>> good evening. geoff bennett is on assignment. on the newshour. congressional negotiations of government funding grow increasingly urgent after the u.s. could hit its debt limit in less than a month. multiple reports of justices questionable financial dealings prompt a probe into supreme court ethics. the new head of the world food program discusses the worsening hunger crisis and widespread displacement in somalia. >> they are not only facing drought and the inability to be able to feed themselves, they are also facing conflict. those two combinations are almost a perfect storm for what could be famine.

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broadcasting and contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> the white house is renewing its demand for congress to lift the debt ceiling without conditions as the nation could default on its debt in less than a month. since january, the government has deployed extraordinary measures to pay its bills. the money could run out as early as june 1, according by an estimate by janet yellen. it puts washington on high alert to avoid a dangerous and unprecedented default. following all of this are our white house correspondent and congressional correspondent. good to see you both. the president said he's not going to negotiate. yesterday, the white house called for congressional leaders, invited them to a meeting. what is that about? are they changing strategy? >> in the near term, they are

not changing strategy. the president's position is the same. the white house press secretary made this clear during her briefing. >> he's going to make it very clear in the meeting they will have next week how it is congress' constitutional duty to act. he's not going to negotiate on the debt ceiling. that is not going to change. >> white house officials i have spoken to say the president is going to say they need to avoid a default and there cannot be conditions attached to that. the message still the same. they are going to talk about initiating this separate process to address the budget, appropriations. why now? they finally saw somewhat of what house republicans want in the bill they passed. >> he's going to have to work with republicans. where are they right now? especially speaker mccarthy? >> it will be a test like in the

last few weeks for republicans. they are also not changing their strategy. we know speaker mccarthy and republican leader mcconnell plan to go to the meeting on may 9. house republicans insist they will not back a so-called clean debt ceiling. that is the only thing the president says he will accept, hence our major problem. in addition, we have dynamics in the house of representatives. i want to look at what we are facing. speaker mccarthy has a four majority. in addition, as part of the deal to become speaker, he agreed to a rule allowing any member to force a vote on his own removal. in other words, a clean debt bill should come down to it if mccarthy feels it is right to do. politically, it would be suicide for him. mccarthy needs something to appease his base. on one hand, pragmatic good news

foep is the big deal, we are not worried about the debt ceiling. they are worried about it, they don't want to risk default. their base is fired up about what they say is a title wave of red ink and they need this to spend cut -- get spending cuts. >> there is reason to worry, the deadline coming near. we have come close before. we all remember the 2011 fiscal cliff. how are those past experiences driving the white house approach? >> it is entirely the foundation of the white house approach. the president was a key player. since president biden took office in 2021, he's had the same line, no negotiation over the debt limit increases tied to spending cuts, he will not do it. in 2011, then president obama started off negotiating with speaker john boehner about spending cuts and tax increases. they could not come to an agreement, so those who hammered it out was then vice president

biden and minority leader mcconnell in the senate. ultimately, they came away with very different lessons from 2011. mcconnell said -- his lesson was you can use the debt limit to ransom, use it as ransom and take it hostage to get ultimate spending cuts they want. that is what he thought republicans could do again. president biden's lesson was different. they walked away saying we can never negotiate again over clean increases to the debt limit. all of the advisors -- allies close to the white house, inside the white house, outside the white house say that has been driving the president since he took office. >> we talked about where the president and republicans are, what about democrats? >> they rule in the senate, but what we have seen from democrats and republicans is acknowledgment it is not in the

senate's wheelhouse altogether. i want to play something we heard from mitch mcconnell. >> it should be clear to the administration that the senate is not a relevant player this time. they've got to have a measure that can pass the house. the support of the speaker and behind the speaker. >> one thing happening in the senate and the house, backup plans. there are democrats talking about a discharge petition in the house. that is complicated. we will come back to that. bills are being filed in worst-case scenarios. not clear that they have the votes in either chamber. >> what is at stake? >> coming close, there are significant economic consequences. the credit rating can be impacted the way it was in 2011. if we go over the cliff and there is a debt default, at least one million jobs lost, a possible recession. the credit rating would tank

again as well as interest rates going up. likely cuts to medicare and social security benefits, and military paychecks delayed. the longer the default is, more jobs lost, up to as many as 7 million. president biden feels as though he may have leverage. even though mcconnell said it is ultimately solved by a deal between president biden and speaker mccarthy, it ultimately is not actually solved until speaker mccarthy can get the votes on the floor of the house and convince republicans to go along with any deal they come up with. >> what comes next? >> the main ninth meeting. we think we have a lot of time until june 1, not really. june 1, may 9 meeting after that, we start talks. the u.s. senate is scheduled to recess on may 19. in congress time, we really have a couple of weeks. i will tell you something i'm watching for, even republicans told me, they may be interested

in a temporary extension, 30 day extension of the debt ceiling. we have seen this play before, but that is in the air. >> congress time very different. i need to ask about another situation. you have been tracking the u.s.-southern border, title 42 set to lift very soon. the administration preparing for an increase in people coming. they announced new measures. >> the department of homeland security requested an additional number of troops be sent to the southern border by the defense department. it would be 1500 military troops sent to the border arriving may 10 for at least 90 days. their tasks are going to be data entry, warehouse work, administrative aide. that is in addition to the when he 500 national guard troops already there. the white house stressed the troops will not be interacting with migrants at all.

ultimately, the reason they have to do this is because they expect more migrants to head to the border with the lifting of title 42. >> another huge story. thank you so much. ♪ >> i'm stephanie sy with newshour west. multiple media outlets report tonight that the man accused of killing five neighbors outside houston last weekend may be in custody. the man believed to be francisco orapeza was apprehended about 45 miles north of houston, more than 250 officers have been involved. the final criminal case in the death of george floyd ended in a conviction. a minnesota judge found the former minneapolis police officer guilty of aiding manslaughter.

in may of 2020, he held back bystanders while other officers restrained floyd and another pressed his knee on his neck. he was already serving a 3.5 year sentence for violating floyd's federal civil rights. a section of interstate 55 in central illinois was closed as a precaution. a day after a dust storm touched off deadly pileups. seven people died, at least 37 injured. more than 70 vehicles caught up in the crash. 75 miles north of st. louis. most of the bodies are still unidentified. >> we are working with our special agents to help identify them and use the techniques we have. we are investigating criminal investigations to link the information to surviving family members. >> a utah judge put a state law banning abortion clinics on hold. eth law w effect tomorrow.

it would have stopped clinics from obtaining new licenses and phased out existing ones by next year. the decision will allow the state's four abortion clinics to continue services for now. a montana judge ruled state representative zoe's effort cannot return to the statehouse floor. the transgender democrat sued to be reinstated after the republican-controlled chamber barred her last month for protesting a ban on gender affirming health care for minors. the judge said reinstatement was outside his authority. the israeli military has launched airstrikes over gaza, answering a new barrage of palestinian rockets. the violence erupted after islamic jihad leader died in israeli custody. he had been on a hunger strike for nearly three months. news of his death triggered a volley of 26 rockets from militants in gaza. in the west bank, palestinians demonstrated and clashed with israeli soldiers in the streets.

the exodus from sudan intensified with long lines at ports and border crossings as rival factions kept up fighting. more than 100,000 people have already fled the country. more than 330,000 displaced within sudan. in the north, thousands on buses and trucks bound for neighboring egypt. many battled scorching heat and have gone days without food. >> we left khartoum nearly a week ago. it was very difficult because there were 28 of us. the young boys don't have visas. we left under heavy fighting during clashes. it was a real suffering. >> the battling parties agreed to a new seven-day cease-fire starting on thursday. more than 11,000 movie and tv writers walked off the job. picket lines quickly picked up in new york. the writers guild first strike

in 15 years. members demanding higher pay and better working conditions. several late-night talk shows will start airing reruns immediately. this year's tony award nominations are out. the musical "some like it hot," based on the 1959 movie lead all productions. three other shows received nine nominations apiece. the award ceremony will be held on june 11. a passing of note. canadian singer/songwriter died monday in toronto. he emerged from the city's folk scene in the mid-1960's and earned five grammy nominations with a string of hits. here he is performing "if you could read my mind," in 1972. ♪ ♪

>> gordon lightfoot was 83 years old. still to come. communities along the mississippi river struggle to handle the highest floodwaters in decades. the u.s. surgeon general warns of a health risk associated with loneliness. a new initiative aims to boost graduation rates at historically black colleges. 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. >> lawmakers on capitol hill are spotlighting recent ethics concerns surrounding the highest court in the land. the judiciary committee hearing, senators debated how to address concerns involving supreme court justices. including whether they should apply ethical guidelines to the justices themselves. >> today's hearing focused on

the supreme court and ethics. unfolding largely along partisan lines. democrats arguing the court failed to uphold its own code of -- code of conduct. >> until there is a ethics process, the misses will continue. the courts have conclusively proved -- proven it cannot police itself. >> republicans accusing democrats of attacking the court. >> if you want to talk about making the court a better institution, i will be glad to work with you in that regard. talking about destroying the court, count me out. >> unlike the guidelines judges have to adhere to, the supreme court has no formal ethics code. justices are meant to police themselves. a series of recent reports documenting failures to disclose gifts and real estate deals has sparked questions about possible reforms. pro-public a reported justice clarence thomas failed to disclose hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of gifts,

including luxury trips from a billionaire donor. they later reported the same donor purchase properties from thomas, including thomas' mother's home which she still lives in today. political reported justice neil gorsuch sold a colorado property to the ceo of a law firm with regular business before the court and do not disclose the ceo was buyer. >> congress not only has the ability to legislate in this area, but the responsibility. >> democrats argued lawmakers must act. >> the supreme crt should fix this themselves. for years, they have refused. because the court will not act, congress must. >> republicans dismissed the hearing as a liberal effort to undermine the conservative leading court. >> the danger is not that robed justices are operating without ethics, it is that democrats are not winning every fight and they find that reality intolerable.

>> not in the hearing room, chief justice john roberts, who was invited by judiciary chair dick durbin to testify. roberts declined, calling the congressional testimony exceedingly rare and cited the importance of preserving judicial independence. his letter included a statement on the courts ethics signed by all of the justices. all of this as trust in the court is at record lows. in a recent poll, more than six in 10 americans said they have little to no confidence in the court. >> to help us explore these issues of accountability and confidence, i'm joined by amanda frost. she testified at the hearing before congress. >> thank you for having me. >> we have learned about the gifts to justice thomas, justice gorsuch's property sales through journalists. from what you have seen, should that have been information they disclosed?

>> yes. there were clearly failures to follow ethics laws in those cases. >> what did you make of how the hearing unfolded? >> some of the conversation was productive. there was a general recognition one of the problems is lack of transparency and the court is not taking ethics obligations seriously enough. whether congre takes action is not clear, but they are shining the light on the issue. >> is there a context for this conduct? are there previous examples of ethical concerns we can think about to compare this moment to? >> there are a few. in the 1960's, the $20,000 payment from a former client. reading to his resignation. and he returned the money, but i think he realized he could not stand that kind of scrutiny because he had been paid while being a justice. >> what about 2016? i remember when ruth bader

ginsburg made comments criticizing then nominee donald trump and had to come back and apologize. does it live in the same universe? >> yes, the justices say they follow that conduct, and she retracted those statements. justice thomas is not alone. that is the problem, we need the court to be more accountable and all the justices to follow ethics laws. >> what about justice roberts not appearing? are there questions you would have liked to see him answer? >> absolutely, i was disappointed he did not have the interbranch dialogue on this question. justices testify, it is not unusual. they testify about matters affecting the judiciary. it would have been helpful if he showed up and gave the court's perspective. >> justice thomas and gorsuch are conservative justices. calls for accountability are largely coming from democrats. the conversation seems to be unfolding in a very partisan

arena. > unfortunately it does feel partisan. i have talked about this for decades. part of the problem is because ansparency and not makingg in clear what it does to follow ethics laws, only what we hear about the stories is occasional investigative reporting. if the court was more transparent, it prevents artisan issues from arising in this democrat-republican type split. >> what does that transparency look like? what do you think should happen? >> i wish the court on its own would adopt a code of conduct. right now it is the only court in the federal judiciary that does not follow a code of conduct or have one binding on it. i wish the court would do that. if not, congress can compel them to do so through legislation and hopefully they respond. >> do you see that happening? >> right now, unlikely. but the conversation is

progressing. the recent revations of unethical conduct a variety of justices lead more people to think reform is needed. >> help us understand what the code of conduct would recall. federal judges have to abide by those ethical guidelines. what specifically do you want to see when it comes to supreme court justices? >> the code of conduct currently binding the lower court judges but not the supreme court would be a great model. they can tweak it as needed for the special situation. it requires things like the courts must make sure to never do something that appears improper. as well as actual impropriety. who they go in speak in front of, who they accept gifts from. they need to be more conscious of the fact they are public figures and deciding cases and the legitimacy of the court is important to the american people if they want to trust the outcomes. >> when it comes to the american public and their trust in the supreme court, we know it has been on the decline. a recent poll asked people how

they feel about the court. 53% of republicans feel mostly confident. 24% of democrats. 39% of independents. when justice alito was asked about that, he answered "well, what do you expect when you are day in and day out, there illegitimate, engaging in all sorts of unethical conduct, doing this, doing that." is criticism of the court contributing to their credibility problem? >> i think there are many reasons the court is losing some of the public support and trust it has had in the past. i feel like these ethical problems are a self-inflicted wound. if the court was more transparent, if you had an employee responsible for advising them on ethics so they were not making mistakes, these stories would go away or be diminished. i feel like the court has injured his own reputation by not taking action. >> university of virginia law

professor amanda frost joining us. thank you for being here. ♪ >> the world faces a food crisis. 345 million people are known as food insecure. they don't have nearly enough to eat. last year, the international community field gaps open by russia's full-scale invasion of ukraine. those were largely stopgap measures. food systems remain fragile today. the u.n. world food program is at the center of confronting those challenges. its new executive director is a familiar face to many americans. >> cindy mccain, businesswoman, philanthropist, and most recently, u.s. ambassador to the u.n. and agriculture organizations, became the wfp's 14 executive director last

month. her first trip to the field is to somalia, which is facing is worst drought in 40 years. it killed 43,000 people last year. she joins us from the somali capital. thank you for joining us. welcome to the newshour. what are the conditions somalia has faced? >> they face an uphill battle. not only facing drought and the inability to be able to feed themselves, they are also facing conflict. those combinations are almost a perfect storm for what could be famine. we kept famine away from somalia last year and we will try our very best to do the same this year. we have to remind people to not forget about somalia, that things are really tough in somalia, and why we need their donations and support for this. >> more than 7.5 million somalis. and nearly 3 million have been

displaced by drought and instability, exactly what you said. many live in camps. you visited a camp as part of your trip on the ethiopia border, met with families. what challenges did they face? >> a lot of people are not eligible or able to get assistance. so they are living there on the hopes they will get assistance. because of the funding dropping this year, we will not be able to feed as many people as last year. once you see the six-month. , you cannot give them any more existence. that is a tough decision. $2.6 billion, how short are you? >> we are short. probably most of that to be honest. we are faced with less money than was available last year. it was unprecedented last year. do more with less, be more creative in how we distribute

things, and how we operate. >> somalia faces these twin crises. both the drought, but also conflicts. 900,000 somalis live in areas controlled by the militant group al-shabaab. how does the security situation complicate your work? >> it complicates a lot of it. consider our workers on the ground. there is that element of insecurity we are facing every day. most of all, the refugees are facing it every day. >> a lot of this is about climate change. somalia has faced five raining seasons in a row, below average. temperatures are hotter. how does it play out and how important is climate adaptation? finding new water sources, digging deeper holes, rehabilitating infrastructure? >> what it means for us is we have to be creative.

talk about resilience. with it comes wells, waters, water management, the things you mentioned and more. the ultimate goal is to make somalis self-sufficient so they can farm their own land and grow their own food. >> switching you over to sudan, facing a humanitarian crisis, but also the threat of collapse because of violence. in april, three workers were killed, two seriously wounded. you had to suspend operations. yesterday you announced you could bring back operations in the south and east. how do you balance the needs of the sudanese people with the safety of your staff? >> we never left sudan, but we got most of our people out safely. it is an absolute tragedy what happened to our three wp folks. we will resume operations in four areas in an eastern part of

the country. security is still a very top concern. we are faced with reconsidering -- reconfiguring our presence, food and water are very short in khartoum and other parts of the country. the bottom line here is we need help to be able to help these people and give them lifesaving food and water. >> let me zoom you out. when your predecessor took his job, some 80 million people across the world faced starvation. today the number is $345 million, including $50 million knocking on famine store. what are the causes of that rapid expansion, global food crisis? >> climate change is a large part of this. the cost of food and grain. everything because of what is happening in the ukraine and our

inability to get it have caused markets to fluctuate. >> you asked if the top donor, and i don't want to bring politics into this, but i want to ask one question. you said you can never forgive former president trump for what he said about your late husband. but are you concerned about bipartisan support for wfp if former president trump becomes a republican candidate or indeed the president? >> no, i have to believe in the good hearts of not only our american politicians, but people around the world. the u.s. is the largest donor, but we have many other donors. my job is to not only tell the story, but help them understand the importance and necessity to be sizable donors and respect those who are hurt and vulnerable on the ground.

>> thank you very much. ♪ >> flooding along the mississippi river happens every year. water levels are surging this year thanks to a record snow across the midwest followed by a sudden fall. william brangham reports. >> last fall, drought sank the mississippi to historic lows. now, the opposite problem. water levels hitting heights not seen in decades. communities up and down the mississippi are inundated. stretching from st. paul, minnesota to just north of st. louis, misery. some appearing as part of the river. the city of davenport's ballpark surrounded. the davenport mayor said his

constituents are resilient. >> there are folks impacted. we work directly, the salvation army and others, and we have a shelter for those who would like it. we asked for assistance and emergency declaration so people can get individual assistance. >> is it a challenge for you to plan a city you want to stick around for generations to come when you are never quite sure whether the gripper will be low or coming into your living room. >> a little bit concerned, as some of the storms, precipitation levels, or a mount seems to be continuing to grow. that is something we need to keep an eye on. we will talk to folks at the federal level. >> the recent flooding comes after the upper midwest experienced record winter snows. when april start -- when april

turned warm and did so fast, snow gushed into the river. jason is a freshwater scientist. >> water touches every part of our lives. when we see flooding, drought, it disrupts supply change. we saw that last year in the sippy -- in the mississippi river. now we see it with the severe floods coming in the challenge that we face is this is what we are expecting with climate change, these greater variability in weather patterns. we often think this is the new normal. it's not though. next year will be different, the year after that will be different, the year after that will be different. it makes it hard to plan. >> in stillwater, minnesota, the watercraft to the edge of houses and local businesses. now the cleanup begins. the mayor.

>> it has always been a badge of honor to help sandbags. what is kind of concerning is there is a delta somewhere where it does not make sense to keep doing these temporary preparations or do we as a city, state, from the federal government have to bite the bullet and say we need to do something permanent along the shoreline. >> the river levels seem to be receding. the hope is most of the snow melts at a more manageable -- manageable pace going forward. ♪ >> the u.s. surgeon general declared a new public health epidemic in america, loneliness. a new report from his office

finds loneliness can have profound effects on mental health as well as heart disease, stroke, and dementia. it links all of this to billions of dollars in health care costs. dr. murphy is the u.s. surgeon general and joins me. welcome back to the newshour. so your declaration in this report very clearly linked loneliness to matters of life or death to put it plainly. it found social isolation increases the risk of premature mortality by nearly 30%. how and why did you come to focus on this topic? >> i had certainly had -- that experience with loneliness my life, and my care of patients. i found so often people come into the hospital for one condition or another, but there was loneliness lurking in the background. it is when i began -- began my tenure as surgeon general and

looked across the country, loneliness is extremely common. one in two adults report measurable levels of loneliness. it turns our young people are most affected than any other group. it is because we have realized loneliness is more than just a bad feeling. it has consequences for our mental and physical health, increases the risk of depression and suicide. social suicide also raises the risk of heart disease and dementia on par with smoking daily and even greater than the risk of with obesity. loneliness and isolation are public health concerns we have to prioritize. >> according to your numbers, things were already trending this way, it was then accelerated during the pandemic. one of the numbers you highlight was 2003 and 2020 social engagement with friends decreased from 60 minutes a day

in 2003, to just 20 minutes a day. before covid, how do you see that? >> there were a number of factors. i'm glad you mentioned covid. it poured fuel on a fire that was burning. it exasperated loneliness. we have seen a decrease in participation in community organizations and faith organizations and recreational leagues over several. the technology has fundamentally changed. how we interact and communicate with one another. it is often replaced with what used to be rich in person connections with online connections, which are often lower quality. we see people are experiencing tremendous change in their lives, moving more, changing jobs more often, and it can disrupt social relationships. it is not that these trends are bad in themselves, but what we have to do in modern life is intentionally billed ieeen d

for connection in our individual lives as well as communities. >> coming out of the pandemic, i feel people may choices they thought were good for their well-being and mental health, whittling down the number of friends you see to a core group, working at home more frequently, it seems like you are saying there could be a long-term negative side to some of those choices. how do we fix it? >> the choices you make about friendships are critical. it is not just people around, it is relationships, healthy relationships. some people during the pandemic focused more on the relationships, really sustained them. other people found themselves paring back on all of their social interactions. that can be harmful. the quality piece really matters. one of the worries i have as we think about the various factors driving this, for too many people, especially young people, the experience of social media

highlighted the importance of qutity of connection over quality of connection. we know that is not a recipe for greater connection. as big as this problem can seen, as much as there is to do, and we lay out in the advisory on the subject a framework for national strategy, the key is to remember individual steps we can take in our own lives today to make a difference. spending 15 minutes a day with people we care about, making sure we are fully present interacting with others, and not ask -- distracted by technology. looking for ways to help others, neighbors, coworkers, recognizing small acts of service can make us more connected with one another. these are the small steps that can make a big difference how connected we feel. >> you mentioned social media, talked about your concern about young people using social media. look at these state bands we are seeing, paula utah being the

very first -- anyone is bad unless they have parental permission. how do you view those? >> i think it is important we have those conversations and explore solutions how to make social media safer for kids. the truth is, more than a decade has passed work kids have in using social media in significant numbers. we have not had adequate safety standards to ensure our children are not exposed to harmful content, social media isn't so excessive it robs them of their sleep and timing with others. all of that is happening, including social media from any young people is eroding their own self-esteem because they are in a field comparing themselves to others at length we have never experienced. we need to have this conversation how to make social media safer. while there are different strategies being explored, the conversation is not only

important, it is welcome by so many parents. i say it as a parent looking at it and saying this is too hard for a single parent to manage on their own. we need to do something to make these platforms safer for kids. >> you mentioned recommendations for individuals, schools, communities, people can go to hhs.gov. no calls for federal funding or any federal action on this. is there some kind of government program or government action to address this epidemic? >> absolutely. we lay out steps policymakers can take to address the crisis of loneliness and isolation. including finding more research so we understand who is most at risk and what solutions work. extending more support to community organizations. it can often be the lifeline of creating connection in our various towns and cities. they also include taking what we call a connection all policies approach to policymaking,

recognizing transportation policy, housing policy, education policy, sometimes these have effects on our interactions and ability to meet up and see people with physical infrastructure all the time. understanding these consequences and the policymaking process is important. if you said anything about financial cost, we have to assess social costs. the reason we do all of this work at an individual level is social connection is vital for an individual health, but the health of communities. communities that are more connected have lower levels of violence, are more resilient in the face of adversity, and more protected against division and polarization. these are all challenges we are struggling with today. >> that is the u.s. surgeon general joining us. thank you. >> thank you so much.

>> as we enter another graduation season, historically black colleges and universities are working hard to grow the number of student to walk across their stages in the years to come. one program is doing that by focusing on reenrollment and giving students access to one-on-one educational support. reports from atlanta for our latest series on rethinking college. >> the crown forum at morehouse college is part lecture series, part pep rally. the weekly assembly is a celebration of on all-male institution ground for producing black leaders known as morehousemen, from spike lee to martin luther king , jr. we visited as the school recognized its soon to be graduating seniors. a week before we arrived, they

honored one senior with a brand-new award. >> the dean dirt and academic resilience award is being presented to mr. roland bland. >> resilience to overcome all the things life threw at him. >> during that summer, my grandfather passed away. my grandfather raised me. when that happened, i decided to study -- take time off of school and be there for my family. i came back smooth sailing and covid-19 hits. going back to school online, i don't know if that was for me. i decided to take more time off of school. >> when you came back, what were the challenges of getting yourself focus, getting in class, doing the work on time and not being distracted? >> i started to visit the academic center. taking the time to learn how to

study. i was still immature when i got here. i was not taught the skills on how to study and retain the knowledge. >> he learned the skills to renew initiative, the student success program. in partnership with the united eagle college fund and education from inside track, they identify students whose gpa falls under a two point know and intervenes with one-on-one academic culture, tutoring, and workshops. >> the fact they have a writing center anyone can go to, tutoring sessions anyone can attend, and they are tailored to the class you are taking, those are very important. >> versions of this pilot program have expanded to more than 30 schools with funding through 2026 aimed at helping students read weight. it comes at a time when enrollment is growing. and more students are applying. the sad reality is only 38% of

students at those schools end up graduating. even at an elite institution, the rate is only a little more than half. >> what happens between the time they come in and four years later or six years later that half or sometimes less than half are walking out with a degree? >> life happens. >> dr. meloster is the associate provost for student success at morehouse, or he's been teaching for 27 years. >> they are those guys when they come to morehouse, they are now in a community of excellent students. there is competition. we don't have to make it happen. it will happen naturally. sometimes students will become more interested in the social aspect of being at the college. >> another massive challenge, finances. >> our cost is about $51,000. the median household income for

families is less than our cost of attendance. >> you came here to get the degree. >> curtis clark junior is an academic success coach who hears those adapting to college life, especially first-generation college students. >> they may never have had someone who looks like them tell them i believe in you, you can do this, you are capable. i expect you would achieve this. i'm not hoping you are going to be successful, i will be disappointed if you are not successful. >> clark graduated in 2015. >> i think about a number of students who i started with who i did not finish with. which is why i'm glad we have this program. i can think of people i would have liked to have seen impacted by this program. >> this semester especially was really hard. >> in tuscaloosa, alabama, she

is away from her home in nigeria and finds her coach to be a huge help. >> i had a lot to deal with mentally, and she was always checking up with me, even days i would just forget about her. if she wasn't assigned to me -- >> even a program like this can only go so far. it is also dependent on the students to accept those offers of assistance because there is a limit to what a coach can do. it is still up to me as a student to invest in myself and be the best i can be. >> another aspect of the program showing results so far. >> getting a student back onto campus is a huge win. >> she's the program manager for leadership initiatives. >> being able to have about 700 students, enrolling and getting

back on their educational journey. 700 may not be robust. but for some institutions, it is more than their student body overall. each step of the way, we are helping a student stay on their educational journey and get to that graduation stage. >> he will do just that this spring. he plans to work full-time on the online clothing company he and a partner started and hopes more of his peers can gain the necessary supports. >> i felt like i was chosen, ans be wl like they are chosen. ♪ ♪ >> chosen to be morehouse men. for the pbs newshour -- in atlanta. ♪ ♪

>> the executive director for the aspen institute's religion and society program and author of the book the light we give, how sick wisdom can transform your life. tonight, he shares his brief but spectacular take on how focusing on the positive aspects of our multireligious, racial, and ethnic world can disrupt bias and build empathy. >> as a senior in high school, the fall semester had just started. i heard whispers that there was a terrorist attack in new york city. we all stood there and watched the news. they mentioned the name osama bin laden, i had never heard it before. then they showed an image of him in his turban, beard, and brown skin. and my heart sank. i knew my life would change forever. the death threats startedhat

day. not many believe this when i tell them, but i was born and raised in san antonio, texas. in a lot of ways, it was wonderful. we saw our lives as very typical, always playing sports outside, riding our bikes, playing video games with neighbors. in some ways, our lives were very atypical. people on the streets or in grocery stores would remind us they did not feel like we belonged. i was 10 years old the first time someone called me a terrorist. i was at a soccer game, the referee was doing equipment checks, and when he got to me he said something about how he needed to check my turban. he called me a terrorist and he said he knows people like me like to hide bombs and knives in our headwear. i put my head forward and let him touch my turban. no one had done that before. i felt like i was giving i i promised myself

next time i'm in a situation like this, i'm going to stand up for myself. i just started to think about what does it look like for us to engage with the challenges in our lives in ways that make us feel proud and we did not run away, but also did not inspire, amplify the anger in our hearts. in this moments of violent racism, or the small moments of daily bigotry, i stop and ask myself how in a situation i can practice my values of oneness, love, and service, how we love our neighbors as themselves. we in this country do a poor job of learning about one another and learning to live alongside difference. growing up in public schools in texas, we did not learn about the cultures, to appreciate them. i belonged to the world's fifth-largest religion, and there are about 30 million sikhs in the world, yet 70 million americans don't know who they are, what i am, and make all

sorts of assumptions that have nothing to do with my faith or background. the light we give is about what is -- it is like to be different in this country, drawing from the traditions and teachings. we fear what we don't know. part of the antidote is to create literacy so that we know one another, can respect one another, and appreciate one another. it is a simple step we can all take but can make a big difference. this is my brief but spectacular take on finding hope in a difficult world. >> you can find more brief but spectacular videos online at pbs.org/newshour/brief. that is t newshour for tonight. a lot more online, including the full list of tony award nominees and our interview with many of the broadway actors recognized this year. on behalf of the entire newshour team, thank you for joining us. >> major funding for the pbs

newshour has been provided by. >> actually, you don't need vision to do most things in life. yes, i'm legally blind, and yes, i'm responsible for the user interface. data visualization. if i can see it and understand it quickly, anyone can. it is exciting to be part of a team driving the technology forward. that is the most rewarding thing. >> people who know know bdo. >> for 25 years, consumer cellular has been offering no contract wireless plans designed to help people give more of what they like. our u.s.-based customer service team can help find the plan that fits you. to learn more, visit consumercellular.tv. ♪ >> carnegie corporation of new york. supporting innovations and

education, democratic engagement, and advancement of international peace and security at carnegie.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. ♪

>> funding for this series has been provided in part by the following... >> up norway curates norwegian travel experiences in the footsteps of "new scandinavian cooking." >> ♪ no, take me home ♪ ♪ take me home where i belong ♪ >> vgan, the full taste of chocolate. ♪♪ ♪♪ >> [ singing indistinctly ] ♪♪ >> this is a story of adventure, understanding that eve step of

the journey is vital.