♪ >> good evening. i'm william brangham. >> i'm on the nevada in uvalde, texas. families mark one year since the mass shooting at robb elementary as they still unanswered questions about the police response and where their community goes from here. >> then florida governor ron desantis announces he is running for president. how his bid could shape the republican race. >> ngo's push the taliban to lift restrictions on employing women so they can deliver vital aid to afghans amid the worsening humanitarian crisis. >> it is beyond catastrophic really shared probably having the highest number of people in

-- anywhere in the world. ♪ >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by -- ♪ moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that sauce -- that connects us. >> actually don't need a vision to do most things in life. . it is exciting to be part of a team driving the technology forward. i think that is the most

rewarding thing. people who know know bdo. ♪ >> the walton family foundation. working for solutions to protect water during climate change so people and nature can thrive together. supported by the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. committed to building a more just, verdant and peaceful world. more information at mac found.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 statio from viewers like you. thank you. >> one year ago today, i gunman entered robb elementary school in uvalde, texas killing 21

people including 19 children. it was one of the worst school shootings in u.s. history. >> here in uvalde, the 21 families are still mourning their loss. the survivors are living with trauma and a community is still searching for answers. among those we spoke to is javier cazares. his nine-year-old daughter jackie was among those killed and javier says one year later he is still struggling to move on. how often do you think about that day? >> everyday. >> everyday. >> it is nonstop. it is a nightmare i cannot wake up from. >> we got guys going in. ok? >> one year ago javier cazares frantically waited with other parents outside robb elementary as gunshots rang out. trapped inside, his nine-year-old daughter jackie. who loved dancing and dogs and

dreamed of one day going to paris. >> a little jerk sometimes. she had that spark in her life where she touched people. >> jackie was one of 19 fourth-graders and two teachers killed by an 18-year-old gunman with an ar-15 style rifle in one of the worst mass shootings in texas history. you dropped her off that day. do you remember the last thing you said to her? >> i blew a kiss goodbye. she did the same. that was the last time i saw her. >> dr. roy guerrero was at the hospital that day as children were brought in. >> i still cannot believe what i

saw. these were nine-year-old, 10-year-old kids ripped apart. they had to in some instances smear blood on themselves to survive. >> dr. g as he is known is uvalde's only pediatrician five of the victims were his patients. many of the survivors still are. >> by no means are any of these children back to normal. i have kids that are terrified to even step back into a classroom again. i have kids in full-blown ptsd having nightmares, being paranoid and seeing the killer and fearing he is coming after them. i don't think there is true healing from this even in the long-term. >> in the years since the shooting residence and media have fought for more information. like security camera and body camera footage to be released. questions remain about why it took nearly 400 officers on the scene an astonishing 77 minutes before they confronted the gunman even as emergency calls

poured in, some from students stuck inside. >> he is inside the school shooting at the kids. >> you've otoe county, 911 -- uvalde county, 911. >> days after the shooting the head of the state's public safety department admitted waiting was a mistake. >> from the benefit of hindsight where i am sitting now, of course it was not the right decision. it was the wrong decision. >> an investigation by texas lawmakers later found systemic failures but families of those killed want answers and accountability. they have packed school board meetings demanding officers be fired and security improved. they filed a class-action lawsuit against the city, school district and multiple law enforcement agencies. and have pushed for gun violence reform like raising the age to purchase a semi automatic weapon in texas from 18 to 21.

that effort failed in the state legislature. >> why do these people who sit in power sit there and do absolutely nothing while our children are slaughtered? >> brett cross's 10-ye-old son was killed that day. >> i am not a political person. ally one is -- all i want is justice and accountability for my son, his classmates and teachers. that is all i want. i don't want any other child to go through what my son did. i don't want any other parent to have to have a funeral for their child. >> robb elementary is shuttered. officials plan to demolish it. last fall you volte students return to other classrooms but not all of them. you miss being in school and a classroom? >> kind of. >> nine-year-old zayon was at robb elementary in second grade during the shooting. since that day he has refused to return to a classroom and only attends virtually.

>> imagine if you were a child and you know your friends got slaughtered to where you could not even identify them. >> his father adam raid in uvalde has become an activist and leading voice for parents whose children survived that day. >> you see a lot of survivors guilt. people hold it in because they are like my son survived, my daughter survived so a lot of times they are afraid to speak out but it hurts when you hold it in. sometimes you have to say what you feel because he was there and he is not the same child anymore. >> every week, javier visits jackie's mural downtown. he is on a mission to remember and fight for change. >> it is standing because what more does it take -- it is saddening because what more does it take? these are our babies. >> checks on the cross at the townsquare memorial. what is that from? >> the first communion she had. mother's day of last year. that is what we buried her in as

well. >> back home he has kept her room exactly as she left at that day. you have not touched it in the last year. >> no. >> why not? >> that is how she had it. she was particular. she had her things nice and neat. she had her shirts and shorts all folded up nice and neat. i did not want to bother the. -- bother that. that is something that if i change i am going to miss. >> do go in the room -- do you go in the room? you do? >> i go in maybe twice, three times a day. before we go to bed, we pray like if she was in there. certain days i will go in and talk. walk around. look at everything in there.

i'm sure fathers say this about their daughters all the time but she was special. >> pain is still so fresh here for those families but last year opened up new divides in this community over how to move forward. not just unaccountability but also on violence prevention. >> meanwhile back in washington, president biden also marked the anniversary of this tragedy and he again appealed for congressional action. >> how many more parents will live there worst nightmare before we stand up to the gun lobby to establish universal background checks, establish a national red flag walls, require safe storage of firearms and and immunity -- and end amenity for gun manufacturers? the only major corporate entity that is immune to liability. even a majority of responsible gun owners support these common sense actions to save lives and

keep our community safe. >> this concern about guns and the violence that is done with them is growing in this country. our latest newshour npr marist poll finds four in 10 americans believe schools in their own communities are not safe from gun violence. half of all u.s. parents with kids under 18 know someone who has experienced gun violence. six out of 10 americans say it is more important to control gun violence than to protect gun rights. that is up 11% since the sandy hook massacre. republicans and democrats have long had very different views about what practically can be done. that brings us back to amna in uvalde. >> from a republican congressman will hurt is one of a few and his party calling for meaningful gun reform. he represented uvalde for six years in a congress serving texas 23rd congressional district and i spoke with a

moments ago. thanks for joining us here. you heard some of the frustration from those families about the lack of action after their chilled one and -- after their children and loved ones were killed trade what is your message to them? >> the message to the family is i am sorry and keep fighting. keep telling the stories. that is what is going to ultimately get these elected officials to come around. i cannot begin to imine what the loss of a child -- and it is the worst pain that anybody can never have. unfortunately i saw that at a young age when i was at texas a&m diversity. -- texas a&m university. different story but having to talk to parents when i was 22 to say -- parents asking don't let this happen to anybody. i don't know how any elected official talking to a parent who has suffered the worst loss they will ever have, just is not

willing to do some of these common sense things that can solve this problem. we know if you turn the age to have a high caliber rifle to go from 18 to 21 which is -- you have to be 21 to get a handgun, that alone would have changed you volte -- would have changed uvalde and would have change the lives of 21 families. the parents, i know it is hard for them to wake up during the day. i know it is hard for them to sit in the room of their child, their nine-year-old child who is gone. it is going to be their efforts and telling their stories that is going to see some change. we sell it here in texas at the statehouse. that piece of legislation did not become signed into law but it was movement and it was because of the parents of uvalde

. >> as you have mentioned in recent piece you wrote for the atlantic, some of those measures like raising the age from 18 to 21 or criminal background checks, red flag laws, those have broad support among the american public. so do universal background checks. when you are in congress, you are one of a handful of republicans to vote for that. if you republican colleagues cannot vote for that back then, what makes you think they would vote for something the majority of americans support today? >> it is a good question and i wish i had the answers. i think i was one of eight may be back then when that happened. the reality is responsible gun owners believe in background checks. i don't know anybody who owns a gun who has not been through a background check. people who whether this is their livelihood or they do it for sport, responsible gun owners believe people should have a background check.

>> so what is keeping the majority of -- >> a lot of republicans are concerned they are going to have people on twitter or social media criticize them and be like, this is going to impact you in an election in the future and potentially lose a primary. that is ultimately the fear. >> is that a valid fear? >> i don't think it is a valid fear should i always tell people listen, i have as similar problems in primary anybody else has. i was able to survive because you have to be willing to go and explain why these things matter. i'm a parent in the eye and feel like there is nothing -- and if somebody says there is nothing you can do, they are lying. there are several common sense steps that are supported by republican primary voters, supported by democratic primary voters that prevent this

metamorphosis of someone into a mass murder. >> i want to ask you about the mental health piece. after that uvalde shooting, there was a bipartisan congressional bill shared some gun contr measures and had a billion dollars in school funding for mental-health staff had the majority of republicans did vote against that. how do you see actions of your republican colleagues matching up with the calls for more mental health resources? >> the proof is in the pudding. people want to talk a big game. it depends on your actions. when we look at first off we need to start training mental health in the united states as health because it is. do people know who to call if somebody -- today, this afternoon gets to see something on social media that someone they know is exhibiting a dangerous behavior, do they know what to do or who to call? if they do find the right person to call, do they have the resources to respond to that to

prevent the action from happening? these are some of the basic infrastructures not in place. some of the basic. training you don't have in schools, in businesses on how to respond when you have this. a lot of people talk a big game. it is in their actions. here is what is going to have to happen. for people who care about this, more than half of our teenagers are worried about going to school because they think they are going to get shot. that is 25 million kids. that is insane. add parents on top of that who are equally as concerned. if you do not think that is a problem or if you are not one of those people concerned, you need to get involved. need to go vote. not just vote in november. you have to vote in primaries. i don't care what your political affiliation is. you have to say enough is enough. there are always people in those

primaries that probably are little bit better than what our options are in november. that is the kind of activism we are going to need to change. >> you are asked recently if you would join the republican primary presidential field. you said you would make a decision by memorial day weekend. are you running? >> i said i would make a decision soon. if i have the opportunity to serve my country, i will and a plan on making a decision soon. >> former congressman will heard. thank you for joining us. ♪ >> i'm stephanie sy with newshour west. here are the list headlines. talks on raising the nation's debt limit and republican demands to curb federal spending in exchange shifted to the white house but there is no deal yet. this morning house speaker mccarthy said negotiators remained far apart but both sides said they are still hopeful.

>> i am not going to give up. we are not going to default. we are going to solve this problem. i will stay with it until we can get it done. let's be honest about this. we have to spend less than we spent last year. >> they remained to be productive. we believe if it -- if they continue to work in good faith and recognize neither side is going to get what they want, we can get this done. later speaker mccarthy said >> things went better in this afternoon's talks. if there is no agreement, the nation could begin defaulting on its debts around june 1. a super typhoon pounded guam today with sustained winds of 140 miles per hour and torrential rains. it crawled across the island's northern tip as the most powerful storm there in decades and headed west. forecasters warned guam would get as much as 25 inches of rain on top of a storm surge four to six feet high.

many committees lost power and at least one hotel was erect. there are no immediate reports of deaths or injuries. germany's government has launched a crackdown on climate protesters who have blocked roads and include themselves to various artworks across europe during today police raided 15 properties linked to actavis known as last generation as part of an investigation into the groups finances. it came days after the german chancellor bring to the group completely nutty. the group insisted they will keep pressuring governments to do more to address climate change. in sudan, sporadic clashes broke out in khartoum and elsewhere despite a cease-fire between the army and a rival paramilitary group. the u.n. migration agency reported these five weeks are fighting have forced more than 1.3 million people to flee their homes. of those, some 320,000 have crossed into neighboring countries as the humanitarian burden spreads across the region.

back any this country, the texas legislature has approved new standards for letting school libraries ban books that are deemed sexually inappropriate. the republican bill went to the governor last night despite objections it is vague and could be used to target any works with lgbtq content. montana's republican governor signed a bill that bans anyone in drag costume from reading to children in public schools and libraries. and investigation panel accused state attorney general ken paxton of committing multiple crimes while in office. investigators in the republican-led probe said paxton a republican illegally helped a donor, created a hostile work environment, hid an affair and spent office funds. paxton has denied the accusations. the supreme court's chief justice john roberts says the court must do more to address ethics concerns. that follows reports of justice

clarence thomas accepting expensive trips and other gifts from a texas businessman but not disclosing them. roberts. addressed the issue last night at a speech in washington. did not mention thomas or offer any specifics. >> i want to assure people i am committed to making certain we as a court adhere to the highest standards of conduct. we are continuing to look at things we can do to give practical effect. >> the justices recently signed a statement of ethics that has done little to acquire the demands for stronger action. a legendary performer in the music industry has died. tina turner passed away today at her home in switzerland. here is a look back at her remarkable life and career. ♪ >> she was the undisputed queen of rock 'n' roll. a black woman who conquered

every stage with unleased sexuality, power and raw emotion. a career spanning eight decades. tina turner sold more than 100 million records, won 12 grammies and in 2020 one was inducted into the rock 'n' roll hall of fame. born in the tennessee delta, turner rose to fame with ike turner, the ike and tina turner review broke out with a bevy of hits including proud mary. ♪ turner's soulful rasp and stage presence and thrown fans but behind the scenes she was a victim of domestic violence. turner endured more than a decade of husband ike turner's beatings and infidelity. the late ike once broke her jaw. years later, she explained why she stayed as long as she did in the relationship to australian 60 minutes. >> it became a way of life.

it was unholy. as far as i can remember i put everything on hold because of an existence with children being involved, debts. nowhere to go. nowhere to run. nowhere to hide. >> thousands of women watching this program in that very situation. what advice would you give? >> my advice is make up your mind and don't go back. i was prepared to go through whatever i had to go through with ike turner even if it was death because i would never go back. ♪ >> she did initially struggle. getting a solo recording contract was not easy. but when she did come back, it was by storm with the 1984 album private dancer. by then in her mid-40's, the album song what has love got to do with it became her best-selling single. after her comeback she published a groundbreaking autobiography,

i tina was adapted to the silver screen with tina turner played by angela bassett. as a live performer, turner was an original inspiring the likes of mick jagger and beyonce. she was simply the best. better than all the rest. tina turner was 83 years old. still to come on the newshour, how the taliban's restrictions on women are hindering the delivery of much-needed aid. actor rainn wilson shares what he has learned from his journeys around the world in search of well-being. ♪ >> this is the pbs newshour from w eta studios in washington and in the west from the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. >> the race for president has a new big-name candidate.

florida's governor ron desantis officially announces his campaign in an anticipated audio interview with elon musk on twitter and on this online video. >> in florida, we proved it can be done. we chose fax over fear. education over indoctrination, law and order over rioting and disorder. we held the line when freedom hung in the balance. we showed that we can and must revitalize america. we need the courage to lead and the strength to win. >> the republican governor is a headline generating machine shaping national fights over covert policies, education, corporate speech and immigration but he faces an uphill climb against his former ally now turned antagonist donald trump. lisa desjardins reports. >> florida is where woke goes today. >> he heard cheers early as a

florida kid making it to the little league world series. a baseball player at yell as well he went on to harvard law school. from there, desantis chose the military. as an officer with the navy's judge advocate general he worked at the guantanamo bay prison in cuba. one former detainee alleges he oversaw beatings and forced feedings of prisoners which he has denied. he served in iraq and was awarded a bronze star. in 2012 he rode the tea party wave into congress where he opposed obama administration policies but rarely stood out. that changed in 2018. >> they call him a conservative's conservative. >> then 39 he made his move running for governor of the sunshine state. initially trailing in the primary, he launched an all-out blitz for then president trump's endorsement putting his young family in the most famous add of the year. >> then mr. trump said, you are fired.

i love that part. >> he won trump's endorsement, the primary and a razor thin victory in november to become governor. >> all i can promise is the sweat off my bro, a full heart, my best judgment and the courage of my convictions. >> governor desantis made a national name for himself in the covid pandemic quickly ending stay-at-home orders and opposing mask and vaccine mandates. the states all wave of deaths but a boom to the economy. >> if you are trying to lock people down, i am standing in your way and i am standing for the people of florida. >> that kind of cultural confrontation has become his brand. in 2021 the states department of a ban on teaching critical race theory in schools though it had not been part of state curriculum. he used state resources to fly migrants from the southern porter -- a importer to place like martha's vineyard. in 2022 he signed the parental

rights in education act banning talk of sexual orientation and gender identity before the fourth grade. critics called the law don't say gay. when the wall disney company, florida's largest employer openly opposed the law, desantis launched a new fight. >> this state is governed by the interest of the people of the state of florida. it is not based on the demands of california corporate executives. >> disney and desantis have wrestled ever since with the company pulling out of a billion-dollar development in the state. this year he signed a bulb banning abortion after six weeks of pregnancy. it has questioned the u.s. involvement in the war in ukraine. through it all his policies became a blueprint for other republicans. one ally has turned cold. >> the problem with ron is he needs a personality transplant and those are not yet available. >> time will tell if the governor who has driven

conversation on the right and steer his way to the white house. for more on how ron desantis's campaign launch could shake up the gop primary race, joined by other for the men, republican carlos curbelo who served in congress with desantis. let's start with this unique announcement. audio only on twitter. why do you think it is not a rally or something more traditional? >> i think ron desantis wants to create a generational distinction between him and donald trump, his main rival in this republican primary. this is his way of saying i am different. i am new. i am a younger, better version then donald trump. i am someone who can appeal to the rising generations of voters which republicans will increasingly need to rely on if they are going to win national elections. >> about a year ago when i was talking to republican voters, the name ron desantis was echoing but not so much now.

even when have seen in the last few days some of those running against him like nikki haley are mocking him. she had an ad out today where she shows his hands next to donald trump-pence. they are saying he is trump light or fake trump. what is his path? is there one for him to be donald trump? >> one of the challenges for ron desantis is he peaked in november of last year. he had a big reelection in florida when a nearly 60% of the vote. something unheard of in this perennial swing state. a lot of people will make the argument he has pushed florida into becoming a red state. at least a pink state. desantis was on top of the political universe. a lot of people would call that deking to early -- would call that peeking to early. he had some stumbles. former president trump started aggressively attacking him. he was kind of making the case for a long time that he was basically the same as donald trump just a little better, a little more disciplined. it does seem that would be a

difficult argument to make if you want to make a compelling case for change if donald trump is so popular in the republican primary electorate and you want to convince people they should choose you instead of h. that argument desantis was making really was not resonating. >> but he has certainly become a cultural warrior on issues like what teachers can say about race in their classroom. he has targeted the lgbtq community. he is a lightning. what does that mean for his campaign? that has helped them with some people but what do you think about that? >> ironically, desantis has been telling people for a while he needs to be the nominee because donald trump cannot win. and now trump and his campaign have kind of flipped that argument saying desantis has gone so far to the right on a lot of these social and cultural issues he is the one who would have trouble gaining centrist voter support in a general

election. just to give you an idea of how far ron desantis went to the right, donald trump is criticizing him on abortion. donald trump is criticizing him for his brawl at disney which has now convinced the company or dissuaded the company from investing a billion dollars in this day and creating 2000 new jobs. certainly what ron desantis did during this last legislative session build his record for primary electorate could end up hurting him in the general election and his chief rival, his former mentor and ally donald trump is making the same argument. >> who do you think democrats should be most afraid of in the republican field for president? >> conventional wisdom is a new fresh republican face that can bring in new people to the republican coalition that will not scare away critical suburban

swing voters is the most dangerous type of candidate for president biden because it would be a huge contrast in terms of age, in terms of generational differences. can ron desantis be that candidate? it did seem that way six months ago. now he does seem more human. his feet are certainly on the ground. in these first few weeks of the campaign it is going to be critical for him to prove himself again and to show he can be that the public and candidate that consolidates republican support, brings republicans together and can also reach to the left and bring in some swing voters and maybe some moderate democrats into the republican coalition. >> former congressman carlos curbelo. we will keep in touch with you over this interesting election season. >> thank you. ♪

>> afghanistan is facing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. nearly two years since the taliban took power, afghans are facing extreme levels of poverty and many are dependent on aid for their very survival. the tele-bands crackdown on women makes delivering that crucial help even harder. the taliban's takeover of afghanistan has hurt many but their role has cut women the deepest. most of those in this factory try to earn a meager living as tailors that it is a far cry from what they dreamed of before. she used to be a law student at kabul university. >> the worst situation is when your dreams are shattered and you are punished for being a woman. we are not even allowed to study and get educated. >> what women are allowed to do in today's afghanistan

depends on the taliban strict interpretation of islamic law here they are barred from public spaces and most forms of employment. they cannot go to school beyond sixth grade. those to recently they are barred from working for any ngo's including the u.n. this has upended their lives but also those of the afghans whose survival depends on the delivery of humanitarian aid. >> let me be crystal clear. we will never be silent in the face of unprecedented systemic attacks on women and girls rights should >> experts tell pbs newshour u.n. agencies are divided on the best path forward. in some cases they have resumed mail only operations. we spoke to one u.n. worker. she asked to remain anonymous for fear of losing her job. >> the only person who financial support their family. if they cannot work, sal can they support their financia --

so how come they support their family financially? i cannot expre totally what we are feeling. every girl, every woman, they lost their hope. they cannot educate. they cannot go to the courses. they cannot go to the parks. all the time they are at home which really depressed everyone. >> meanwhile the humanitarian crisis in the country is worsening killed by drought and a cratered economy. 97% of afghans live in extreme poverty. earlier this year the u.n. launched an appeal for $4.6 billion but that remains largely unfunded. foreign aid groups like the norwegian refugee council are calling on the tele-band to lift restrictions so they can continue to deliver humanitarian assistance. the nrc secretary met with key taliban officials this week to tried to press them to reverse the ban. i spoke with him earlier today

from kabul. thank you so much for being here. it has been almost two years since the taliban took over. we know that conditions are worsening in afghanistan. can you give us a sense of the humanitarian situation? >> it is beyond catastrophic. it is very strange there is not more of a limelight on afghanistan because we are probably having the highest number of people in need of humanitarian aid in the world. 28 to 30 million people need help. millions and millions are acutely malnourished. i'm talking about children breast-feeding mothers. it is beyond belief. the suffering and at the same time we have problems in accessing populations because of the ban on female workers and we have donors who are turning their back to afghanistan. >> can you explain why the ban

on women working for organizations like yours makes it hard to do your work in afghanistan? >> two reasons. first is we cannot work without women because according to the afghan tradition long before the taliban, men could not really contact, work with women outside the family. so when they say to us, work with men only, the men cannot go to the widows, to single mother led households and so on. we would not do good work. so we would not cast aside half of our workforce. what kind of a precedent with that with that -- with that said for afghanistan and other countries that may contemplate that? we must start to work the day after christmas one this band came. little by little we have been

able to get exceptions so now we are back to three quarters of an operation of what we had at the end of last year. we should have a much bigger operation because the needs are growing. >> you recently met with taliban officials. we know the taliban is an atomized organization but do you have any sense the leadership in konta harder or kabul actually has control over the entire country? >> i think yes, it is haps a more coherent movement then we believe. it is very clear they disagree on a number of things. ministers in kabul where i am now disagree with a decision made by the mere in konta harder which was a ban on females working in organizations and higher education. beyond primary school for girls and women. they say we disagree.

>> u.n. secretary general antonio guterres referred to with the taliban is doing as gender-based apartheid. i wonder, do you share that characterization and in your conversations with taliban leadership, do you have any sense it will modify those positions idle? -- those positions at all? >> i agree. colette apartheid, call it a green just systematic gender discrimination. when i talked to my female colleagues, they say they took away cultural activities for us. they took away education for our daughters and they took our work. the hopelessness is heartbreaking. at the same time, it is possible for us little by little to operate. when i met with the female staff today, a majority of them have been involved in some kind of work we have exemptions for education, health work. we have activities in some

provinces. some can work from home and go to the field but not to the office etc. but they also told me however was they are very disappointed with the western donors who gave phenomenal promises and where are they now they ask. we see donors funding dwindling and that is why we, nrc, have had to lay off male and female staff. . it is not the taliban. it is the donor cuts that for stuff to lay off work. i came out of kandahar with promises of guidelines soon that could enable the national band to be lifted. and specific agreement in kandahar which is one of the most conservative places in afghanistan foreign -- afghanistan that would allow females to come back and work for afghanistan.

>> on donors pulling back their aid, when you talk to the donors, how do they justify that to you given the extent of the need? >> many of these are female ministers of development who say how can we find a country with that kind of regime that systematically trapped on the rights of women? we need to hold money back. but my point is we are then politicizing humanitarian relief . it is not going to taliban soldiers or leaders. this is going to women and children. it is the misconstrued belief you are punishing the taliban when you are really undermining very poor people. >> someone who has dedicated their career to commence hearing issues like you have, i don't want to put words in your mouth but this has got to feel like a frustrating or infuriating circumstance.

>> absolutely heartbreaking. first time in afghanistan during the previous taliban regime where we tried also at that time to get girls education going. we could not. then came the 20 plus years of nato american led operations. trillions spent on a failed military campaign. now seeing the lack of interest, it is ukraine morning, evening. of course it is now for all of us sudan etc. we cannot go away from the 40 million civilians home they left behind. we did not leave. we are here still. they left behind 40 million civilians. and went for the door in august two years ago. >> the norwegian refugee council. thank you for being here. >> thank you. ♪

>> there is a new series out this month about traveling the wide world looking for the happiest places on earth. you may be surprised by the travel guide. amen many know as being stuck in an office. geoff bennett caught up with actor ren wilson to discuss his journey. it is part of our arts and culture series, canvas. >> let's do this. i do not want to be this cold. >> wilson troubles far and wide from iceland -- >> i am scared. >> your only goal is to go in this ocean and surrender. do you know what you have just done? >> to ghana. >> ready to start with a clean mind. open mind and no experience. >> and beyond in this six part series called rain wilson and the geography of bliss. wilson is recognizable to many as to which fruit from the office, the critically acclaimed

mockumentary sitcom series that ran from nine series on nbc. over the years, he has taken on other projects from films such as juno to more recently weird, the al jankovic story. while he continued the comedic work, he also turned inward asking bigger life questions through a media company he founded called soul pancake and with a book released this spring . soul boom, why we need a spiritual revolution. ren wilson joined me from a recording studio to explain why he literally took the plunge. with this new series you wanted to find the key to inner happiness and you went around the world looking for it. what did you discover? >> iceland, ghana, west africa, bulgaria and thailand and back to los angeles to see if i could take it i found about bliss, joy, happiness, well-being and apply it to my life back home.

tell boil it all down, it is not any great mystery. the thing i came away with in my heart about finding bliss is it is all about connection. it is all about counity. it is not a big surprise. the people that were the most vital and lived the most meaningful lives did so in relationship with others. >> it is interesting, i use the word happiness and use the word blessed. you see a difference between the two things? >> personally i have a problem with the word happiness. happiness is a result of certain things being in place. you lick an ice cream crown and a butterfly went on her shoulder and you feel happy. the next day you can lick ice can cone and wait for a butterfly and feel miserable and anxious and worried about the next day. so what her actions you can take in your life? what are initiatives you can take what is an outlook you can

shift, a perspective to tweak in order to achieve what experts in the field call well-being? that sense of being connected, grounded, joyful and alive and vibrant on the inside. >> in the series you lay bare your personal challenges publicly. how did you feel about that initially? was there any reservation? >> maybe i have just been in therapy for too long. i have no problem talking about my struggles, my issues, my traumas. difficulties i have had. i talk about my anxiety disorder and depression and other issues. for me, this journey was a personal journey as well as anything else. . i wanted to find out some of these answers. we americans can be a little arrogant sometimes. maybe we have something to learn from the people of ghana and the people of thailand. and the people of iceland. and i was excited to try that

out both on myself as kind of a guinea pig and to share my findings. >> traveling to find contentment or bliss is not something most people can do. based on your travels, how can people find that closer to home or within? >> what we are trying to say on the show is not the travel is going to make you happy but what can we learn from other cultures we can apply at home. i think that there is a wealth of evidence out there for all kinds of things we are discovering. in iceland i did a cold plunge in the arctic ocean with a group of powerful amazing viking women that every morning they sing songs and hold hands and they walk into the arctic ocean. cold plunge therapy is something you can do at home. you can do it in your shower. you don't need to have a fancy cold plunge to do it. the vikings have been doing it for thousands of years. >> there is a spiritual thread throughout your recent work. you have a book calling for a

spiritual revolution. the book is called soul boom. right that we as a culture have discounted spirituality. we have moved away from faith. we have moved away from the sacred and we need to return to it. tell me more about that. >> the thesis of the book is we have thrown the spiritual baby out the religious bathwater. in western culture especially in big-city america we have so uniformly rejected religion for a lot of times very good reasons. we have suffered a lot of trauma at the hands of religion. some terrible acts of barbarity have been done in the name of in a loving god. i understand why people have left but there are spiritual tools at the foundation of all the world's great faith traditions we can draw from. that can transform our lives and more importantly we can use to help transform our society.

>> how does being spiritual, being faithful translate to the work you do in hollywood? >> that is a great question. they are often at odds but i do feel in the spirit of the divine creator, creative force that pulses through every molecule in this physical plane and an infinite another of -- infinite number of other planes pass this one, the active entertaining can be a service and i think people that have loved and watched the office for decades now file great sense of peace and calm and serenity in the watching of the show and it uplifts their hearts and souls and i get to be a part of that so there is a service element the central element of creating something where there is nothing, being an artist where there is a blank page, a stage, a silent room and you get to be part of creating something beautiful, rich in magical. -- rich and magical. i think that is a divine process . i ink there is a sacredness and sublimity to it.

>> i had never thought of it in that way that the work you do as an actor in some ways is a ministry. to lots of people you will be forever associated with your standup character on the office, dwight shrewd. as you see it, is that a blessing or a burden? >> a little bit of both. i've played dozens of roles before i played dwight. i played a good dozen or more since i finished playing dwight. that is the one that has found a nerve with audiences and they love me for it and listen, i am so grateful. i would not have been able to write a book that has opened so many doors for me. >> a pleasure to speak with you. thanks for your time. >> thanks for having me. real pleasure. ♪ >> when we talk about climate change, one major issue that is often overlooked is agriculture. science correspondent miles o'brien is focusing on that topic in a special livestream on our website. miles is here with a quick

preview joining us from the university of illinois at urbana-champaign. tell us about what we can expect tonight. >> we are at the university of illinois are been a champagne. we are sitting on some of the most productive soil in the world and we are going to take a deep dive looking at what agriculture can do to adapt climate change. how it might be able to mitigate climate change and all the while continuing its production. we are expecting 10 billion people on the planet by 2050 and it will be a warmer climate cared how can they thread the needle on all those problems? it is extremely complex. we are going to take a deep dive with experts including the head of the senate agriculture committee senator debbie stabenow. we are in the midst of the farm bill. join us on the live stream after the broadcast. >> you can join that stream right now at pbs.org/newshour.

and that is the newshour for tonight. i'm william brangham. >> and i'm almond a vase in uvalde, texas where a community will gather later tonight to rumor the 21 lives lost in mass shooting right here one year ago. we want to thank the residents and families of uvalde for welcoming us back to town and free speaking to us even as they grieve. they have asked us to ask you not to forget what happened here. for all of us at the pbs newshour, thank you for joining us. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by -- the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. and friends of the newshour including jim and nancy building are and kathy and paul anderson. >> q nod is a proud supporter of public television. on a voyage with q nod, the voyage awaits. a world of flavor, diverse

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