♪ judy: good evening. i'm judy woodruff. on the newshour tonight. vote 2022 -- the risks of political violence and voter intimidation loom over the electoral process as the midterms draw closer. then. after the storm -- residents on florida's gulf coast face the long, arduous process of clean-up as well as decisions on how or if they will rebuild in the wake of hurricane ian. and. under threat -- indigenous tribes in brazil confront existential challenges to their land and way of life as brazilians decide whether to re-elect incumbent president jair bolsonaro. >> when bolsonaro was campaigning on the last elections, he already said that

he would not preserve even a centimeter, not even a millimeter of indigenous land, of our territories that were already being threatened. judy: all that and more on tonight's pbs newshour. ♪ newshour has been provided by -- ♪ >> it was like an ah-ha moment, this is what i love doing. this energy that energizes me. these are people who are trying to change the world. when i volunteer with women entrepreneurs, it is the same thing. i'm helping people reach their dreams. i'm thriving by helping others every day. people who know, know bdo. >> the kendeda fund, committed

to advancing restorative justice and meaningful work through investments in transformative leaders and ideas. carnegie corporation of new york, supporting innovations and education and democratic engagement and the advancement of international peace and security, at carnegie.org. and with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you.

thank you. vanessa: i'm vanessa ruiz in for stephanie sy with newshour west. we'll return to the full program after the latest headlines. the u.s. economy is showing pockets of strength today -- though there are many signs that stl point to a broader slowdown. the commerce department reported the economy grew at a 2.6% annual rate from july through september -- after having shrunk in the first half of the year. exports accounted for much of the growth. president biden hailed the progress at an event in upstate new york. >> economic growth is up, the price of inflation is down, real incomes are up, the price of gas is down. the american people are seeing the benefits of this economy that works for them. families have more net worth today than they did before the pandemic. vanessa: but the outlook isn't all rosy. the economy is still grappling with a housing market slump and a decline in retail sales. in other economic news.

u.s. jobless claims inched a little higher last week. the labor department today reported applications for unemployment benefits rose to 217,000. that's 3000 more than the previous week. despite the increase, overall jobless claims remain historically low. breaking right now, elon musk has formally taken over twitter. the washington post reports he fired several top executives. the $44 billion deal closed late this evening. meanwhile overseas, the european central bank raised interesttion it matches a record increase last month and marks the fastest pace of rate hikes in the euro currency's history. the move mirrors similar efforts by the federal reserve to tackle soaring prices in the u.s. ukraine's national energy agency says the main network of its central region's power grid has

been damaged after intense russian strikes. that's led to a 30% reduction in power generation capacity in and around kyiv. rolling powecuts have left the capital in the dark. but residents say they understand the need to conserve energy. >> when there is war going on in the country, it is not a big deal if one has to go home early or walk in darkness and save power at home. >> if it can in any way help ukrainian defense forces, i am all for it. vanessa: meanwhile -- in moscow today, russia's president vladimir putin gave his annual speech at a conference of international policy experts. he blamed the west for russian escalations of the war in ukraine -- but claimed russia is open to dialue. >> world domination is what the so-called west bet on in its game, but that game is, without doubt, a dangerous, bloody and, i would say, filthy one. i've always believed in the power of common sense.

so, i'm convinced that the west will evehallnto urvee.y t st tar vanessa: putin also said that moscow has no intention of using nuclear weapons in ukraine. we'll have more on this later in the program. meanwhile, the u.s. is announcing a plan to send an additional $275 million in military aid to ukraine. the aid will largely go to restocking ammunition for weapons systems already in the country. a tennessee man was sentenced to more than seven years in prison for his role in the january 6th riot. albuquerque head dragged a capitol police officer into the mob and restrained him while others beat and tased him. the officer suffered a heart attack and brain injuries. it is the second-longest sentence given to a rioter so far. and the u.s. department of agriculture announced $759 million in grants and loans to help rural communities access high-speed internet.

the money will be divided up among 24 states. it's part of a larger push for high-speed connectivity from last year's infrastructure law. still to come. russia's nuclear threats and false claims about ukrainian bombs hang over the ongoing war also new scientific imaging , allows experts to determine authenticity of art, including priceless vermeers. two stroke survivors give their brief but spectacular take on living with aphasia. and much more. ♪ >> this is the pbs newshour from weta studios in washington and in the west from the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. judy: old, lingering lies about the 2020 election are posing new threats of political violence and voter intimidation in this year's midterms. joining us to discuss this is mary mccord, director of the

institute for constitutional advocacy and protection. she is also a former justice department prosecutor and has been advising local officials about how to protect their residents and the vote. mary, thank you very much for being with us. tell us what you are seeing. you have been watching this in recent months. you have watched it build. how does it have seeds in what happened in 2022? >> it is the same disinformation about election fraud that was the fuel for the fire on january 6, 2021. it is the same misinformation today. by political violence, i don't just mean physical violence. intimidation and threats and harassment. aggressive recruitment of poll watchers from groups like the proud boys and oath keepers to be a force for intimidation at

the polls and other types of antidemocratic processes being driven by the same disinformation and lies about the 2020 election. judy: you name some examples. give us some specifics on what you most worry about could happen on election day the thind about is voters being intimidated from coming. what we have seen already as efforts, people setting up cameras to videotape people as they are trying to dp their ballots in ballot boxes. we have seen some going in military kits and with arms. we have heard people questioning voters or suggesting that what they are doing by voting is illegal, particularly if they are depositing a ballot of an elderly family member or friend. contrary to what the disinformation out there, that is not a violation of federal

law and it is not a vendor -- violation of state laws. the goal is to intimidate people so they won't show up. this isn't part of this decentralized, localized effort. there are organizations that are recruiting for it nationwide, but there is no single puppetmaster, so it is harder to combat because that is coming up at the localized level. judy: you are saying it is being organized more the grassroots level. >> at your jurisdiction, at your polling place. judy: how widespread is it? do you have a handle on how many places this is happening? >> every day i get new information about new examples. some troubling instances in one county in pennsylvania where law enforcement is deploying, asking people about qualifications to vote. i'm seeing it more in swing states than others, and that makes sense.

those seeking to impact the election are focused on the swing states and that is where they are recruiting these poll watchers and people to come out to ballot drop boxes. judy: is there a pattern to whom they are targeting or what kinds of locations? >> we have seen both the targeting of voters by efforts at ballot drop boxes and outside early voting stations and sometimes these are just misleading signs suggesting that this ballot box is under surveillance or harvesting ballots is unlawful -- that is not even a term under law or unlawful where it took place. we are also seeing it against election workers. that is why you've seen a lot of them get physical security around their offices. we are worried that during the postelection period, while ballots are being tabulated, that there may be intimidation and harassment, like we saw in 2020. i don't want viewers, voters to

feel intimidated from going. by getting the word out there about this and how illegal it is -- it is not protected by the first amendment or second amendment to be armed watching polling locations -- that hopefully this will deter some of the bad actors to continue what ty are doing. judy: how our local officials pushing back? >> on monday, i spoke to the u.s. conference of mayor and police chiefs along with chuck ramsey and whawe are suggesting is be meeting right now localized. mayors, police chiefs, voting rights groups, the party representatives, election officials. and make a plan for what is best in your community. in some places, that might be law enforcement coming to the polls, but in some places, law enforcement at the polls may be even more intimidating.

i also think it is very important coming out of that with that planning for elected officials at all levels of state and local and federal government to be making strong statements that voter intimidation will not be tolerated, it is criminal, it is in violation of federal and state law, and prosecutions may occur. what we found in 2020 is that threat and risk of prosecution is something some of the groups had been planning activities on election day changed those plans. judy: so it had some effect. just quickly, what about individuals? something people should be on the lookout for? >> to the extent they are seeing efforts, whether signage or people following voters to their cars or taking pictures of license plate, report that activity to your local election officials or your district attorney, whoever you feel comfortable reporting it to. judy: really important to be following all of this right now.

thank you. >> thank you for having me. ♪ judy: when hurricane ian hit the u.s., it was nearly a category 5 storm and one of the strongest to ever make landfall in this cotry. in its aftermath, housing is an urgent problem and hundreds of thousands of households have applied for federal assistance. but there are big challenges around rebuilding and questions about the wisdom of doing so along parts of the coast. william brangham has our report from fort myers, beach florida. william: one month after hurricane ian ripped through southwest florida, communities here face wildly different realities. some streets and homes in lee county appear mostly undisturbed. others are unrecognizable.

mangled roadways, entire blocks filled with debris, homes ripped to pieces, inside and out. the terrifying hours of ian's landfall are still fresh on the minds of many -- like adela garay and her son cristian -- you jumped out of the window and in the water and you are swimming. who live in the hard-hit, low-income, mostly hispanic area of harlem heights, outside fort myers. their family initially tried to ride out the storm, but the water inside began to rise -- first toheir ankles, then their knees, then up to their waists. >> we started to swim back all the way to the park in the backyard right there. judy: you were swimming across your own yard? >> yeah. judy: they spent the night shivering in a small building in the park across the street. in the morning, when they came home, everything was ruined.

all of your belongings are gone. >> i don't have nothing. i don't have a house. i don't have a car. william: they don't have insurance either. the restaurant where her husband were for decades was destroyed by ian. the family is staying with some friends for now -- 5 to a bedroom -- and another friend is helping with home repairs, but as for what comes next -- >> i don't know. maybe -- maybe sleeping in the park. or, i don't know. william: i'm really sorry. >> i'm sorry. this is a very big problem for my house. i do't know when it's ready, my house. i don't know. william: ian destroyed thousands of homes across the state, exacerbating what advocates say was an already dire housing crisis. daniel cruz is with florida rural legal services. >> there's no affordable housing

available. and when we say affordable housing, we're not talking about just helping individuals that need subsidized housing or public housing. i'm talking about affordable housing for the typical working class individual. what would have been years back a difficult situation has become a catastrophe. william: in florida, the official death toll from hurricane ian stands at well over 100 -- the state's deadliest storm in almost a century. hundreds of people remain in shelters, and thousands are still without power. total damage estimates are in the tens of billions of dollars. on fort myers beach -- near ground zero of the storm -- the calm waters of the gulf stand in stark contrast to the apocalyptic scenes on shore. this island community of about 6000 suffered a devastating blow from ian. at least fourteen of the people who died in the storm were on fort myers beach.

even the larger, modern structures took a punch. >> the kitchen was here. william: but many smaller, older homes were pulverized. so your house stood here and here. >> right. william: and where is it now? um, i found a little bit one section of a wall in a friend's house most of the way down the block. portions of it are two blocks down, almost in the bay. i imagine some of it is actually in the water because it was a complete wash over. william: the water was this high. >> over our head by a few feet. even over your head. william: bill veach lost almost his entire 90-year-old house to ian. he and his wife have lived here for more than a decade and two years ago, he was elected to the town council. >> aot of people are very upset. they think things should be happening much faster than they are. personally being involved in it i am really amazed at how fast things are working, but i think that now is a very difficult, time for people emotionally

because this is where peoplere finally trying to come to the realization of what's next, you know, do they rebuild? do they have to move away? william: much further inland in lee county, while the destruction isn't quite as severe residents are still , struggling with an uncertain future. >> what is my next step? william: 84-year-old charles mattson lives in a north fort myers mobile home village and like lots of floridians, heâ™s -- he has made countless phone calls to his insurance company, but still has not had a adjuster visit. it looks like the whole skin of your house came off. the surface of his roof was shorn off by the wind. he spent two nights in a shelter, but is now back at home. >> right now i don't know what the costs are going to be. and that's frustrating. i would just like to get started so i could maybe contact some contractors to start getting repairs made. you know, i don't want to have a blue roof forever.

william: there is the physical loss but charles lost something , far more dear right before ian made lanall. >> about three, three or four days before the hurricane, my wife passed away. i mean, she was sick for quite a while. i basically was taking care of her for about 15 months. so, in and out of the hospital. so not a gd time. william: because of the storm, charles spent more than a week not knowing what happened to his wife's remains. >> are you doing ok? i see they got a tarp on you, finally. william: charles is visited a few times a week by cathi mcwirter, a meals on wheels volunteer for the fort myers nonprofit, community cooperative. cathi says charles is but one of many floridians whose lives were shaken, damaged or lost by the violence of this storm.

>> how's it going today? >> hanging in there. william: people who are now left trying to pick up the pieces. >> lee county's lost all these people. but all those people are lives and families and coworkers and friends. and it's sad, but we will get through this. and there's a lot of people here to help. but it's not going to be a one and done because i've never seen anything like this in my life, ever. william: judy, the official death toll sits at 108 teen lives lost, but many people believe that through what are called indirect deaths that that number will go much higher. indirect deaths are people who died subsequent to the storm, like when the power went out and the oxygen monitor went down or someone has a heart attack clearing up debris. this is been looked at after recent disasters and people believe that what number -- when the numbers truly known, the

death toll could go easily into the thousands. judy: hard to think about that. we saw that elderly man struggling with his insurance company. that has to be an enormous headache for so many homeowners. william: it is a huge problem and even though there is an army of insurance adjusters across the state, the demand is still so high that people are frustrated, likely saw from that gentleman. the bigger issue is the issue of cost. insurance rates in florida are as expensive as anywhere in the country, not just because of the storms. it is also because of fraud and abuse in the system. the issue with insurance is there is a larger, more existential question, which is how do you ensure people when you never know when the next storm is going to come? climate change is going to keep coming, sea levels are going to keep coming up. how do you equitably ensure

people and places that are this vulnerable? private insurance industry has looked at this market and said, thanks, but no thanks. that leaves the federal or state government running their own insurance programs. but those two programs are either in serious financial jeopardy were heading for a financial cliff, so it is a very thorny public policy issue here. judy: did raises another question, which is given the price hikes you have described, given the inevitability of big storms in the future, is anybody talking about not staying, about leaving florida? william: we have asked everyone we have talked to and to a person, it doesn't matter what they lost, nobody is leaving. people who love florida, love florida. that is what is keeping them around here. the bigger question is, does it make sense for the government to be encouraging people and

signaling to people that it is ok to stay here? every time these roads are clear in new power lines get strung up a new sewer systems are put in, that is the government saying this is ok to live here, rebuild. it is a question, as climate change intensifies and there is this steady parade of monster storms coming from theolf, how do you allow that process to go forward? i asked a local councilman and his argument was that better building codes is the solution. and certainly there are houses that took a direct hit and survived, businesses and houses. the problem is that to build your house up high and like a fortress costs a lot of money in the problem then is that the wealthy can afford to do that and can come here and build or stay here and build, where the poor resident of this community cannot. that kind of progress fundamentally changes a community.

many researchers who study this whole process of how we build or not filled in vulnerable areas say that this process, which is seemingly favoring wealthy people, is not a smart way to go about it. that we have to find a better way of figuring out how and where we allow people to live in vulnerable places. ian will contribute to that debate, but it will by no means be a settled issue. judy: a lot of tough decisions to be made. william brangham reporting from florida. thank you. william: thanks, judy. ♪ judy: today russia's president vladimir putin claimed he had no plans to use nuclear weapons in ukraine, despite previous threats to do so, and warnings about the possible detonation of a radiological device in ukraine. his comments came as the u.s. department of defense released a

set of major strategy documents that describe china as the united states' most comprehensive challenger, but russia, as an acute threat. nick schifrin reports. nick: in moscow today, the leader with the world's largest nuclear arsenal warned of a turning point. >> we stand at a historical frontier. ahead is probably the most dangerous, unpredictable and, at the same time, most important decade since the end of world war two. nick: president vladimir putin spoke as russia launched its annual nuclear exercises. he once again accused ukraine of planning a dirty bomb attack on its own territory, but insisted, russia posed no nuclear threat. >> we don't need a nuclear strike on ukraine -- there is no point, either military or political. >> we are certainly concerned about escalation. nick: in washington today, defense secretary lloyd austin warned russia, any nuclear attack on ukraine would trigger consequences.

>> if this happened, we ha been very clear from the very beginning that you would see a very significant response from the international community. nick: austin unveiled what he called the departmentâ™s nort -- department's northstar -- the national defense strategy, as well as the nuclear posture review, and the missile defense review. the national defense strategy calls russia an accute threat, but china the most comprehensive and serious challenge to u.s. national security. the nuclear posture review reiterates support for the multi-trillion dollar modernization of the u.s. nuclear triad -- the ability to strike from the air, land -- with intercontinental ballistic missiles -- and from sea. but it canceled a nuclear armed sea-launched cruise missile re-instituted by the trump administration. it also rejected a promise made by candidate biden. >> there is no first use doctrine that we should be pushing. nick: for years, biden has believed the u.s. should abandon

historic ambiguity and pledge not to use nuclear weapons first. but the nuclear posture review says that would have created an unacceptable level of risk in light of the range of non-nuclear capabilities being developed and fielded by competitors. the review acknowledges russia's battlefield nuclear weapons and warns russia could use these forces to try to win a war on its periphery or avoid defeat if it was in danger of losing a conventional war. joining me now is the undersecretary of defense for policy. do these russian nuclear threats that we have just gone through change how the u.s. thinks of its nuclear policy and its defense of not only the u.s., but partners and allies? >> i think actually a lot of the veiled and not so veiled threats that vladimir putin has made is

a reminder that for many of our adversaries, the salience o nuclear weapons is going up, not going down. the nuclearosture review, which we released as part of a series of nested reviews under the national defense strategy, makes clear that nuclear weapons remain an essential aspect of u.s. national security and they play a unique role in deterring the types of threats we are hearing about. nick: the review says the u.s. would only consider the use of nuclear weapons in extreme circumstances to defend the vital interests of the u.s., allies, and partners. does that mean the u.s. would consider nuclear weapons if deterrence fails and putin does launch a nuclear device of some sort in and around ukraine? >> i'm not going to go into hypotheticals about if he does this. i will say as a practical matter we have stood by ukraine and provided more than $18 billion

in security assistance to defend their sovereignty and independence and we will continue to do that. nick: before he became president, mr. biden said he believed in no first use. the posture review said it would have produced an unacceptable risk. onviwhey do younk allies to chae nuclear policy? >> the president still aspires for us to move to a place with the conditions are set where the sole purpose of nuclear weapons is solely to deter a nuclear attack as opposed to nuclear attacks in a narrow range of other strategic attacks. we are just not in that world yet. the posture review recognizes that. the president agrees with that assessment. we also have to keep in mind that our allies and partners that fall under the nuclear umbrella worry about a whole host of strategic threats and

they see the u.s. nuclear commitment as fundamental to the commitment we have made to them. they were also nervous about a move at this juncture at a time when the salience of nuclear weapons appears to be going up. they were particularly concerned about a move toward sole purpose. we consulted our allies during the process of writing the nuclear posture review and we landed where we landed. nick: you are ending the nuclear sea launched cruise missile program restarted by the trump administration. secretary austen said there was already enough capability in the u.s. nuclear inventory. it would have provided the u.s. another capacity to deter. >> the folks who emphasized the sea launched cruise missile really emphasized the need for a low yield nucleareapon so that you could have various response

options up the escalatory dder. it was the judgment of the review study that we already have sufficient low yield capabilities. keep in mind, the sea launched cruise missile would not deliver a capability until 2035 and it would cost tens of billions of dollars and we believed that the bang is not worth a buck. nick: russia is in the middle of its annual nuclear ercises. the last time they had large-scale exercises they recover for the invasion of ukraine. the secretary said there was no evidence that these were cover, but do you have the confidence that you know? >> there is nothing our intelligence community spends more time looking at than the prospect that an adversary might use nuclear weapons against the united states or our allies and partners. we watch this like a hawk every single day, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. we believe that any effort to

mask nuclear use inside a nuclear exercise is something we would pick up. we don't have any indications that the russians are planning that. we do that. -- we do not expect them to do that. it would be a grave mistake. nick: ukraine continuous, president zelenskyy said he is not in the mood for any kind of talks with vladimir putin. the foreign minister said the best discussion table is the battlefield. some 90% of ukrainians are calling for the re-seizure of crimea as well as the re-seizure of all the territory lost this year. is the u.s. preparing for this war to extend past the one-year mark and what are the implications of that? >> i think in all likelihood, this conflict will go on in one form or another. part of vladimir putin's theory of victory is that he can wait us all out.

one thing we have made clear is that we are resolved to continue supporting ukraine for the long haul. nick: do you believe the u.s. can maintain the political support you have had in the past and also have engh military material on the shelf for the long-term to support ukraine in a war that seems like it's going to go on for a long time? >> you know, i think there is considerable bipartisan support for ukraine. periodically, you hear comments in one direction or the other, but i think there is considerable report. i think the american people support the effort. i think despite high energy costs and a cold winter approaching in europe, we will keep the alliance unified. i think we can and will continue to support ukraine. nick: thank you very much. >> thanks, and. ♪

judy: this weekend, millions of brazilians will go to the polls to vote in the final round of the presidential election, which pits right-wing incumbent jair bolsonaro against former two-time president luiz inacio lula da silva. that election could have huge consequences for the amazon rainforest and the indigenous people who live there. newshour special correspondent jane ferguson traveled into the amazon for this story, produced in partnership with the pulitzer center. ♪ jane: it an indigenous version of the olympics in the amazon, complete with opening ceremony. here, every four years, 13 different indigenous communities gather as young people compete at age-old traditions -- running races, bow and arrow, swimming, tug of war. above all, these youth games are an effort to keep their cultures alive at a time when those

cultures are under fierce attack, says the local community leader, abraao atman. >> our culture is being killed -- assassinated by white culture. the games come to the rescue, so it is of utmost important because the younger generation begin to understand themselves. it serves as a kind of appreciation for our culture. jane: we were invited to witness the event and traveled to a tip of land near where the tapajos and amazon rivers nearly meet, in an indigenous community known as vila franca. communities like this are fighting to stay on their land. >> we are at war with the brazilian government. jane: auricelia arapiun has been struggling for the rights of her community for years. and never as hard, she says, as during the years since president jair bolsonaro took office in 2019. >> when bolsonaro was

campaigning on the last elections, he already said that he would not preserve even a centimeter, not even a millimeter of indigenous land, of our territories that were already being threatened. jane: territory designated for indigenous communities is meant to be protected from industries such as mining -- which is highly pollutive -- or forest clearing to grow crops like soy, and graze cattle. right wing populist president jair bolsonaro counts those agribusiness as his loyalists. to get elected, he campaigned to develop untoucheland in the amazon and he continues to do so. one of his first acts as president was taking the federal bodies in charge of indigenous rights and forest conservation and moving them from the justice ministry to the agriculture ministry. >> we don't sell our land because it is like our mother. our territory is our body and we don't sell our body, we don't sell our mother. we wouldn't sell because it is

sacred and we start suffering pressures of invasion, pressure from mining, from agribusiness, which has expanded a lot, pressure from logging companies, which ardeforesting our territories, and we have been resisting. jane: as bolsonaro faces former president luiz inacio lula da silva, known widely as lula, in a runoff for re-election, the amazon rainforest and its people have become part of a wider political battle. development versus conservation. job creation versus indigenous rights. humanities professor felipe milanez says this is all part of a political playbook with messaging by bolsonaro that stokes fears. >> so we don't have mining today, i don't have a job, the economy in brazil is broke because of international support to indigenous people. and bolsonaro appes to that, to let say the middle class. that's why you don't have job, because you don't have the economy running, because indigenous people doesn't allow us to extract the riches of the nation.

jane: in june, british journalist dom phillips and indigenous conservation activist bruno pereira were murdered in the amazon while investigating illegal fishing. president bolsonaro's response was unsympathetic. >> two people on a boat in a completely wild region is an adventure that is not recommended to do. anything can happen. it could be an accident. it could be that they were executed. jeffrey: -- jane environmentalists in brazil, : many of them indigenous, have seen an uptick in brutal murders in recent years. activists blame the government for, at best, not cracking down on the violence, and at worst, condoning it. >> there's a war against the environment and there's a war against indigenous people. it's public private partnership because the state supports the killing, or at least the brazilian state allows the killing to be made, or it's very often it's a policeman that is doing the killing as a freelance job, for example.

jane: further down the tapajos river we met up with alessandra munduruku, who continues to fight agribusinesses encroaching on her people's land. she showed us what her community is up against -- growing industrial development. on the tapajos, itaituba port is a hub for much of the soy grown up river, in areas cleared deeper in the forest. that soy passes through here enroute to such far away places as mato grosso and bahia. that's a newport there? so they are just expanding all the way down here? >> it is a governmental project. and who gets in the way a lot, who disturbs, they say, these indigenous have to move, they have to be put somewhere. they are not to be here. and there is no space for us. jane: munduruku doesn't feel safe to stay for more than a short time.

she is known here and abroad for her indigenous activism. we were just filming here outside the port and some of the men standing on the port at the industrial side started filming us filming them and started making calls so we are going to move a little further up the river. all along the river banks signs , of development as the port grows. it is a logistics hub to transport grains from areas already cleared inside the rainforest. even the mayor seems to be doing well in the current circumstances. this is his yacht. since bolsonaro came to power, development, illegal mining, and logging have boomed inside the amazon, under a culture of impunity and looking the other way. >> we saw companies trying to enter indigenous lands, we saw mining going further inside the territory, we started to see very strong fires, lan grabbing in the territory and threats.

we started seeing our river tapajos dirtier and dirtier. jane: bolsonaro has defended his policies, arguing in the past that indigenous people have a right to prosper also from the development of the amazon. >> unfortunately, some people both inside and outside brazil, supported by ngo's have , stubbornly insisted on treating and keeping our indians as if they are real cavemen. the indigenous people do not want to be poor, large landholders sitting on rich lands, especially sitting on the world's richest lands. jane: with so much money at stake, some members of the community have cooperated with developers, selling land and working within the mining and agricultural businesses. >> unfortunately, among our people, not only our people, but in other peoples in general, there is always a rotten apple. there is always someone who wants things only for themselves. some who live in the city thought they could speak for our people in general. but the children need to speak,

the women, the chiefs, the warriors. jane: earlier this month, two indigenous women won election to congress -- sonia guajajara, in sao paulo state, and celia xakriaba, in minas gerais. but bolsonaro's party won the highest number of congressional seats. their work ahead will be difficult. >> these two women, they have always been from the movement. they have always been women who listen to us. suddenly, these women are there, sitting with a lot of people who are against us. it will be a challenge for them, but we will be here to always give them strength. jane: she will need plenty of strength herself. muuruku doesn't advertise her movements, and tends to travel last minute. but there is ndenying, she is completely exposed out here. these are risks she has made peace with. >> i will continue this life, i will continue to defend my territory, my people, my children, sacred places, i will not stop now. even if they kill me.

and i am not scared, i always continue fighting and protecting. jane: you have two sons, you have children. when you picture their future, what do you see? what do you hope for? >> i always say my sons, if , today i am in this fight, if today there are these attacks, it is because i am defending what is best for you. your future is the territory, your future is the river, your future is the forest. jane: brazil's immediate political future will be decided on october 30th when millions vote for their next president. that moment in political history -- and the impact it has -- will reach deep into the amazon, along its waterways and through its forests, to the people fighting for both its future, and theirs. for the pbs newshour, i'm jane ferguson, in itaituba, brazil. ♪

judy: there's big news in the art world -- a painting thought to be by johannes vermeer i'n't a vermeer after all. the 17th century dutch master left behind few works, so take even one away and it is a big deal. also a big deal -- new technology allowing experts to see art in a different way and help make these judgments. jeffrey brown visited the national gallery of t in washington, d.c. for our arts and culture series, canvas. jeffrey: the painting is called girl with a flute. and though there have been questions about it in the past, it has long hung in washington's national gallery of art is one of the museum's four works by johannes vermeer. now, there are three, and girl with a flute is mething else. the curator. >> there are so many headlines. vermeer is not a vermeer.

it's a fake. it's not fake. jeffrey: what is it if it's not a vermeer now, is it diminished? is it a lesser painting? >> no. i think we are closer to vermeer than ever when we look at this. jeffrey: there are just around 35 paintings in the world definitively credited to vermeer, an extraordinarily small number for such a renowned artist. he was the focus of a major forgery scandal in the 1940's. the exhibition shows two paintings that once hung in the gallery as authentic vermeers. pulling a large group of the real ones together, as the national gallery did in a 1995 exhibition, is a big event in the art world. one that drew throngs. what makes a vermeer, a vermeer? libby points to the painting, woman holding a balance. >> it's just this extraordinary sense of stillness and tranquility. and when you look at a painting like this, this hidden light source, you know that you know that the sun is coming in through this window.

but he hides it, but then allows this light to fall so gently on her face. jeffrey: now, the exhibition, vermeer's secrets, offers a different kind of portrait o the artist, below the surface, at the underpainting -- sometimes multiple layers of sketches, brushstrokes and, of course, the paint itself. and shows how ever-more refined cameras -- like those that do remote sensing of the earth and space -- can peer underneath without damaging the paintings, and find hidden images. how the angle of a pen was subtly shifted to impact the overall effect or the head of an unknown man. studying the images and chemical components allow scientists to create a kind of map that offers clues to how an artist worked. >> we are trying to look at a fingerprint that's related to the material. and then in those maps you can actually see the paint strokes. jeffrey: john delaney, the museum's senior imaging scientist, came to this work in 2007, from the aerospace

industry. now he builds scientific cameras to look at art. >> we are in position, so we can initiate the scan. jeffrey: in the museum's lab he and colleague kathryn dooley demonstrated on a painting by another rather well-known dutch artist, rembrandt. a scan captured the work beneath the face we see on the canvas. >> already, we can see there is this modeling in the buildup of the face, especially in the shadow area, the lit side of his face, of course, is bright, but over here we see shadowing coming up. but a lot of these are not actually at the surface level. jeffrey: side by side images show the handling of paint and materials. that is what we see with vermeer in the exhibition. >> it's a different way of looking at a painting very clearly. it's much more abstract. jeffrey: you turned vermeer into an abstract painter? >> in a way, i suppose.

some people say our images we make are very abstract, but you see the texture of the paint and that is the process. jeffrey: one of the key things the curators wanted to know is how girl with a flute compared to the other paintings. it is these differences that emerge from these digital maps and images that led to the determination that it's by a different surface -- artist. >> the layering is right. it is the handling on the surface. >> the thing about this work is it is interpretive. jeffrey: alexandra libby and her colleagues feel confident that girl with a flute is not by vermeer, but it is close, perhaps by someone who learned some of the master's techniques, but not all. previously, vermeer was thought to work alone, but these findings could change that. you are thinking about who could have done this? >> yes. would that i knew. what i hope is that museums will look anew at the follower of or

imitator of, especially ones that they know our period, our 17th century, because maybe there are more and then we can start to understand how maybe vermeer was teaching or who this artist may have been. there are more out there, i know it. jeffrey: you do? >> i feel it. i feel it. [laughter] jeffrey: and imaging expert john delaney says the science is still evolving, and more museums are using it. >> wait five more years and people will know a lot more about these artists. i think we are in a pretty, pretty exciting time period by pulling this all together. jeffrey: vermeer's secrets is on exhibition through 8. januaryfor the pbs newshour, i'm jeffrey brown at the national gallery of art. judy: when is a vermeer a vermeer? it is a big question. earlier today in the hague, in the netherlands, climate activists targeted vermeer's masterpiece girl with a pearly rain with glue and liquid, the

latest in a series of recent attacks. this video posted online showed one man pouring a can of red substance over another protester who appeared to attempt to glue his head to the glass-protected painting. officials say the painting was not damaged. ♪ judy: after having lifechanging strokes, kate kennedy and allen oliver found themselves diagnosed with aphasia -- a disorder marked by a patient's inability to communicate clearly. they have had to relearn how to write, read, and speak, all alongside other aphasia patients at boston university's aphasia resource center. here, they share their brief but spectacular take on how language is your life. >> the thing about having a stroke is like, i thought that i was strong.

>> strong. >> i was fit. and then all of a sudden, like in a blink of an eye, a stroke. >> just like that. >> just like that. and you can't go back. ♪ >> when i was their stroke, it was, i was 30. i'm a mom. i was full time working, because my career with specialty with strokes. i said myself, like, what do you mean? like i helped people, but now i am a patient. >> i woke up with a splitting headache, and so we went to the hospital, and they said yeah. you just had a stroke. you are thinking like, i had a stroke, so what does that mean? all of a sudden i couldn't find the words. and they were, i know there were

words somewhere in the ether somewhere. >> i was like a baby to a language to say, yes, no, what is your name? >> aphasia is the ability of not to able to communicate well. >> aphasia is very frustrating, because your language, it's gone. you know what it is. in your brain. but putting out. it is slow. >> yes. what happens with bu, all these people who have aphasia became a community. >> it's kind of free. >> yes. >> because you guys i'm like, it's ok. it's gonna mess up or really bad or whatever it is, doesn't matter. >> we are a group of people that

we know to turn to. >> exactly. i want to tell everybody what is aphasia. and iâ™m just me. i -- and i'm just me. i have two kids. they know why, my words not perfect, but i, i understand. and they understand me. >> i can't go back to be who i am, but i'm here. i'm alive. >> my name is kate kennedy. >> my name is allen oliver. >> and this is our. >> brief but. >> spectacular. >> takon how. >> language is your life. judy: thank you so much for sharing all of that with us. you can watch more brief but spectacular videos online at pbs.org/newshour/brief. and that's the newshour for tonight. i'm judy woodruff. join us online and again here tomorrow evening. for all of us at the pbs

newshour, thank you, please stay safe and we'll see you soon. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by -- >> for 25 years, consumer cellular has been offering no contract wireless plans to help people do more of what they like. our u.s.-based customer service team can help find a plan that fits you. visit consumercellular.tv. >> the ford foundation, working with visionaries on the frontlines lines of social change worldwide. and with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. and friends of the newshour, including leonard and norma clore fine. and with the ongoing support of these institutions.

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