♪ amna: good evening. i'm amna nawaz. geoff bennett is on assignment. on the "newshour" tonight. republicans rally around former president donald trump after his indictment over hush money payments during the 2016 campaign. the head of the international atomic energy agency visits a nuclear power plant on the front lines of russia's war in ukraine. >> my goal is to protect the plant and prevent a nuclear accident with catastrophic consequences which at this moment is entirely possible. amna: and david brooks and karen tumulty weigh in on trump's legal battles and how they could affect political divides in the united states. ♪

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♪ >> and with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. and friends of the "newshour." ♪ this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and bike contributions to your pbs from viewers like you. thank you. amna: welcome to the "newshour." we are starting tonight with two major stories. first, a tornado has plowed into little rock, arkansas, and nearby towns with reports of , heavy damage and many people injured. amateur video captured the huge funnel cloud on the horizon, and driving, straight-line winds whipped trees and sent sheets of rain into the city.

the storm flipped cars, tore away rooftops and knocked out power to thousands. emergency crews rushed out to search for victims and perform rescue operations. it was all part of a massive storm front that affected at least 15 states from the great lakes to the deep south. joining us now by phone is the operations chief for the storm prediction center in norman, oklahoma. welcome and thank you for joining us. what could you tell us about the strength and the scale of the storm that just hit little rock? bill: based on the information we have is a tornado touched down across portions of the little rock metro. overturned vehicles, widespread power outages. we will have more details as the evening progresses. it extends from eastern iowa into eastern texas.

amna: we know some 28 million people are under tornado watches this afternoon. where is it heading next and what should they be bracing for? bill: storms are moving toward the mississippi river valley area. at the moment, a tornado emergency is in effect northwest of memphis. reports of baseball size hail, destructive straht-line winds. the continued threat of tornadoes moving east overnight, as far east as columbus, ohio to nashville and even northwest of alabama. early start. amna: for the places that have already been h, is the worst behind them? bill: in the areas hardest hit, likely, yes. there are a few storms to the west that could hamper recovery operations.

the most significant threat in the little rock area has shifted east. there could be some hail over the next few hours. amna: that is the operations chief for the storm prediction center in norman, oklahoma. thank you for joining us. bill: thank you. amna: our other lead story tonight, the historic indictment of donald trump. that news has set off a frenzy 24 hours of reaction from some of the president's closest allies and gop rivals. a few days before his arraignment, geoff bennett has the latest from new york. geoff: new york city on alert for potential unrest following the indictment of donald trump the first former president to be , charged with a crime. mr. trump previously warned of potential death and destruction if charges were brought. the indictment reportedly includes more than 30 counts stemming from hush-money payments allegedly paid to stormy daniels during the 2016 campaign.

while the specific charges mr trump faces are still sealed, political balash was fast and fierce. mr. trump slamming manhattan district attorney alvin bragg as a disgrace and dismissing the case as another witchhunt. >> he is ready to fight. geoff: his attorney says the former president was shocked by the news of the indictment despite mr. trump saying on social media earlier this month he expected to be arrested in connection to the investigation. >> i have never been more angry about a charge because today the rule of law the united states of america died. geoff: former president trump's supporters quickly flocked to his florida home. >> if we don't stand up for what's right, then we're no better than venezuela. geoff: and many of his potential 2024 rivals rushed to his defense. >> the american people will see this for what it is. geoff: former vice president mike pence, who has been critical of mr. trump's role in the january 6 insurrection said

, these charges go too far. >> i think the unprecedented indictment of a former president of the united states for a campaign finance issue is an outrage. and i think it's it's clear to the overwhelming majority of the american peoplthat this is nothing short of a of a political prosecution. geoff: florida governor ron desantis called the indictment on american, and former arkansas governor asa hutchinson - who previously said trump should drop out of the 2024 race if he was indicted, called the news a dark day for america, adding that while mr. trump is presumed innocent, the grand jury found credible facts to support the charges. for his part, donald trump spent last night on the phone, shoring up support among republican allies in congress. >> this is legal voodoo. this is a misdemeanor that has been made a felony. nobody in the history of new york city has ever been prosecuted under this theory except for donald j. trump. geoff: house speaker kevin mccarthy accused the manhattan da of weaponizing our sacred

system of justice and said house republicans would investigate bragg's actions. as for reaction from the white house. pres. biden: i have no comment on that. geoff: president biden choosing not to weigh in as he spoke to reporters this morning. the current president opting to stay out of an active criminal matter, while focusing on his own agenda. >> i decided that my lalty he can no longer be to a man who does not deserve it. geoff: but the key witness michael cohen, who spent hours , testifying to the grand jury in recent weeks and previously pleaded guilty to federal charges connected to the hush money payments, said mr. trump is finally being held accountable. >> he is seething right now. he is beyond angry. he does not understand accountability, and right now alvin bragg has finally put that into his lap. geoff: donald trump is expected to be in court for the first time tuesday afternoon. when donald trump is arrainged on the 15th floor of the courthouse behind me, he'll have to enter a plea on the charges. it's not clear whether he'll be handcuffed during that appearance, but we know he will

be photographed, fingerprinted and processed for a felony arrest his legal team is expected to vigorously fight these charges, but a timeline for a potential trial remains unclear. meanwhile, we haven't seen any demonstrators or protesters today, but given concerns about the potential for violence on the scale of what happened during the january 6 insurrection, the nypd and its law enforcement partners at all levels of government say they to prepare accordingly. amna: geoff bennett in new york. thank you. following all of this is our white house correspondent. what are you hearing from people you are talking to about the initial implications of trump's bid and the rest of the 2024 gop presidential field? laura: this indictment is not legally disqualify the former president from running. i spoke to gop strategists who

told me that in the short term this helps trump because it requires all of his rivals to have to respond to him, talk about him, define themselves within association of him. whether or not that extends to the nomination is a big question. there is a lot of time left. amna: we have heard reportedly mr. trump and his allies calling out what they said were witchhunts. when you talk to extremism experts, much did they tell you about the implications of that kind of language? laura: the language you mentioned on weaponization has been used by trump and house gop leaders like kevin mccarthy and steve scalise and a number of other republicans. they have used words like persecution and witchhunt. i spoke with a historian at new york university and she diagnosed the victimization language. >> this is a talking of point authoritarians to try and get the public to see the forces

against them as discredited partisan hacks and thus retain the reputation for being the ones who are going to drain the swamp, which was mussolini's slogan, initially, clean the nation, and they are the ones who stand for patriotism, and these others are just targeting them because they don't want the nation to succeed. laura: so you heard ruth say those are hallmarks of the authoritarian movement. traits are attacking the press, judges, prosecutors. amna: what about the prospects of polical violence? we have heard mr. trump calling for protests. new york officials are ramping up security. mr. trump has promised death and destruction if there was an indictment. what should we look for? laura: on the security that new york pd is ramping up, marjorie taylor greene said she is

heading to new york on tuesday for the arraignment. she tweeted that today, saying she will be going there and calling for protests. also calling it a witchhunt in her tweet. that also comes as fox's tucker carlsen on -- carlson on air is saying is not a good time to get another ar-15s. it also comes at a time when trump and his allies are using dog whistle attacks, anti-semitic attacks when the attack da alvin bragg by saying he is backed by george soros, who is jewish. i spoke to a researcher that tracks extremism. he told me the violent rhetoric right now on those platforms is luke compared to january 6 but they arkansas -- luke warm compared to january 6.

there was an attack on the fbi after the mar-a-lago raid so they are tracking them and concerned about potential violence. amna: we are all hoping it does not come to that. and diving now into the legal and political fallout. i'm joined by former federal prosecutor elie honig and pro publica reporter andrea bernstein, who has long covered the former president. welcome to both of you and thank you for joining us. we have to point out there is a lot we don't know but let's start with what we do know. as geoff bennett reported, mr. trump is expecd to be arraigned on tuesday. walk us through what happens and when should we expect more details. elie: for all of the hoopla and the circus-like atmosphere that will envelop the courthouse, this will be a fairly routine proceeding. donald trump will be let into the building under tight lock and key -- not handcuffed to be clear -- he will be fingerprinted, he will be most

shotted. then he will come out for a court appearance. at that point, the indictment will become unsealed and become available to the general public and media. donald trump will be advised of the charges and enter a not guilty plea. the judge will release donal trump on bail, called released on his own recognizance. that means he is free to go and has to come back to the next court appearance. we will be into our courts. amna: defense attorney for mr. trump said mr. trump was shocked by the indictment and said he is ready to fight. what does that say to you? andrea: trump's lawyers have been attacking a potential indictment for weeks. they have said the case is weak, unprecedented. it is hard to tell because we have not seen an indictment or any charges. we have no indication of the

evidence the da has put forward in the case. all of that is yet to be learned. we will begin learning on tuesy, when the indictment is unsealed. it will take many months of the trial proceedings and the trial itself to really understand the full dimensions of this case. amna: as geoff reported, we heard some language for mr. trump and his supporters in the past. the idea of political violence is not a hypothetical. we have seen what happens when some of his supporters have followed his instructions in the past. can he be prevented from inciting violence? elie: there is an extremer a judge can have a gag order, an official court order prohibiting a participant from speaking. that is a very high bar, legally. any participant in the justice system has the right to criticize a judge or prosecutor. however, i believe there are lines that have already been

crossed in the way donald trump has launched attacks, including racist attacks and not so sudley calling f violent resistance. i think we could get to a point fairly quickly with a prosecutor needs to go to the judge and say it is an extreme measure but we need a gag order in this case. amna: andrea, you have been following this case very closely. we don't know the details of the indictment yet but knowing it is related to the hush money payments involving an alleged affair, what could potential charges look like in this case? andrea: the discussion has centered around falsification of business records, which in new york can bean e felony with jail time up toour years. that is infrequently applied in these white-collar cases but a felony in new york is a serious charge. the allegation and what the da has been looking at, we know from michael cohen that he paid

money to stormy daniels. the prosecution in that case released information that the hush money payment was reimbursed by donald trump and trump's company referred to it as legal retainer, which it was not. what is being investigated is trump's alleged role in all of this and the fact there is indictment the da believes there is sufficient evidence that mr. trump orchestrated the scheme of calling something a legal retainer that was actually, as michael cohen described it, was a last-ditch effort to save mr. trump's 2016 election bid. this all came out after the access hollywood tape. just within weeks of that. that is the question we will be seeing laid out in these legal procedures. what did mr. trump do to keep this testimony from coming

forward and what kind of arrangements did he make? all of that remains a question. before any of that happens, we certainly expect mr. trump's team to try to get the appeals courts in new york to throw out the indictment. there will certainly be legal maneuvering in this case, starting very quickly, i would imagine. amna: a lot to cover, a lot we do not know but we think you both for joining us. that is elie honig and andrea bernstein. thank you to you both. andrea: thank you. ♪ amna: in the day's other headlines. president biden spent much of the afternoon in a mississippi delta town leveled by a tornado last friday. at least 13 people died in rolling fork, and hundreds of homes and businesses were destroyed or damaged. the president and the first lady met today with residents and first responders.

. biden promised that federal teams won't leave until the area can recover. pres. biden: this community is going to be rebuilt and built back better than it was before. the resilience of this community has been remarkable. i just want you to know, as you fight through this, you are not alone. amna: the president has approved a disaster declaration for the stricken area. it authorizes funds for housing. the u.s. justice department filed suit today against norfolk southern railroad over a february train derailment in east palesteen, ohio. the suit seeks fines for water pollution, and a judgment that the company pays all costs. the derailment left rail cars strewn about and on fire. chemicals and firefighting foam spilled into nearby creeks and rivers. the city of minneapolis has agreed to restructure its policing nearly three years after an officer killed george floyd. the legally binding pact limits

the use of force, chemical sprays and tasers, among other things. a state investigation d found long-standing racial bias among the city's police, but the mayor said today, he hopes that begins to change. >> so i think it's clear that the murder of george floyd was the final straw that led to this investigation, but this investagation, as has been stated repeatedly, is about a patterned practice over more than a decade. and that's why this work of embedding that culture change is so essential. amna: the minneapolis police department remains under a separate federal investigation. pope francis is now expected to be discharged tomorrow from the rome hospital where he's been treated for bronchitis. the vatican said today that the pontiff will also be in st. peter's square for palm sunday mass. francis is 86 years old. he was hospitalized on wednesday

with breathing problems. in ukraine today marked one year , since the liberation of bucha the town near kyiv where , hundreds of bodies and mass graves were found. today, president volodymyr zelenskyy honored those killed during bucha's month-long occupation. and, with other european leaders joining him, he called out moscow. >> on the streets of bucha, the world has seen russian people. the people unmasked. -- russi evil. the evil unmask. for more than 400 days, ukrainian people completely cused on resisting a genocidal full-scale aggression of russia. ukraine is being helped by our friends and they are here today, and we are grateful. amna: also today, the president of neighboring belarus, alexander lukashenko, said his country may host lg-range russian nuclear weapons, carried on missiles. china sent nine warplanes across the median line in the taiwan strait today as taiwanese president tsai ing-wen was in new york.

officials in taipei said the chinese conducted patrols along the line, which serves as a maritime border between the island and the mainland. beijing has warned tsai not to meet with kevin mccarthy, the u.s. house speaker, when she stops in los angeles next week. the latest look at social security and medicare concludes ey will run short of funds within 10 years. program trustees projected today that social security won't be able to cover full benefits by 2033. that's one year sooner than the last estimate. medicare will run short of cash to pay for hospital visits and nursing homes by 2031. that's actually three years later than the previous estimate. and, on wall street, stocks rallied again to close out a big month. the dow jones industrial average gained 415 points to close at 33,274. the nasdaq rose 208 points. the s&p 500 was up 58. for all of march, the dow gained 2%, the nasdaq jumped more than

6.5 percent, and the s&p 500 added 3.5%. still to come on the "newshour." david brooks and karen tumulty weigh in on the indictment of donald trump. annie lennox discusses her long career in music and her activism. south carolina remains the heavy favorite ahead of the women's final four. plus much more. ♪ >> this is the pbs "newshour." from washington and in the west from the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. amna: the nuclear power plant remains caught on the front line of the war in ukraine. the director general of the u.n.'s nuclear agency visited the plant to assess instability and the damage caused by russia's occupation. why he is no longer calling for a denuclearize zone around the

plant and how conditions could become dangerous. >> across the front line, escorted by russian military police, the world's top nuclear watchdog arrived at a nuclear plant to try to prevent disaster. the russians occupying this nuclear power plant gave the director general a tour and a statement aired by russian tv, he thanked them. >> i think it is important that we can continue dialogue. >> earlier this month, he was alarmed. >> this cannot go on. i am astonished by the complacency -- yes, the complacency. what are we doing to prevent this from happening? >> this is the threat of meltdown. russian forces seized this power more than a year ago. ever since, it has been in the crossfire. buildings have been damaged.

electricity lines the keep the nuclear reactors cool have been cut six times, forcing the use of emergency generators. today, there is only one remaining power line. after beating him earlier this week, ukrainian president whatever zelenskyy called it -- folder zelenskyy >> holding it hostage for more than a year is the worst thing that could happen in the history of the european and global energy sector. >> the possibility, the probability of an accident or action that could impact the plant has increased. >> i spoke to him yesterday as he left ukraine on a train. >> both sides, there is a much larger number of troops and heavy military equipment with detonations and explosions there the facility.

at this point in time, anything is possible. attack from outside, sabotage from inside. >> what can be done if, for example, russia were to leave the plant quickly during a ukrainian counteroffensive or if you russia was to use the plant for leverage? >> this goes to the heart of what i'm trying to do. initially, we were working toward the establishment of some sort of zone to protect the plant with this increased level of combat and military activity, you will not find any military commander or officer that will tell you i'm not going there. what i'm focusing on other things that should not be done. for example, do not shoot at the plant. another very important commitment, do not use the plant as a military base.

i want everyone to agree with me. agreeing with each other at this point is impossible. >> aren't the russians already using the plant as a military base? >> i am talking to them and i am sure if we get to some form of agreement between them and me, and with ukraine and myself, we are going to be able to avoid this. >> the russians have troops inside the plant. is that correct? >> there are security forces. if we get to an agreement, this will also be addressed. i'm trying to be very prudent because i do not want to put anyone in difficulty or point fingers. my hope is to protect the plant. that is my goal. to prevent a nuclear accident with catastrophic radiological consequences, which at this moment is entirely possible. >> ukrainian officials a disappheedoi t --

preventing russians from abusing ukrainian workers. >> have the russians killed anyone at the plant? have >> >> they tortured anyone? last september, we spoke to one of the 4600 ukrainian workers to continue to operate the plant, down from 11,000. he agreed to speako us if we kept him anonymous. >> yes, there is official information about injured employees. some served in the armed forces. some of them demonstrated pro ukrainian position. this was enough for the russians to trap those people in the basement and torture them over several weeks. >> one of the pillars of nuclear safety is the staff should be able to work without pressure, without unnecessary stress. >> are they able to work today without pressure or stress? >> know, there is a lot of pressure. even without them being subject

to a specific active pressure, the whole situation is not sustainable. >> director general of the ieae. >> thank you very much. ♪ amna: to delve implications of former president trump'a indictment, we turn to the analysis of david brooks and karen tumulty. welcome to you both. david: good to see you. amna: let's begin with the biggest story. mr. trump has been indicted. republican allies have been continuing his lines of attacking the prosecution and the prosecutor, using some anti-semitic dog whistles and racist undertones. they could say innocent until proven guilty.

we believe in the justice system but they are not saying that. why not? david: first, it is a grave moment and they are not being struck by the gravity of the moment of a former president being indicted. there was a piece of persuasion on an online site, looking at trump's rhetoric over the last seven years. when he came down the escalator, even the speech, it was mostly economic. it ramps up and it changes and it changes and then july of 2020, mount rushmore, and then it is getting apocalyptic. and now it is up to the final battle. that is the rhetoric being used. that has taken the populism and ratcheted up to militaristic levels. right now, it is helping him.

as the indictments have been talked about, his poll numbers are surging. every other political candidate cannot attack them now they have to rally around him. you get this sense of risi tide. karen: you are right about the rhetoric. he has always had over-the-top rhetoric. but when he ran in 2016, he was a miracle worker. i alone can fix it. now he says i am your retribution. the language is biblical. it appeals not just to his evangelical base, but to qanon conspiracy theorists. we are now at an absolutely different level. amna: democrats' reaction so far, president biden was asked about this and stayed away. he said no comment.

is that the right approach? karen: absolutely. if they are going to make the argument that the process should be allowed to work, they have to stay away from the process as much as they can. not the same as is happening with a lot of their talking heads on television. i think democratic elected officials need to stay clear of this. amna: david, it is an unprecedented moment. if you are a republican weighing a 2024 bid and there is all this uncertainty, what you do? david: take a second look. his numbers did not look dominating three or four months ago and they do look dominating right now. you have to think, that is a steep hill to climb. i have to say, i am one of these

people who wish the georgia case had gone first. amna: why is that? david: trying to steal an election is a crime i can understand. or trying to incite an insurrection. falsifying business records? it looks a lot more complicated and a lot less sure. we will see with the indictment holds. i will not prejudge that. the most similar case i am aware of is the john edwards case. that was a while ago. they could not get. a conviction. is not the same but a little similar. it makes it so much easier for people to say it is a political witchhunt. it is not a clear crime that we have visual evidence of. amna: we know most republicans, even before is indictment, most republicans said they wanted him to be president again. does this make him stronger? does it make it tougher for president biden's reelection

campaign? karen: in the short-term, this will help donald trump, primarily because the republican base is going to rally around him. but beyond that, nobody can predict. if this case does fall apart in court, that helps trump enormously. the fact is, for people to hear ov and over again about hush money to a porn star, in the long run is pretty corrosive. amna: i went back and read president ford's remarks when he delivered the pardon for president nixon. the country had been through controversy and a divisive debate. he said in a trial, ugly passions would again be aroused in our people would be polarized and the credibility of our free institutions of government would again be challenged at home and abroad.

david, is the same true today? david: gerald ford made the right call. i am glad richard nixon did not stand trial. do i think therefore we should not put donald trump on trial? i don't think that. i do a lot of reading of political biographies, especially from the 1970's. it was as great of a period but the political establishment was in way better shape than their is now. . there were people who could say you have to resign to nixon. karen: there we republicans who could go to nixon and said you have to resign. amna: what do you make of this moment, given the historical context and with the nation has been through? karen: the polarization in the country is entirely deeper and more corrosive than it was then. ford does this to ward off and

indictment. history has been kind to him. but the electorate in 1976, the country was not with gerald ford. amna: i want to ask you and the few minutes we have left about another big story that involves a fellow journalist overseas. russia arresting a wall street journal reporter, accusing him of spying for the united states. it is the first time it has happened since 1986. we are thinking about our friends and colleagues at the wall street journal and his family. at this moment, is this a clear escalation from russia? david: for sure. we have all covered from a foreign land sometime, not nice countries. it is an attempt to crackdown on press coverage of russia. second, it might be hostagetaking for more trades. it is what happens as putin gets

more and more extreme and isolated karen: it also speaks to the way he is treating dissidents and critics in the country. it is appalling because there is absolutely no evidence of espionage. i think you made a calculation that the whole brittney griner, the basketball player situation really worked out in their favor. they released her and they got a really bad guy back. i don't know how the biden administration handles this. i think all of us need to keep attention on this and need to continue to demand as loud as we can that he be released. there is no evidence of espionage. amna: knowing now this is a tactic, do you think american journalists should remain in russia? karen: that is such a tough call.

i certainly do not want to see my colleagues endangered. as important as it is to get the truth out. amna: impossible call. david: if i was in bureauhief in moscow, i think would be an individual by individual case. it is like going into a war zone at this point. it is a big story in moscow. it is a gigantic story. we would not be able to cover it. it is dangerous. amna: we are thinking of evan and his family. david brooks, karen tumulty, thank you to both of you. david: thank you. ♪ amna: tonight, pbs wil broadcast the ceremony for the prize for popular song awarded disher to joni mitchell. mitchell has used a wheelchair since she suffered a brain aneurysm in 2015, surprised the

crowd and took to the stage to sing. ♪ don't cry ♪ amna: right before that show, i talked to another musical legend, annie lennox, as she prepares to honor mitchell. ♪ ♪ sweet dreams are made of these ♪ ♪ who am i to disagree? ♪ amna: annie lennox first thing these lyrics with a debut single released in the early 1980's. a scottish-british pop duo. ♪ some of them want to get used by you ♪ amna: that song was announced just recently has been streamed over one billion times on spotify. annie: i have not been here

before today. amna: i met up with linda and asked about the staying power of her music. people covering sweet dreams. a fantastic cover. ♪ what is that like for you to see? annie: it is wonderful. one song can have so many different interpretations. it is almost like happy birthday. do you know what i mean? ♪ amna: her almost five decade career has taken lennox far from her working-class roots in scotland. through intense years of touring, success at every industry level and more recently dedicating herself to humanitarian causes, she insists she has remained the same annie, the girl who once heard a joni

mitchell album that changed her life. you said you did not think you would be a singer or songwriter or performer had it not been for joni mitchell. annie: she had a huge impact on me. i was very young. i came down to london to study classical music. i played piano. i went to the academy of music. i do from the very first day i steppedn the building that it was right for me. i shared this basement apartment and i did not have anything. with their money, they were very proud of the lp's that they bought. he came in with a joni mitchell album. it was something else. what i identified with was this extraordinary lyrical aspect. this poetic aspect of visual

painting of sound and word. it made everything come together. amna: she showed you it was possible. annie: that was life-changing. that encounter with her music changed my life. amna: is there one song or one lyric or anything that really sits with you? annie: love came to my door. i thought for sure i would see him walking up the river in the dark. looking for a woman to call. who writes this? who writes this? amna: last year, lennox got the recognition her fans in the music industry said she deserved. she was inducted into the rock 'n' roll hall of fame and reunited for a rare performance with dave stewart. is that something you ever

dreamed of happening? annie: when you are someone in the public eyse as a performer, people love you or they hate you or they feel indifferent. you cannot think too much about what other people feel. you are getting an incredible award. it is meaningful but it is not. ♪ amna: the lennox-stewart partnership began with the tourists. then they became the arithmetic's until 1990. they churned out seven albums in just eight years, sold over 75 million records worldwide and got awards including a grammy in 1987. annie: it was exhausting. i think it came from the hunger to have the ability to make music. ♪ annie: we were really, really

obsessed with music. we were totally focused on that. these were the days leading up to when i actually had the privilege of having children. as a woman, that changes everything. it is very different if you are a man and have children and you are a musician. amna: how did you manage that? annie: i had help. i had very wonderful people helping me. that was great because i asked my kids over and over, did you feel damaged? amna: you asked him that? annie: yes. i asked them if it was damaging and they said it was fun. ♪ amna: lennox went solo in 1992, producing hit after hit. walking on broken glass.

why? precious. across six studio albums. she was named best british female artist a record six times with a singular sound and a style all of her own. powerful and explicitly androgynous. were you intentional about that? annie: that is interesting. that is an interesting question. if you are a creative person, you are looking outside the box. it is partly decision but it is also something intuitive. it just happens to be who you are. i am comfortable in the clothes i choose to wear. if i'm not comfortable, i'm not comfortable. amna: very few people reached a level of voice and platform you have and fewer people still use it to deliver other messages. you founded an entire global ngo

called the circle specifically to promote female empowerment around the world. why is that important for you? annie: i was really very fortunate because through comic relief, this organization, i have the opportunity to make little film pieces on their behalf. projects in africa at that time. i saw an aspect of the world that people do not get to see. i saw the disparity for women and girls. young girls not getting education. young girls becoming pregnant who had been raped or abused. amna: part of her mission was to use her voice to change that for the next generation of women and girls. >> this one is for 1986. amna: during her visit to the library of congress in

washington, lennox was presented with papers to copyright her song, "when tomorrow comes," one of many hits from her musical journey. ♪ amna: and with joni mitchell looking on, pay tribute to the woman who showed her this path was possible. ♪ amna: and you can watch joni

mitchell, the library of congress prize for popular song at 9:00 p.m. eastern tonight and the pbs.org website and the pbs app. check your local listings. ♪ amna: tonight, the final four games of the ncaa women's basketball tournament get underway in dallas. arguably, there is even more excitement and anticipation around these ges and the man's final four. jeffrey brown looks at why that is. >> there may not be a more anticipated matchup than tonight's big game between the iowa hawkeyes and defending champion south carolina gamecocks. south carolina is undefeated and coached by dawn staley. that game features the current

national player of the year, i will guard cailin clark. the other match pits lsu against virginia tech. ratings for the women's tournament are way up, 73% higher than last year and the sweet sixteen. an iowa game last weekend had higher ratings than any nba game this season. we are joined to talk about the games, the players in this moment. welcome back. let's talk about the rquee matchup and marquee stars in that matchup. >> don't think we have ever seen a more anticipated women's basketball game ever. it is that big of a deal. it is iowa with caitlin clark, a magician on the court with her threes from the logo and hitting every shot and winning games in

the last second. an iowa team that has been together for a long time against the formidable south carolina gamecocks. dawn staley is the coach. a three-time gold medalist herself. one of the greatest coaches ever in the college game. they have not lost in over a year. she has boston and a great supporting cast but just waves and waves of players she can bring in. that will be tough for iowa because there are so many great stars on the south carolina bench. if anyone can pull it off, it would be iowa. it will have to be one of caitlin clark's finest hours against a team that is very deserving, south carolina. >> the other game gets less attention but one storyline, virginia tech, their first time in the final four and there are

plenty of stars in that game, too. >> the coaches, as well. kenny brooks is only the third black male to be coaching in the women's final four. kim mulkey for lsu, she is only in her second year at lsu after winning three national titles with baylor. overshadowed only because of the brilliance of iowa and south carolina. >> what about this moment for the women's game? >> this reminds me of the 1999 women's world cup in soccer in the rose bowl. i was covering that. the whole week leading up to that, it was brandi chastain with a penalty kick, ripping off her shirt, on the cover of the magazine.

that was in 1999. here we are, nine months after the anniversary of title ix and we are saying the same kind of thing. it is not just about girls and moms cheering for this team, it is about men, male sportswriters i have known forever that are tweeting about this, talking about it and writing about it in a way i never would have imagined. when you get those sexist guys sing the best game of the men's and women's final four is actually this game, the women's, i did not think i would ever hear those words. this is the ticket that any tont iowa-south carolina game. >> we talked about this earlier in the week on the men's side, the nil rule that allows compensation for student athletes. the impact it is having on the men's side but it is clearly now

having an impact on the women athletes, as well. >> for sure. we are seeing it throughout the olympic sports. gymnastics. basketball, for example, caitlin clark will. have a decision to make. will she want to go to the wnba for iowa. my guess is she will stay in iowa because the money she can make for those companies in iowa , where she is the queen of the world. she can stay in college and make those hundreds of thousands of dollars. we saw miami players, we see it over and over again with these athletes on the women's side making hundreds of thousands of dollars, just like the men, deservedly so, because they are truly the stars of their sport. > a lot of us are looking forward to this. thank you very much. >> thank you. amna: there will be some great games. remember, there is much more online, including our conversation with drag

performers with how a ban on their public performances in tennessee will impact them. tune into washington week later, right here on pbs for more analysis of the indictment of former president trump. and watch pbsews weekend tomorrow for a look at the fda's decision to allow over-the-counter sales of narcan to counter opioid overdoses. that is the "newshour" tonight. i am amna nawaz. thank you for joining us. >> major funding for the pbs "newshour" has been provided by. ♪

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announcer: this program was made possible by the john s. and james l. knight foundation, the andrew w. mellon foundation, and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. i play hermes, messenger to the gods, in the tony award-winning for best musical broadway show "hadestown." ♪ i am the guy who won his first tony at age 73. i was not surprised that it took 7 decades for me to arrive at this particular zenith in my career. this simply means there are many more golden steps