judy: good evening. i'm judy woodruff. on the newshour tonight, after the storm. president biden visits florida to assess the massive damage from hurricane ian as human rescue and recovery efforts continue across the state. then, leaving iran. an american citizen detained for over six years on spying charges flies out of the country for surger and ending hiv. how the effort to provide preventative treatment for the disease has been set back by the covid-19 pandemic. >> we are trying to break isolation, so when covid hit and we had to support people to

isolate and even quarantine at times, this had dramatic impact. judy: all that and more on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs has been provided by -- >> moving our economy for 160 years. >> cfo, caregiver, eclipse

tracer. a raven james advisor taylor's advice to help you live your life area life well planned. >> the walton family foundation, working for solutions to protect water during climate change so people and nature can thrive together. supported by the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation, committed to building aore 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. judy: president biden arrived in

florida today to survey the widespread damage left behind in the wake of hurricane in, while the death toll there keeps rising. his visit comes as search and rescue crews continue their efforts to find human survivors in the hardest hit parts of the state. william brangham has the latest. william: in fort myers, florida, one week after hurricane ian ravaged the area, president biden toured the devastation left behind. joined by republican governor ron desantis, biden pledged local, state, and federal governments would continue to work together on florida's recovery. fred biden it's going to take a lot of time, not weeks or months, it's going to take years for everything to get squared away in the state of florida to fully recover and rebuild. today we have one job and only one job, and that's to make sure that the people of florida get everything they need to fully, thoroughly recover. ali: --

william: search teams from all over the state, like ignacio carroll's team from miami, made their way to fort myers to help. >> we want to get to those that have run out of medication, those who may be trapped in their homes because of the debris, try to either get them out or to check on their well-being and don't want to wait for daylight. you want to start hitting the ground running as soon as it is safely possible. william: as of late tuesday, more than 2,300 rescues had taken place since ian made landfall. as of this morning, more than 298,000 customers still had no power and may not have their lights back on for several more days. >> [translated] the heat is unbearable when there's no power. we have kids, we can't make food, we don't have gas. william: pine island, which ia barrier island off florida's southwest coast, was still cut off entirely from the mainland wednesday morning. members of florida's national guard deployed to the island to clear roads and airlift

equipment in. pine island is also home to several animal species. rescue teams moved to save dozens of parrots left behind at a local bird sanctuary. >> today is day five, or six, of operations. we have a four-boat operation going on today to rescue 100 cages of birds off the island before they die. william: during his visit, biden also met with residents and small business owners in the area, many of whom face a daunting choice -- rebuild or leave the area. by some estimates, ian's economic toll could be between $28 billion and $47 billion, making it the most costly storm to hit florida since 1992. but today, president biden reiterated more help is on the way. print biden -- president biden: look, we have a long road ahead of us. rebuilding entire communities from the ground up. i want the people of florida to know, you have my commitment and

america's commitment that we are not going to leave. we are going to see you through this entire process. willm: for more on the recovery efforts, i spoke earlier with jennifer hiner. she's with fairfax county fire and rescue in virginia but her unit was activated by fema to help down in florida. i began by asking her about the kind of work they're doing around fort myers. >> we go out in small squads and are doing assessments. we also have fema distribution lists and are giving them the addresses and times of what they can receive at the distribution centers. we are making contact with the residents. if someone is reported missing, we do our due diligence to locate that person and make sure they left or evacuated, that they are not still in that structure.

there is a lot of instruction especially in the rv trailer park areas and along the shoreline. trees are down, roadways are blocked, no water. the residents are resilient. they are bouncing back. they are ready and eager to get their homes and counties running again. >> i have been in a few disaster zones myself and one of my concerns is to people have the financial and emotional wherewithal to deal with this? i know you are not a mental health worker but what is your sense of how people are doing with this catastrophe? >> a lot of people are doing very well. they have high spirits and are very thankful of the help they are receiving. some people are not doing as well.

they have either lost loved ones or loved ones are missing that they are trying to find. they are anxious to locate them, to get closer. a lot of people, this is their first hurricane they have ever lived through. there are a lot of elderly in florida, especially the areas we are checking, so this is their very first one. a lot of their homes, they were not ready for this. the hurricane took a turn and they were not preparing for this and they weathered the storm. one of the best stories, there was a community that put their heads together. they had a paraplegic gentleman in the neighborhood and they went when the storm surge had hit, they were able to put floaty's on all of his limbs to keep him up. >> like you put on a little kid

when they go swimming? >> yeah, they put them on all of his limbs. i thought that was quick thinking. these civilians and residents are amazing. william: you have responded to other disasters in the past. how does this compare? >> domestically this is probably the worst i have been on. there is a lot of destruction to homes, to land, to a lot of properties. this is the worst i have seen since my time on the team. william: jennifer hiner, thanks for talking to us and thanks for what you are doing. judy: in today's other news,

opec is cutting oil production by 2 million barrels a day to boost sagging oil prices. the alliance of oil-producing countries made the announcement at a meeting in vienna. the move will likely cause a spike in gas prices. white house officials called the decision shortsighted especially as the global economy is reeling from the impact of russia's war on ukraine. russia's president vladimir putin signed documents today to annex four regions of ukraine. this comes as the russian military is losing its grip on some areas putin is trying to claim as his own. ukraine reported new advances against russian forces. residents in kyiv were angered by the illegal annexation. >> [translated] for me it's strange. there is sovereignty, a country, a year when we became independent. there is a state, borders, ministries.

i can't understand why people decide to change it. judy: a kremlin spokesman insisted that territories that have been recaptured by ukraine in recent days will be returned to russian control. aid workers and tigray forces in ethiopia today confirmed that as many as 65 people were killed in an air strike in the country's northern tigray region. it happened yesterday at a school that was sheltering people displaced by the two-year long internal conflict. survivors of the strike fled to the nearby town of shire, about 15 miles from the blast. a malfunctioning south korean ballistic missile blew up as it hit the ground today during a live fire drill with the u.s. the missile crashed inside an air force base near the city of gang the young -- of gangneeung. there were no reports of injuries. the joint military drill was a reprisal for north korea's nuclear-capable ballistic missile that flew over japan the previous day.

u.s. secretary of state antony blinken called the north's provocations dangerous and reckless. >> i think what we' seeing is that if they continue down this road it will only increase the condemnation, increase the isolation, increase the steps thatre taken in response to their actions. judy: hours later, north korea launched two more ballistic missiles toward the -- toward its east coast. its sixth launch in 12 days. a u.s. federal appeals court upheld a lower court ruling against the legality of daca, the obama-era program for young immigrants. but it sent the se back to a lower court to consider new biden administration rules. for now, the 594,000 existing daca recipients can still renew their status. wall street closed lower today after its two-day rally lost some steam. the dow jones industrial average shed 42 points to close at 30,274. the nasdaq fell 28 points.

and the s&p 500 slipped seven. a russian cosmonaut has launched from the u.s. for the first time in 20 years, this time with the private firm spacex. she rocketed to the international space station from cape canaveral, florida, along with two nasa astronauts and another from japan. they're due to arrive tomorrow and stay for five months. this year's nobel prize in chemistry went to three scientists for developing a way to snap molecules together. the groundbreaking work of americans carolyn bertozzi and barry sharpless, and danish scientist morten meldal has been used to design better cancer treatments and to map dna. bertozzi, who is based at stanford university, described the moment she heard the news. >> i was sound asleep, as a

person is at 2:00 a.m. usually. i got jarred awake by the phone. at first i thought it was a dream or something, you know. but then i kind of -- the adrenaline kicked in. and then it's like, oh, my god. judy: her fellow american prizewinner barry sharpless is now the fifth person to receive a nobel twice. he also won the chemistry nobel prize in 2001. and the family of the cinematographer who died on the "rust" film set has agreed to settle their wrongful death lawsuit. halyna hutchins was shot and killed by actor alec baldwin last october. he insists it was an accident. the exact terms of the settlement haven't been disclosed. but hutchins' husband will take over as executive producer when the film resumes production in january. still to come on the newshour, we examine several senate rings -- several senate races that could decide control of congress. a new documentary from our own

newshour team examines trauma from gun violence in america. singer linda ronstadt reflects on her roots. plus much more. >> this is the pbs newshour from w eta studios in washington and in the west from the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. judy: an american citizen and former u.n. official wrongfully held in iran for more than six and a half years has been allowed to travel abroad today to seek medical treatment. his son has been released from prison on a temporary furlough but still cannot leave iran. amna nawaz has the story. amna: judy, 85 year old baquer namazi is one of four iranian-americans who have been detained by iran or barred from leaving the country, including his son, siamak namazi, who has been held in prison since 2015. both father and son had been sentenced to what u.s. and u.n. officials call baseles

espionage charges. baquer namazi travelled to oman today, and rectly landed in abu dhabi, where he will undergo surgery. jared genser is a human rights attorney and pro-bono counsel for the namazi family and he joins me now. welcome to the newshour. thank you for joining us. baquer has been in iranian custody since 2016. how is he doing? jared: i spoke to him yesterday. a long ordeal to get from toronto to uae. i spoke to him yesterday are -- yesterday or the day before. on the one hand he is excited and grateful for the fact that so many people in the u.n., the united states have come together to get him out. at the same time, this is a bittersweet day because his son remains a hostage in iran.

he spent seven years and counting. amna: what can you tell us about the negotiations that went into this. he has been there since 2016, held and detained. his sentence was commuted but he has not been allowed to leave. what now? the iranians must have come to believe that given the next major surgery he needs to have that it was a risk to keep him in iran, where he could die on the operating table. he has been subjected to a totally arbitrary travel ban for more than two years. there is no justification for keeping him in iran. they are realizing there is nothing left except a downside to try to ke him if something went wrong in the operation. amna: one of his sons has been

imprisoned for seven years and is out on a temporary furlough. what can you tell us about him and whether this is a step towards his release? jared: today could be nothing other than a good day. it's bittersweet because siamak is still behind. letting baquer out and letting siamak out on a furlough, which hopefully will be removed, is a clear sign to the united states to finally come to a settlement on all of the outstanding hostage cases because there are others and all of them need to come home to their families. judy: amna: does he have to go back to iran after the surgery or does this mean he is free? jared: he was free as of 2020 and this is the bizarre thing. they commuted his sentence to time served, their own courts,

yet refused to give him a passport to leave the country. amna: you mentioned the other americans held there. we have been in touch with the family of ahmad. they sent a statement saying, weish the u.s. could have secured ahmad's freedom as well. he remains an innocent american wrongfully imprisoned in iran. we urge the u.s. government to do everything they can to bring him home. you have worked for years on these cases and hundreds of people have been freed because of your work. do you believe the u.s. government is doing everything it can? jared: right now the answer to that question is yes. there have been young periods -- long periods of time when the answer was no. we need a renewed sense of urgency to come to a deal. we need to answer the broader question of how does the united states as a country deal with these situations.

our policies have been consistently inconsistent. don't negotiate with terrorists except when we do, don't pay ransom except when we do. it is not just an american problem. there are hostages from many countries around the world. judy: does this moment present a window for negotiations? the regime is facing protests, they are trying to follow through on the nuclear deal talks. is that a window of opportunity for the u.s.? amna: i think it definitely is. i am more hopeful today than i have been because they did not have to let siamak out under furlough. the fact that they did alongside letting his father leave says to

me they are trying to set a pretty clear signal, which i hope the u.s. will take up immediately and i believe they are. i am hopeful we can finally resolve all these outstanding cases and turned back to the broader policy question of how we stop hostages being taken from the united states and around the worlds a broader question. amna: that is jared, human rights attorney and pro bono counsel for the namazi family. thank you for your time. judy: we are just a month out from election night and all eyes are on a few consequential races playing out across the country. control of the senate is on the line this midterm cycle. with 35 seats up for election,

republicans need to net just one seat to regain the majority in the upper chamber today we will be diving into three key tossup races in georgia, pennsylvania and nevada -- nevada. to talk about where things stand in these senate contests, i'm joined by stephen fowler of georgia public broadcasting, katie meyer with spotlight p.a. and jon ralston of the nevada independent. welcome to all three of you. we are watching these races closely. stephen, let me start with you because there is this big headline in the race between herschel walker and raphael warnock, and that is one of herschel walker's former girlfriends alleging she had an abortion in 2009, that he paid for it. what is he saying about this? how is it affecting the race? stephen: herschel walker is

categorically a -- categorically denying it. he threatened to sue the publication but no lawsuit has been filed. it has threatened a race that is within the margin of error of many polls. those on the left say it's hypocrisy and is more evidence that herschel walker is not equipped to be a senator, but many americans are sticking by walker, saying it is a smear put out by democrats and the media and that herschel walker is a republican and could be the 51st seat they need to have that majority so they are standing by him. judy: the daily beast has provided a receipt. they have shown a card that he sent this woman. even though his son is publicly denouncing him? stephen: it's one thing to say democrats are attacking the

campaign, but herschel walker's own son, 23-year-old christian walker, an outspoken christian commentator, posted videos and tweets attacking his father, saying he was a liar, alleging there was violence involved in his childhood. the campaign has seemed to push forward. they say they raised more money than ever in the aftermath of the story and are putting out fundraising calls saying that they are trying to be attacked over this baseless story. it's a remarkable evolution and politics from what would be a campaign ending story many cycles ago. judy: so interesting how that's being received. katie, do you in pennsylvania. this race had been seen as an advantage for the democrat john fetterman but the cook political report now says it's a tossup

with the other republican being televisions dr. oz. what are the dynamics? katie: this race was always going to be close. it's the political patterns we usually see. it's not supposed to be a very good year for democrats, based on the president's party tends to do worse down ballot the midterm after he is elected. federman had outperformed expectations. he did have a stroke right at the beginning of this general election cycle. you see his favorability ratings going down a little bit. he is fundraising heavily for federman across the state. there is an effort to paint federman as soft on crime, a huge talking point not just in pennsylvania. those things have cut into his approval ratings.

he still does lead oz in most polls but there have been flaws in these polls before. judy: and then to nevada and jon ralston, where the democratic incumbent catherine cortez masto is seen by many as the most potentially vulnerable democrat running for the senate this year. what has happened in that race? she is running against a well-known name in nevada, adam walks all. jon: she is definitely a tossup race. polls show it within the margin of error. most recent polls have showedla xalt slightly ahead. he is the grandson of a legendary figure in the state. he is a former attorney general that ran for governor and lost and was the head of the trump

campaign that fronted the big lie in the state. he has consistently been close or slightly ahead. catherine cortez masto is not the highest profile senator. she is in her first term. very disciplined, much more of a workhorse than a show horse, even to the consternation of some demrats who wish she had gotten out there more. she has run a good campaign but has not been able to pull away from laxalt. she has raised more than any senator, including harry reid, ever raised in this state, including $15 million last quarter, a lot of money for nevada. judy: let me turn back to georgia. we know former president trump has endorsed herschel walker. how much of a factor is donald trump? what else do voters say is on

their minds? steven: donald trump is largely a nonfactor in george's elections because most of the slate of candidates he picked in the primary lost. herschel walker and bert jones are the only two trump endorsees that made it to the general election. trump has stayed away from georgia. there were reports he might do a rally later this month for herschel walker but that has not materialized. largely trump has left a bad taste in the mouths of georgia voters because of his attempts to overturn the election. there is an ongoing investigation into the attempts. trump is not necessarily a big factor but what is a factor is george's economy. national inflation has been a topline thing that raphael warnock has mentioned. walker blaming democrats for the inflation.

georgia's economy at the state level isoing surprisingly well, so that attack has been blunted, but issues of abortion and the economy and democracy and voting rights are first and foremost in the state heading into the final weeks. judy: what about the donald trump factor and whether he is a central thing in voters minds? or is it something else? katie: there is no question trump's endorsement has been a big deal for men at oz. he does not have a great deal of credibility among the voters he is trying to capture. he has leaned heavily into trump's endorsement and into trump's style of campaigning. his campaign said he had a stroke because he did not eat

enough vegetables. it's very in-line with the way trump always campaign. policy issues have been at the forefront of this campaign, but it has been a campaign of personalities. he is running more of a campaign geared toward moderates, and federman who has tried to paint oz as an outsider. it has been about the characters of the two candidates. judy: what is driving voters this year? you mentioned the latino vote feeling different this year. what else do you see driving voters' thinking this cycle? jon: the hispanic vote is going to be very important. it has been as much as 20% of the electorate. catherine cortez masto is the first latino elected to the

senate and yet even she is vulnerable among hispanic voters. just this week a republican super pac decided to for $2 million into spanish-language ads. we have never seen anything like that in this state. nevada is essentially three states. there is reno, las vegas, and rural nevada. donald trump is coming for adam laxalt this evening because they want to get republican based turnout. it is a difficult needle because trump is about as unpopular as joe biden, especially in clark county or las vegas where 70% of registered voters are. the voters here are driven by the economy. when a race is as close as this, the trump factor, the hispanic

vote, every little bit can make the difference. judy: each one of these races is fascinating. we are following it and i know the three of you are as well. thank you so much. three years ago, then president trump's administration laid out a plan to drastically reduce new hiv infections. while cases are on the decline, the effort has faced setbacks. our rrespondent reports in partnership with the global health reporting center. >> tommy williams helps to coordinate patient care at the 1917 clinic at the university of

alabama, birmingham, one of the longest-running hiv clinics in the country. >> much of what we do is around hiv care, which includes treatment and research, community engagement. alok: it is tommy's job to connect patients with all the services at the clinic, including prep. >> prep is a preventative measure for individuals who have a negative hiv diagnosis and their interest is keeping it that way. alok: prep, or pre-exposure prophylaxis, is a remarkably effective means of blocking hiv. when taken as prescribed, about 99% of people on prep remain uninfected. it is antiviral medication similar to the combination used for hiv treatment. >> if you are exposed to the virus, you have enough of this

concentrated medication to prevent the virus from being able to go into your cells and replicate. alok: prep is the backbone of the u.s. government strategy to meet its ambitious goal, a 90% reduction in new cases by the year 2030. and yet tommy williams knows prep can be a tough sell. >> i've been seeing somebody, it'll be a year in june. tommy: i love that, you deserve that. i've always said you deserve to be happy. alok: corey oden was a holdout, until tommy convinced him to start the medications, four years ago. >> i was really against prep but i think i was more against the mentality i thought pr made people have. so i was sexually active wit people and those peoplwere like, well, you not going to have sex with me with a condom because i'm on prep. but baby, i'm not. so what aboume? so i hated that. i hated that. alok: cdc guidelines say prep

shld be taken by anyone who is sexually active and at high risk for infection. but nationwide, fewer than one in four of these people has a prescription. and amid the other, long-standing challenges, the covid pandemic landed like a ton of bricks. >> prior to the pandemic, we were actually doing very well. alok: dr. monica gandhi oversees hiv care at san francisco general hospital. >> and i was seeing very few barriers to hopefully by 2030, getting to the end of the epidemic in san francisco. essentially our homeless population increased and so did substance use. alok: lance toma is ceo of the san francisco community health center, which offers prep, hiv care and other services to some of the city's most vulnerable residents. narco with hiv, we were trying to build community. we're trying to break isolation. and so when covid hit and we had to actually support people to isolate and even quarantine at

times, this had dramatic impact. >> which way should we go? >> head east? alok: when covid arrived, the center had to adapt fast. miguel ibarra leads one of its outreach teams. >> we developed these mobile teams that would go out and vaccinate people twice a week alok: once that was in place, they began to expand the services. >> we provided rapid syphilis testing, rapid hiv testing, rapid, um, hep c testing to people. and if they wanted to get on prep, for example, we could provide that service in that moment and then do a lot of follow up. alok: it's almost like it took covid to get people to unify and pay attention to healthcare, access, awareness, preveative measures, and to get people to finally focus on it. is that what you're feeling? narco yeah. i mean, it's true because initially there was some chaos that happened. it forced us to coordinate better among different providers and be more engaged with people

and leave our sites and go to them and hang out with them and stay with them and make sure they had everything they needed. alok: but then last month came a new hurdle. a federal judge in texas struck down a requirement, part of the affordable care act, which says all private health insurance plans have to cover prep. if the ruling stands, many people will face a sticker price of about $2000 a month. lance toma says there would be a ripple effect, not just for people on private health plans. >> if we start to chip away at what's guaranteed, whether it's an employer based coverage or in medicare, that erodes trust in, in all of these prevention efforts. you know, prep, we know works, we know hiv treatment works. it's just infuriating. alok: insurance hassles and cost are just two of the reasons that prep coverage remains low. from california tolabama and nearly everywhere in between. the decision to start on prep is deeply personal.

for many, bringing it up with a doctor is hard. tommy: it's a lot of stigma attached to prep, because it's like, why are you taking that? are you gay? is that why you're taking prep? >> the idea that you're in a rural community that is oftentimes extremely conservative, highly impoverished, everyone knows each other. and so they said i would never feel comfortable accessing prep. alok: even with widespread advertising from companies like gilead, there's still a lack of awareness, especially among young people. >> i believe one of the many reasons that the kids aren't accessing prep is because either they don't -- believe it or not -- know about it, and if they know about it, they don't really understand it, or they are not accurately identifying their level of risk. but in some ways, the prospects are looking better, and according to dr. latesha elopre,

one big reason is a new medication -- a new, longer-lasting formulation of prep. >> did you have any questions about long-aing, the cabotegravir injection? alok: the new version is given as an injection, rather than a daily pill. patients only need to come f a shot every two months, making it far easier to stick with the regimen. >> do you want to remain on the injectable prep or go back to the daily pill? >> the injectable. it's like, ok i've got my shot, i'm good for my shot until my next appointment so i don't forget to take the pill alok: the fda approved widespread use of these injections late last year. >> i'm hopeful. we always have to be hopeful that there's going to be these advancements and they're going to improve some of the disparities that we see. alok: even longer-lasting versionsre under development, a step towards protection that patients barely have to think about, maybe inching us closer to the end of hiv in america. for the pbs newshour, i'm dr.

alok patel. judy: you can learn more about the fight against aids by watching nova's ending hiv in america. that's later tonight here on pbs and on the pbs video app. premiering tonight on pbs is a special report from our own newshour team that explores the often unseen impact of gun violence. it delves into the trauma from mass shootings, community violence, and suicides. the report is produced by sam lane and sam weber, and hosted by william brangham who is back to tell us more about it. this is a very powerful program you and your team have put together. when you started, what was it you wanted to convey? william: we all know the

statistics about gun violence, tens of thousands of people dying every year. those numbers are appalling but they are also numbing. we always have debates about mental health care or gun control but we rarely talk honestly about the long-term real trauma that that violence does to people. all the researchers we talked to said gun violence changes people in fundamental ways. because gun violence is escalating, that trauma is escalating. jennifer colson is a sociologist at the university of arizona. >> at some point in our lives, almost every american is going to know someone impacted by gun violence. that should make us sit back and say this is not something that happens out of sight, out of mind. this is something threaded through society and that touches

all of us if we are willing to hear, acknowledge, and witness it. judy: this is a film where you talk to people who have been directly impacted by this. given how widespread gun violence is, how did you decide who to speak with? william: we wanted to convey the three ways people died by gun violence in this country. suicides, the seemingly everyday shootings, and mass shootings. we start with a woman named ryan in washington, d.c. she has lost three different members of her family to gun violence. gun violence is not spread equally in this country. blacks are 10 times more likely to die in a gun homicide than whites are. just being exposed in your community can be traumatic. ryan runs a center for kids who have experienced similar trauma.

she tells us when this violence happened to her, it almost broke her. this is her describing what happened after her sister tracy was killed by a neighbor. >> it's like, who protects me at this point? because my sister tracy was my protector. that sense of protection left for a long time when she died. so 15 year old me, 22 days after my family was attacked and my sister was killed, on christmas day, drank a bottle, a whole bottle of nyquil, took some pills prescribed to my mother. i don't know what they were. and laid and prepared myself for my death. because i did not believe life was worth living anymore. that bullet, that gun, took everything from me. and so when i woke up, i was pissed. i was pissed at god, i was pissed at everybody because it's

like if pain is all i'm going to be dealt, i simply just don't want to be here. judy: this is such a tragic story. thankfully she survived the suicide attempt, but we know when people try with a gun it's a very different ending. william: suicide is the leading cause of gun deaths in america. it's not that the gun causes someone to try to take their life, it's that if you are experiencing a temporary mental crisis -- and almost all suicidal episodes are temporary. it goes away. if you have access to a gun, it's very likely when you try to take your life you will die and you will not have a chance to get through the episode and try to get better. we spent some time in wyoming

with a man who lost his brother to a gun suicide years ago and is still wrestling with what-ifs about what he could have done differently and how he might have done something to save his brother's life. this is dan talking about his own son, who now lives in the house where david took his life. >> when i go over there for a barbecue, that spot in the yard is still going to be there. i will see that it had a little divot it had before david took his life and i saw him living in that spot. you settle into this sorrow. i think i am at that point. he comes up every once in a while and it's like, how are you doing? you screwed up, i still love you. william: in addition to dan and

ryan, we talk with a remarkable couple. they lost their daughter jesse 10 years ago in that terrible schnack shooting in aurora, colorado. they have turned the grief and emotional exhaustion they have gone through. now every time there is a mass shooting, they get into their rv and drive to that site to counsel other parents and family members and try to counsel some of the hard-earned wisdom they have learned. judy: it is so hard to think about. so hard for all of you to have to spend a lot of time thinking about this and talking to these people. we are so grateful. we want to remind you this will air tonight. it is ricochet.

it will air at 10:00 p.m. eastern on both pbs stations and you can watch it online on pbs.org/newshour. a new book out this week offers a different window into the life of singer linda ronstadt, who has sold aliens of records. she has made history as the first woman to have three consecutive platinum albums. jeffrey brown spoke with ronstadt recently for our arts and culture series, canvas. >> ♪ jeffrey: in 1987, linda ronstadt, one of the biggest pop stars of her era, did something extraordinary -- recording an album of traditional mexican music. it was called canciones de mi padre, songs of my father, and looked back to music that had moved and influenced her since

childhood. it would become a surprise barrier and record-breaking hit. is it true that record companies didn't want you to record the mexican -- >> oh, they were horrified! i was oblivious. but i also knew i had the clout to do it. and it didn't occur to me that it would be successful or not successful. i just, i knew i had to make the record. if i didn't make the record i would die. jeffrey: at her san francisco home today, some things are different. beginning in the early 2000's ronstadt's movement slowed, her speech at times slurred, by a condition first diagnosed as parkinson's, later as progressive supranuclear palsy, a rare disorder with no known cure. her favorite activity now, at age 76 -- reading. >> they saying so the subsequent generations won't forget what the curnt generations endured or dreamed. jeffrey: with a sharp mind and a plentiful sense of humor, she is

still returning to her ancestral home. physically, as in the 2019 documentary the sound of my voice, and in a new book titled "feels like home: a song for the sonoran borderlands." co-written with lawrence downes and featuring photographs by bill steen, it is a celebration -- complete with recipes -- of place, including tucson, where she grew up, and of people, past and present, on both sides of a beautiful, but harsh border. >> it's my impression of the desert as i was traveling in it with my family and the years that i've gone back and visited. it's a hard trip, it's a five hour trip through real mountainous terrain. it's beautiful, but boy, if your car gets in trouble on the road, you better help somebody comes by. jeffrey: throughout the book, traditional song and dance, then and now. the music of her mixed mexican and european ancestry -- a great grandfather come from germany to

mexico in 1839 -- and her own upbringing in a family that loved all kinds of music - from traditional mariachi to opera. >> my mother played banjo, ukulele, she played piano. my dad played the guitar and sang. i learned all those songs. i don't know why. i just learned them by osmosis. jeffrey: she was 18 in 1964, when she left home for los angeles, and became part of an exciting rock scene. but as she tells it, it didn't come easily to her. i watched the recent documentary about your life and there are people like david geffen. he said early on you didn't have a lot of confidence. >> i dn't have any. later on i didn't have any confidence either. i was very consistent in that way. but i got there, you know, to the place that satisfied me. jeffrey: everyone else heard something very special, a voice that stood out in songs like you are no good.

and blue bayou. i'm going back someday, come what may, to blue bayou. ffrey: 12 grammies, the rock and roll hall of fame, a national medal of arts, the kennedy center honors -- she has won them all. and was a major celebrity, also known for her one-time relationship with california governor and presidential candidate jerry brown. >> ♪ jeffrey: never known as a songwritererself, her strength was the ability to shape a song and make it her own. >> i will start to sing a song and i will think, like this or like this. when i actually get there and start to sing it, stuff comes up i never would have thought of. i just watch myself saying.

oh, she did that. jeffrey: not i did that? >> well, somebody working in there, in my brain, that doesn't consult me before, just does it. sometimes it's really good and sometimes it's really awful. jeffrey: but ronstadt always wanted more when it came to the music she was singing. and she regularly and bravely stepped way out of her comfort zone. she recorded three albums of american songbook standards with legendary arranger and conductor nelson riddle. >> ♪ someone to watch ♪ jeffrey: she appeared on stage and film in the gilbert & sullivan classic, the pirates of penzance. >> my ambitions were for the music. i thought, there's certain music, if i could master it, then i'd be standing on firm ground. i really felt that way about mexican music.

i wanted to sing it so badly. jeffrey: at the time, many fans weren't even aware of her mexican heritage. she says she wanted to change that. >> well, i wanted to own it. i wanted to possess it musically, because it was such, such emotional music and moved me so much to listen to it. jeffrey: she was performing the mexican songs in the 2000s when she began to feel her voice and body changing. >> it was suddenly hard to do things that had been easy to do for me before. jeffrey: in her backyard garden, we talked about those changes. you knew it was time to quit? >> yeah. you know, they say your life passes before your eyes before you die. my whole concert life flashed before my eyes when i was on stage doing that show. i knew it was the last one. i don't miss performing, but i miss singing. jeffrey: did it make you feel differently about yourself, about who you were? >> well, i'm still the same person.

i'm just diminished. talking is really hard and pulling my thoughts together. i can see them, but when i go to talk, it gets jumbled. and that's parkinsonism. but the good part is that i have a lot of help. and i have good friends. i have really good friends. >> ♪ desperado why don't you come to your senses? ♪ jeffrey: she also continues to have millions of fans. for the pbs newshour, i'm jeffrey brown in san francisco. >> ♪ you got your reasons ♪ judy not diminished at all. linda ronstadt is a portrait of courage. and that's the newshour for tonight. i'm judy woodruff. join us online and again here tomorrow evening and don't forget to tune into ricochet tonight here on pbs. for all of us at the pbs newshour, thank you, please stay

safe and we'll see you soon. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by -- >> for 25 years, consumer cellular's goal has been to provide wireless service that helps people communicate and connect. we offer a variety of plans and our customer service team can help find one that fits you. marco and with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. and friends of the newshour, including kathy and paul abner senn. the ford foundation, working with visionaries on the front lines of social change worldwide. and with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions.

♪ >> this program was made possible by the contributions -- by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions from viewers like you. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy.]

. hello everyone. welcome to "amanpour and company." here's what is coming up. in iran, people continue to demonstrate for their fundamental rights as security forces keep cracking down. former protester says this could be a turning point for the islam m republic. >> the enemy is suffering more and moreosses and there is a growing understanding. >> ukrainian troops liberate more of russia's annexed territory, zelenskyy's government declares peace talks now would be impossible. i speak to ukraine ease lead negotiator. and the world enters a new

ag