♪ ♪ narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is provided by... woman: architect. bee keeper. mentor. a raymond james financial advisor tailors advice to help you live your life. life well planned. narrator: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. nouncer: and now, "bbc news".

♪ >> i'm sulli so a scholar in washington and this is "bbc world news america." a former u.s. marine freed from russia in a prisoner swap injured fighting in ukraine. the biden administration aims a new national monument to honor emmett till. we speak to his cousin about his legacy. ahead of the paris olympics, the city is ending up the senne. making it clean for swimmers in the -- for the first time in a century. ♪ welcome to "world news america." we have two major stories on the ongoing war in ukraine. former marine detained in russia and freed in a prisoner swap last year has been injured while fighting in ukraine.

cbs news confirmed that trevor reed suffered a laceration to an extremity and is being treated at a military facility in germany. in april of 2022 he was freed by russia in a prisoner swap. he had been convicted in russia in 2019 of endangering the lives of two police officers during a visit to moscow. cbs news confirmed he was scheduled to begin studying at georgetown university in washington, d.c. next month. the u.s. has announced a new aid package for ukraine totaling $400 million. the department of defense announced the aid, including air defense, armored vehicles, and small drones. marking the 43rd security assistance package approved by the u.s. for ukraine and since the invasion the u.s. has provided or than 43 billion dollars in military aid to ukraine. now into another big international story today.

chinesstate media reporting that the chinese foreign minister has been removed from his post after less than seven months on the job. officials have previously blamed health problems for his disappearance. our china correspondent send this update from beijing. >> this is of course absolutely massive news in china. yet in typical fashion it came in such a muted way, with just a few sentences read out from the evening television news bulletin, the foreign minister was to be removed from his post and replaced by the communist party's senior foreign affairs official. someone who has done the job before. for the chinese people, that's all they get and i suppose it is just for them to accept it. that's the idea. the government made the decision , your foreign minister is gone.

he's gone, no explanation as to why. the interesting thing though is how somebody seen as being so close to xi jinping, appointed by xi jinping only half a year ago, could so quickly have been removed from this post. and because of the opaque nature of governance here, all manner of questions are being asked about this. i mean, he disappeared and sort of wasn't showing up for his normal duties about a month ago in the official explanation was health reasons. as the weeks went on and he wasn't reappearing, people started speculating maybe it's some sort of political punishment for him. then online the rumors started spreading about him having had an affair with a television presenter and that she also had disappeared. course it could be a combination

of those two things as well. his enemies in the party could be using an extramarital aair to get him >> here in washington the select committee on china is looking into u.s. investments into chinese technology companies. the committee sent letters to four capital firms expressing concerns over investments in quantum computing and other advanced technologies. we spoke to the ranking member of the commiee about the investigation. congressman, great to have you with us in the studio. the house select committee on china has been looking into u.s. venture capital firms investing in chinese tech around ai and military applications. what are the investments that most concern you? >> ai, quantum computing, semi

conductors. we have found that some of those companies that american venture capital firms have invested in are also involved in military civil fusion endeavors as well as endeavors to crack down on the uighurs or to surveilled people or dissidents. we don't want our money going into ventures that can harm our interests or values. >> what about u.s. national security, what's the exact concern there? >> regarding our national security interest, some of that ai and semi conductor technology is going into like hypersonic missiles or their nuclear program or into other ways that kind of harm ournterests. we want to be careful about that, too. >> what are these companies saying about these investments? >> some are responding, others say that those people who made the investments left along long time ago. some saying they've exited from

those investments completely. we are still gathering the information. it's done on a voluntary basis right now but we are looking forward to further cooperation from them. >> the larger policy landscape, the white house is considering an executive order restricting investment in semi conductors, quantum computing, and we have seen two senators working on legislation to track investment in china. bob casey said that as a matter of national economic security we need greater insight intwhich critical technological capabilities have been moved overseas and at what scale. are you concerned that these competing initiatives, the white house with one approach, senators with another, they might not create big bureaucratic hurdles for american companies looking to invest abroad? >> first of all this is one of those areas where there is bicameral bipartisanship. republicans and democrats in the

house and senate working along with the white house on what is kind of sensible legislation policy going forward. i think that's a good thing. but yes we don't want a situation where we create confusion or regulatory hurdles that make it more difficult to understand what you should ensure doing. we need to be cautious about that. laura: how can that be done -- >> how can that be done? >> we have to make sure for instance that we are consulting with the white house on what they think is the right path forward. we are also consulting with the senate. i think it's fair to say that committees of jurisdiction in the house and senate are working together on this and the white house is obviously giving its input so that we can hopefully come up with something sensible. >> we've seen the news about the foreign minister in china being replaced after not being seen for a month. what does this mean for u.s.

efforts to stabilize a relationship with china? >> that's a good question. although the person who was just removed also was a kind of wolf warrior diplomat. extremely hawkish in his tone towards the united states. if his replacement is a little bit less hawkish, it might be a good thing. but we don't know yet how the policy is going to change. yi is an able diplomat and highly trusted by xi jinping. i'm not sure that there will be big changes but i think that it all illustrates the opacity and lack of transparency from the chinese government and how you just don't know what the heck is going on sometimes within the ccp. it's not exactly a liberal democratic organization. >> the white house confirmed today that trevor reid, freed from russia last year, was injured while fighting in

ukraine. the white house had warned u.s. citizens about the risks of getting involved in fighting in ukraine. is it appropriate for him to be fighting there? >> individual american citizens felt so strongly he'll so strongly about the war in ukraine that they are, they are going to go and do what their heart commands. i don't think we are going to be able to stop that. we obviously have our travel advisories in place which kind of urge caution, but at the same time we have a tremendous amount of passion behind the positions supporting ukraine. even in places like my own constituency, which has a huge ukrainian american population. >> congressman i also want to ask you about president biden announcing the establishment of a national monument to emmett till in illinois and mississippi.

what does it mean for illinois? >> emmett till was from chicago and murdered in august of 1965 when he was just visiting his family down south. as you know, his mother, after his murder, made the courageous decision to have an open casket in chicago during his funeral so that the world could see how this mob had so disfigured her son out of hatred. in some ways it catalyzed the civil rights movement. it shocked the conscience of the nation that such discrimination, bigotry, and prejudice could lead to the death of this young boy in this manner. i think it is very important, obviously, for illinois, where the family is from. but also the south. contrast that with what you are seeing in florida where they are

actually passing laws that say it's ok to teach children in florida that slavery somehow benefited african-americans. you will see the significance of reminding people of the history of what has happened to african-americans in this country. >> congressman, thank you for joining us. president biden, as you heard, dedicating this monument to emmett till in his mother. attended by members of his family and civil rights leaders. a black teenager whoseynching in the 1950's consolidated the civil rights movement. the 14-year-old was tortured, murdered, body dumped in a river in mississippi after a white shopkeeper said that he whistled at her. no one was ever arrested. the monument will also be dedicated to emmett till's mother who campaigned for justice. it will cover three separate sites in two site -- states.

one in chicago, illinois he was from. and two sites in mississippi, one where his body was found in another site at the courthouse where his killers were acquitted in 1955. they later confessed to the murder. earlier i spoke with deborah watts, the cofounder of the emmett till legacy foundation. deborah, thank you for joining us in our studio. what does the emmett till and made me till national monument mean to you? >> that the story, the name, the sacrifices, the nature in which he was murdered, that that story will be told. that those places that are being preserved will be protected. they are a parof the journey from the life and legacy of emmett till and his mother. it's so important that our american history has this piece

and moment in time as one that we can all remember. so it's a sad story. it's a story of pain. but from what i call from tragedy to triumph. where we sit today. but we want to make sure that people remember him, remember the sacrifice, understand the story and the truth behind it. that is what this means today for me and my family. >> at the ceremony president biden said this. "only with truth comes healing, justice, repair, and a step towards forming a more perfect union. is this a step towards healing and justice? well i think to be very honest with you, healing is going to require a lot. we just got a bill passed in minnesota called the emmett till victim recovery program. meaning that there needs to be

an intentional piece of therapy targeted towards impacted families. including ours. so that does need to happen. we can't ignore that. that is an important piece. >> what should it look like? >> in terms of the therapy? professional. people with an opportunity to share their rall pain and have that opportunity to be in that journey towards healing. it's going to be a journey for many families. my family along with others. but i think it is towards that, it helps towards that. but justice, there is nothing you can compare to having true justice. that did not happen in the case of emmett till in terms of the reality from a judicial perspective. but we try to turn our tragedy into triumph. that means that we are still going to be on this struggle towards truth, justice, and

accountability, working with other impacted families as well. maybe we didn't get the justice we were trying to achieve, but it means we still have a lot of work to do in this country and we will be comtted to making that happen. >> how does today impact that? >> today is beginning. it's long overdue that his name is closed down in history the way it's going to go down today. that is a permanent peace i think that we could not have imagined, actually. but it also means that the story will be told. that the journey he was on, which includes additional sites in addition to what happened in chicago, roberts temple and the other sites they have. in fact we are going to be on that journey in august, the 68th anniversary of his murder. we are actually taking people on a truth, tears, truth, terror

educational tour to visit those sites and others. >> the president and the ceremony talked about the banning of books and burying of history in the country and said the country has a long way to go to achieve racial justice. do you agree? >> i do agree, absolutely. the banning of books is trying to erase part of our true history and nature in america. and we need to, i think, fight for the truth to be told and also fight for a way forward. if we don't deal with that history, the raw history, there is nowhere for us to go. so that can't be erased. banning books is not the way to go. one of the things i often think about, that is how i learned about my own history. i didn't learn in school, unfortunately. but i learned at the seat of my great-grandparents. i learned at my church with different organizations.

so i think that that means all of us have a role to play in order to make sure the truth is told about our history and that we have a way to move forward. we cannot move forward unless we understand where we have been and our youth have to be a part of the telling of those stories. like my great-grandchildren are. >> last year the emmett till anti-lynching bill was passed and it gave you in your family time to exhale, you said at the time. what else do you want to see from government stakeholders in terms of honoring their legacy? >> the true story and full complement of the story needs to be told. more people need to know about mimi till mobley and her sacrifice. doing some of the tremendous things she did. we have a wonderful opportunity to make sure young people understand that. then i think that the additional sites that are a part of the

journey need to have recognition as well. also, having people join us on these anniversaries. it gives us an opportunity to talk about what happened and use our authentic voices and platforms and join up with other groups and organizations so that they can carry the story forward and also connecting with young people. it's so important that we, wherever we are in whatever walk of life we are in, that they are understanding our journey and understanding how they can play a part moving forward as well. >> thank you so much for sharing your perspective with us. >> thank you for having me, i appreciate it. >> backlashes in israel continue after judicial reforms were passed that were seen as a power grab by benjamin netanyahu. public objections continue. major israeli newspapers printed

an all-black front page ad. critics of the bill worry that it weakens the supreme court ability to review decisions that endanger democracy. tuesday the israeli medical association called for a 24 hour strike but a court ordered the doctors union back to work. doctors complied but said they would not remain silent. protest leaders report that growing numbers of military reservists would not report for duty. the israeli military took its first known disciplinary action over the protest thursday, finding a reservist and giving another i suspended jail sentence. two pilots in greece have died after their plane crashed while battling wildfires. a government minister said that emergency teams are still fighting flames nonstop. they were trying to put out the flames north of athens when the plane smashed into a hillside. wildfires continue to rage on several greek islands. rhodes is the worst hit as they

are on their way to rescue stranded tourists. >> here we are in southern rhodes. that's a wildfire that is spreading. firefighters have said it's the biggest concern they have right now. this area here. this is southern rhodes where it's happening and it's difficult for firefighters to respond to. we have seen water bombers come several times around here and the fire truck is clearly trying to respond as well but the weather conditions are so difficult. we have been watching the wind literally fan the flames. they were not disclosed before but they are now. remember, this is southern rhodes. officials have been calling this localized. but of course, this is why the greek prime minister and officials have been saying that there will be a hard time the next few days. with the difficulty that firefighters are having with

rising temperatures and these weather conditions, clearly not over. >> the eldest son of lebron james in stable condition after stop -- suffering a cardiac arrest during a basketball practice. he was practicing with his teammates in los angeles when he collapsed on the court. he was taken to the hospital but is now out of intensive care. the incident comes after a number of incidents this year among young athletes. last year one of his teammates at southern california suffered cardiac arrest. the issue was brought to international attention after american football player damar hamlin suffered cardiac arrest during a nationally televised game. after news broke of this cardiac arrest, var hamlin -- damar hamlin tweeted his support. polluted rivers running through major cities. in paris officials are cleaning up the river senne, making it fit for swimmers for the first

time in a century and in time for the upcoming olympics. >> one year from the paris olympics and here's a bit of a taste. a diving competition. you could say they are testing the water. it's more than 80 years since there have been competitive events in the riv senne. it wasn't just that swimming in the old one was illegal, no one in their right mind would have taken the risk. and now? >> don't drink it too much. but now you see, it's beautiful water. ♪ >> the story of paris is also the story of the senne. over a century thanks to industry and human waste, it became little more than a picturesque channel. the turnaround began 20 or 30 years ago and now, regular tests carried out by the city show

bacterial levels well within safety norms. it has taken time, commitment, and a lot of money. and here just by the station is the result in concrete. if you want an idea of the scale of the effort the french are putting into cleaning up the river senne, take a look at this. a depth of 20 olympic swimming pools, a massive underground reservoir that is for storing stormwater. runoff from heavy rain that can otherwise carry human sewage into the river. operational next year, it will make it safe for swimming not just at the olympics but afterwards for the paris public. >> they see them coming into the river and swimming without any health problems. they will be confident to go themselves in the river. that is the legacy of the games.

>> life in all its forms, returning. catfish, one of the 35 or so types of fish that can be found in paris. in the 70's anglers reported just three species surviving. >> not just the fish but aquatic insects. jellyfish. shrimp. crab. sponges. a lot of life. >> for nearly 100 years scenes like this have been banned. now with the olympics around the corner, humans are coming back to the senne. bbc news, paris. >> remember, you can find more on all of the days news at our website, bbc.com. to see what we are working on at any time, check us out on instagram and twitter. thank you for watching "world news america." ♪

narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is provided by... narrator: financial services firm, raymond james. narrator: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. ♪ ♪

introducing a technological achievement so advanced... it rivals the moon landing. wow! ok. rude.

that's one sml step for man. one giant leap for mankind. ♪ william: good evening. i'm william brangham amna nawaz and geoff bennett are away. on the "newshour" tonight, climate change is a definitive factor in the heat wave gripping much of the world, as another study provides further proof of the human impact on our warming planet. uncertainty abounds at the border after a judge blocks a key part of the biden administration's asylum policy, and texas refuses to remove floating barriers in the rio grande. plus, on the front lines in ukraine, the grinding counter-offensive continues with incremental progress, as soldiers and medics face the horrors of war. >> with time, you understand that you need to tune out and do your job very calmly. because on how composed you are, a person's life depends.