads defining his likely opponent, doug mastriano, as an extremist during the gop primary. >> he led the fight to audit the 2020 election. if mastriano wins, it's a win for what donald trump stands for. reporter: now now, mastriano, an election denier who was outside the capitol on january 6 - is racing to catch shapiro in the polls. >> we the people are pissed, right? reporter: as the general election heats up in pennsylvania, new hampshire and across the country, democrats' risky strategy will be put to the test. for the pbs newshour, i'm laura barron-lopez. judy: primary season officially comes to a close tomorrow so republicans and democratsre

turning their midterm messaging toward the general election. now that it is less than two months away. here to talk about what comes next, any welter of the cook political report with amy walter and tamera keith of npr. it is time for politics monday. you just listen to laura perrone lopez report. really interesting what is going on this season. is this working? what is the calculus decision -- for this decision? >> we have been watching this dynamic develop through numerous primaries. you know, democrats are getting the opponents they want largely but be careful what you wish for. there are plenty of clinton reporters -- supporters who want to donald trump as an opponent and they got donald trump as president. what is striking is this is happening at a time when

democrats are shouting from the rooftops about the risk these candidates posed to american democracy. the idea that people will deny election outcomes is a danger to erica. at the same time, some democratic outside groups are boosting these candidates. the argument they would make is we are just defining our opponents and these people were going to win anyway. it is possible those people were going to win primaries anyway. judy: but there is a reward and a risk thing. >> the risk is being seen as being incredibly hypocritical and cynical. which is promoting people at the greatest risk to our society right now. and the practical is yes, they end up winning. but campaigns are graded not on those metrics. simply on whether you win or lose. when it comes to it, the job of

a campaign consultant, campaign manager, is to win anyway possible when you know the margins in these races are 15,000 votes where control of the senate is literally one seat, democrats are going to look for every opportunity they can. but it is hard to take the moral high ground on issues like campaign integrity -- the vice president was asking about this this weekend. asked by chuck todd on meet the press. do you think there is something -- what do you think about this, about democrats going and promoting these candidates? her chance to take the moral high ground she did not take. she said everybody has to run their own campaign. as we heard in laura's report, for some of these candidates, even if they do not win, if they don't succeed in getting chosen as the nominee, they could live to run for other races. they a going to have longer political lives.

>> certainly running a statewide or even just a congressional district race raises your profile. your ideas are out there on tv in ads, they are out there in debates. your ideas are being written about and sometimes these campaigns create celebrities. that said we have heard a lot from todd akin or murdoch in indiana. some of these candidates quietly disappear. but it is not clear people will disappear or even admit they lost if they lose. judy: this is getting closer to the general election. tomorrow is the last primary day. what are we hearing or what are you seeing from the parties in terms of their candidates messaging right now? >> two things, first new hampshire. this is a state that very early on republicans thought was going to be one of their best pickup opportunities. they have a popular republican

governor in chris sununu. he decided not to run. he says it is because he did not want to come to washington but his relationship with donald trump was quite tenuous and he probably did not want to have to deal with that relationship. now republicans still think they have a great chance, but the possibility of a weaker candidate, a candidate who sununu at one point said was a conspiracy theorist, could end up winning. that would be problematic for republicans and get another opportunity lost potentially. they could still win, but a much more challenging candidate for republicans than the other one. i get ads in my email box, i'm sure you do, too. every single day. i went through a bunch before i came on air. it is not that surprising. republicans continuing to lean into the economy, inflation, and biden.

things are getting better in the economy. gas prices have gone down. inflation, consumers say, is not as strong as it was. but it is still a very big deal. democrats really leaning into the issue of abortion especially in these swing states. judy: what are you seeing in messaging? any shift given this shift we seem to be seeing in the polls? >> what you definitely see is democrats are not afraid to talk about the abortion issue. in past cycles democrats have been afraid of leaning into what you might call culture war issues or cultural issues. in this case democrats are trying to create a narrative that it is not just abortion, but it is other rights you care about and also that the people who support those ideas are extreme. that is the message they are going with. that gets the idea that they

want this to be a choice. they do not want it to be a referendum on biden or immigration or crime. they wanted to be like, hey america, do you really want to go back to two years ago? do you want these more extreme ideas to be the main strength? -- the mainstream? judy: you are not seeing a shift is what i hear you saying. >> the economy is still -- we are going to see in individual races they are going to talk about issues. immigration especially on the southern border. arizona and new mexico. crime is also going to be an issue. what is interesting is watching republicans on the issue of abortion. reminds me of where democrats were on the issue of defunding the police or reducing funding for the police where republicans really put democrats in this awkward spot where they wanted to stand with racial justice

supporters in their own party, at the same time they wanted to talk to swing voters and assure them they were going to be tough on crime. they did not do that particularly well in 2020. since then you have seen democrats coming out and proactively talking about their support from law enforcement. republicans have gotten caught on abortion in the same place. they have not figured out, how do i keep my base happy by saying yes, my pro-life positions are still my positions, but also talk to swing voters and say to them i have not the extremist my opponent says i am? judy: but we are seeing republican candidates adjust -- not all of them, but some of them, adjust their language. >> or scrub their websites of abortion or not make it part of their stump speech or just generally not talk about it very much. you would think here is this huge victory republicans have been fighting for for a really long time. certainly that the base has been

fighting for for a really long time. but now they don't really want to talk about it because it has become uncomfortable. the reality is the polling indicates the american people, the majority of americans do support some abortion access, some abortion rights. you get into the nitty-gritty and he more complicated, but in a lot of these states it is no access at all. it sharpens the contrast. judy: two months to go and we will see what may shift and move. thank you both. politi monday. residents of jackson mississippi have gone thout safe drinking water for weeks. after heavy rainfall caused a failure at the city's largest

water treatment plant. while water pressure has been restored, the city still lacks clean water. amna nawaz has more. reporter: residents were already under boil water notice since july when the health department found cloudy water that triggered health concerns. the august storms and flooding exacerbated the water crisis, one that continues to this day. this video taken on friday shows brown tapwater coming from molly's home. we spoke with her, a local reporter, and other residents earlier today. >> it feels like a complete mystery what actually caused the brown water coming out of my tap. and who as a private citizen i would appeal to to get it fixed? in addition to all the mistrust -- or i should say lack of trust

people are feeling, just the fact it feels impossible to ascertain why this is happening. about something it should be easy to figure out. >> wn i turned my shower on and it turned brown i got a little bit scared. we have to do extra steps, take extra precautions to brushing our teeth. that is an everyday life thing so it should be simple, but for us it is not. personally for college though, it might get better since they have a water tower. for the city of jackson as a whole, i do not see it getting better. >> the pressure was so low we could not even flush the toilets. this should not be normal. this has been going on for a while. reporter: jackson's water crisis

is in the headlines but other communities, notably majority brecon -- black and brown cities , face ongoing issues. joining us now is a distinguished professor of urban planning and environmental policy at texas southern university and the director the blurred center for environmental and climate justice -- bullard center for environmental and climate justice. what does it say to you that residents in a capital city in america for weeks have not had instilled do not have clean tapwater in their homes? >> what this says is infrastructure in many of our cities that have suffered from disinvestment over decades is now coming home. it is a result of systemic flight of resources to outlying areas at the expense of those who are living in our cities. >> today we are focused on jackson mississippi.

earlier this year we were talking about harbor michigan. a few years ago we were talking about flint. are these one-off events or do you see something larger? are these indicative of a bigger problem? >> it is indicative of a larger problem and the problem is basically looking at which communities get resources for infrastructure and which ones get left behind. when cities begin to transition, the demographic shift from dominant white to predominately black or brown, you start to see problems occurring in terms of getting state funding to support infrastructure. you see the direct line with not only infrastructure when it comes to water. uc schools. when the demographics of schools change, uc schools decline in terms of tax dollars. when it comes to housing and other parts of infrastructure, we have to make sure dollars flow in a way that is not based

on race or geography. >> when we hear the phrase environmental racism, is this what we are talking about? >> we are talking about environmental racism, we are talking about infrastructure apartheid. we are talking about which communities get left behind. when you have a wright state with blue cities, it is more difficult -- a red state with blue cities, it is more difficult for those cities to get resources from the state. is not just texas. it is other states when you start seeing the flight of white people from the city, you see that flight of dollars, infrastructure dollars. roads, bridges, dams, water systems, schools, you name it. mississippi is rated a d-when it comes to infrastructure. the u.s. as a whole is a c minus. water is something you cannot live without and you wouldope a city and state could work together to ensure citizens have

clean water and other kinds of safe issues that make for quality of life. >> let me ask you about those funds. there are some federal funds folks are pointing to saying this could help. the state of mississippi, we will get about 429 million dollars from the bipartisan infrastructure act that is just to fix water and sewage systems and even the republicans voted against it, the city of jackson is slated to get $25 million from the american rescue plan of last year. what kind of difference can those funds make to keep this from happening again? >> anytime we invest in infrastructure and have funds flow to need, like the bipartisan infrastructure act, that money needs to go to the city and in some places county. when it goes to the state there is a roadblock. it is important that we dismantle those artificial barriers that keep funds from going to those needed cities.

>> what kind of a roadblock? >> it is racial, it is political, it is historical. and it is very powerful when it comes to having a predominantly black city trying to get funds from a state that does not see it as important. that is a roadblock. that is a barrier. if you look at zip code, race is still the most potent factor in determining where money flows. it is pretty obvious that infrastructure dollars over these decades have not flown into jackson. that is a major issue but it did not just happen in the last year. >> these funds could take months to make their way into communities. projects will take a long time to make lasting change. what about in the short or medium term? what can be done to help people? >> the issue of fast tracking

water systems and getting the kinds of treatment facilities online quickly with the urgency of now, i don't think we should go through the usual process. this is an emergency. i think we are talking about not just water, we are talking about health, about people's lives. it needs to be treated with that sense of urgency and not allow redtape or politics or any kind of artificial barriers to stop this from being fast tracked. >> that is professor robert bullard. thank you. >> thank you. judy: as millions of students are returning to school across the country, we take a look at how a gift from a founding father helped spark a movement

to make public education a reality. pamela watts, of rhode island pbs weekly, reports for arts and culture series, canvas. >> people always want to see the books and they want to touch them and they want to know if i have ever touched them. it is almost like a sacred artifact. reporter: reference librarian vicki earls says this historic collection of books is so precious, it is kept under lock and key in a glass display case: >> this is it. this is our baby. reporter: the town of franklin massachusetts treasures these books from the 1700's because they are the genesis of the first and oldest public, free, lending library in continuous operation in america. a revolutionary idea at the time, the volumes were a gift from famous patriot, benjamin franklin. >> he was a writer, printer, publisher, scientist, and an

inventor, diplomat, statesman, and he knew a lot about a lot of things. reporter: today we would call him a major influencer. >> absolutely, yes. >> he was a rock star. reporter: he was so popular in fact, there are 31 towns in the united states today named after benjamin franklin. but franklin, massachusetts was the first. >> this happened in 1778 when the town was founded. a document was presented to the mass state legislature for naming the town and somebody along the way, crossed out the original intended name, which was exeter and wrote in for franklin. reporter: franklin's community leaders may have had an ulterior motive for bestowing the honor, according to long-time historian james johnston. >> well, let me tell you about that. the local preacher of the congregational church decided that if they gave the honor to dr. franklin, that he would give them a bell for their new meeting house. maybe one of paul revere's

specials. that would be nice, a nice bronze bell. reporter: the bell request for the church steeple was enginey powerful minister, the reverend nathanael emmons. benjamin franklin, replied by sending the now-historic collection of books instead. they were loaned out from the congregational church and various other buildings around town until the franklin little -- the franklin library was built in so why did ben franklin 1904. send books instead of a bell? he explained in a letter to the town. he reasoned, sense being preferable to sound. >> what he meant was, you know, would they rather know something of value or do they just want to listen to the dingdong in the steeple? i guess that is what he had in mind. >> one of the biggest works in the collection is john locke.

his polical theories were a big part of that. the person that sort of came up with the theories of all people having the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. that's one of his concepts and a lot of what he wrote ended up in the constitution. reporter: there is another chapter in this story. turn the page forward a few years and a franklin farm boy borrows these books. >> he was born here, born and raised and mostly self educated through the benjamin franklin collection. >> that student was horace mann, considered the father of public education in america. >> he believed all children have the right to education and that education should be tax supported. >> not only public education for white people, but he thought that native americans, people of color, women, should have the equal opportunity to secure a

good education. and when he became the president of antioch college, he opened the doors to women, to native americans, to people of color all on an equal basis. reporter: benjamin franklin never got to visit his town in massachusetts. he died in 1790 shortly after donating the book collection. what do you think ben franklin would have thought of his namesake town? >> i think he would be happy. he established a nice home for his books. he would have been happy to know his books started something very positive. i think he was hoping that somebody in this town would prefer sense tsound. reporter: for the pbs newshou i'm pamela watts in franklin massachusetts. judy: tonight on pbs, independent lens presents a documentary about the culture of

hazing on university campuses. hazing, from filmmaker byron hurt, takes a deep dive into the culture and consequences of pledging rituals at american education institutions. >> pastor pat continues to keep memories alive. both families are still tormented by how their loved ones died. this is the other side of that. that people don't see. >> it was around 10:00. >> pitch black dark, no light. >> they went to wash off in the beach water and that is how they drowned. >> police reported their deaths as an accident with no evidence of hazing even though numerous eyewitness accounts set otherwise. judy: hazing from independent

lens premies tonight at 10:00 p.m. eastern on pbs. check your local listings. and that's the newshour for tonight. i'm judy woodruff. join us on-line and again here tomorrow evening. for all of us at the pbs newshour, thank you, please stay safe and we'll see you soon. >> consumer cellular's goal has been to provide wireless service that allows people to connect. we provide no contract plans and we can find one that fits you. visit consumer cellular.tv. >> the kendeda fund committed to advancing restorative justice and meaningful work through investments in transformative leaders and ideas. more at kendeda fund.org. supported by the john d. and catherine t. macarthur

foundation, committed to building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world. more information at macfound .org. and with the ongoing support of these institutions. this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. this is the pbs newshour from weta studios in washington and from the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university.

♪♪ -"cook's country" is about more than just getting dinner on the table. we're also fascinated by the people and stories behind the dishes. we go inside kitchens in every corner of the country to learn how real people cook, and we look back through time to see how history influences the way we eat today. we bring that inspiration back to our test kitchen so we can share it with you. this is "cook's country." ♪♪ today on "cook's country," bridget makes julia a midwestern classic, tater tot hotdish, i tell the backstory of hotdish, adam explores the wacky world of corn strippers,