♪ >> good evening. tonight, former president donald trump is arranged in that are ordered following his indictment on the january 6 insurrection case. former attorney general bill barr gives an insiders take on this latest indictment. >> the abuse was after the election. >> four years after a mass shooting killed almost two dozen people in el paso, two people affected by the tragedy reflect on gun violence and grief. ♪ >> major funding for the pbs

newshour been provided by -- >> pediatric surgeon, volunteer, topiary artist. at raymond james financial, we tailor advice to help you live your life. life well planned. ♪ >> the kendeda fund. carnegie corporation of new york, supporting innovations in education, democratic engagement, and international peace and security. and with ongoing support of these individuals and institutions.

♪ this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and contributions from viewers like you. thank you. ♪ >> welcome. it has become a familiar sight. for the third time this year, donald trump was arraigned on criminal charges. today he was in federal court in washington just a few blocks from the u.s. capitol, where a mob of supporters rioted on january 6. in the same house where hundreds of participants in that attack have also appeared as defendants. he plead not guilty to four felonies related to efforts to

overturn the 20 election and remain in power. among them, conspiracy to defraud the united states, obstruction of a general proceeding, and conspiracy against the right to vote. he spoke to reporters after his appearance today. >> when you look at what is happening, this is a persecution of a political opponent. this was never supposed to happen in america. this is the persecution of the person that is leading by substantial numbers in the republican primary and leading biden by a lot. if you cannot beat him, you persecute or prosecute. we cannot let this happen. >> cameras were not allowed in the courtroom, but a handful of reporters were given access. she is a justice correspondent for mvr and joins us now from the courthouse. thank you so much for being with us. you are in the overflow room area give us a sense of how the proceedings unfolded and what did you make out of his demeanor? >> we were all waiting most of

the day for this proceeding to start. it started a little bit late. the former president entered through the back of the courtroom. he seemed pretty somber. he spent a lot of time talking with his attorneys. when the judge took the bench, he talked about his name and his age and he took an oath to tell the truth and answer questions. it was quite a remarkable moment when the clerk called out the case, the united states against donald trump. justice away from the u.s. capitol. >> the magistrate told him to not commit a crime or tamper with the jury. is that right? >> the judge said he would be

released on limited conditions. don't talk with people you might think are witnesses. he paid close attention to the judge and followed along with what she was saying. >> is attorney said the government had years to investigate and bring this case. tell us more about that and how the judge responded. >> the prosecutors for the special counsel wanted to pick the best available dates.

they are ready to start. he says he is not aware of the magnitude of the evidence of this case. there could be reams of evidence. he thinks it might be absurd to follow a speedy trial. he said he wants trump to get a fair tri, not a fast one. the magistrate judge said she could guarantee he would get a fair trial. >> we have a date for the next hearing in this case. that is just a few weeks away. i suggest to me that this will be a speedy trial. >> the longtime public defender -- defender is no-nonsense. she will preside over t next hearing.

the open question is trump already faces trial. he is set for trial in may of 2024 for the mar-a-lago documents, the alleged classified documents found at his resort. it is hard to see when they can schedule that. more will become clear by the end of the month. >> as you mentioned, he is facing three different trials. he is obviously running for president again. has his legal team said how they intend to handle all of this? >> i think their strategy is to delay as much as possible. i am not at all sure.

if he wins the election and becomes the president again, he could pardon himself or direct is the attorney general to give it these cases altogether. >> so grateful to have you in the courtroom. >> my pleasure. ♪ >> a federal judge formally impose the death penalty on the gunman who read out the worst attack on jews in u.s. history. he killed 11 people at the tree of life synagogue in pittsburgh in 2018. he never expressed any remorse. before the sentencing today, the district judge told the court that there is nothing i can say to him that might be meaningful.

the u.s. military is said to be considering a major new move to stop iran from seizing commercial ships in the persian gulf. officials are considering putting armed troops on civilian vessels as tensions increase. the pentagon has already sent more warships and planes to the region. in niger, thousands of people had a rally supporting last week's military coup. protesters denounced a west african regional bloc that had condemned the coup. >> the people are coming. we are going to demonstrate to all of them that we are the process of freeing ourselves. >> the crowd also demanded that french and other foreign forces leave the country. france dismissed that idea but

said it has finished evacuating more than 1000 civilians. the u.s. is also ordered its nonessential embassy personnel to leave the country. a man in south korea drove a car onto a crowded sidewalk today, injuring five people. he then jumped out and stabbed nine more people. local reports say one person died. it happened in a shopping mall. the onset that the five suspect was arrested at the scene. police said it was terrorism. more than 40,000 people are attending. most of them are teenage scouts. 600 people have been treated for heat exhaustion and the first couple of days. thousands of military doctors and nurses have been deployed to help treat nations suffering -- patient suffering headaches, dizzy, and nausea. >> to prepare for more patients

with the related illnesses, we are going to install more air-conditioners. there are already air-conditioners in place but we feel we need more in this heat. >> the scout jamboree runs through august 14. back in this country, daytime temperatures in phoenix of topped 110 degrees again after break that lasted a couple of days. it could stay that way for the next 10 days. phoenix effort to 31 straight days of readings over 110 before this week. texas a&m university announced a $1 million settlement to date with a black journalism professor. they had agreed to fire him but he said critics of her support for diversity and inclusion got it reduced. and then rejected. stocks on wall street had losses after wednesday selloff. the dow jones industrial average

slipped 66 points. the nasdaq fell 13 points. the s&p 500 was down 11. still to come, rising hospitalization points to another summer surge in covid. a wildfire in the mojave desert threatens california's iconic joshua trees. and there is much more. ♪ >> this is the pbs newshour from our studios in washington and in the west from the walter concord school of journalism at arizona state university. >> former president donald trump returned to washington today to face a federal judge on charges over his efforts to stay in power. i spoke with his former attorney general, bill barr, earlier today about the historical legal cases boss is now facing as well as his new memoir out in paperback.

thank you so much for being with us. this is his third arrest in four months. in your mind, what sets this case aside -- apart? >> this case is a more serious case. i don't think alvin bragg's case is a legitimate case. that is a political hit. but this case is the most serious of the cases. the conduct involved trying to subvert and prevent the progress, the execution of probably the most important assets and proceeding we have and are country, which is the peaceful transfer of power after an election. what is being alleges that he knew that he lost the election, he knew the claims of a stolen

election or false, and yet he decided he would try to stay in office twice of hurting that process. by putting out misinformation but more important, by putting out these false panels of electors and presenting them to congress and tracked as the vice president to make these decisions to suppress the legitimate votes. that was outrages. putting aside whether it is criminal or not, i do not see how the republican party can nominate someone who is capable of doing that. >> in your book you catalogued the chaos at the end of his time in office. you have unique access to him. did he know he was lying about the election? >> initially i could not tell. he did not appeal -- appear to cancer -- care about the

answers. he kept on repeating them. he did not appear to care about the facts. i have come to believe he knew he lost the election. his own campaign was telling him that. i was concerned at the time that maybe his campaign was feeding some of the stuff to him. on the contrary, i think everybody was telling him that he lost. >> there are republicans who have disparaged as cases being politically motivated. how do you see it? was an indictment warranted? >> i think it is a legitimate case. i do not understand the attacks on the department saying it is abusive or weaponized for bringing this case. when someone says this is unfair , there is some other motive, the first question is, was a crime committed?

or is this a case of going after somebody really did not do anything. or stretching the law way beyond where it should be? no, there was very grave wrongdoing here. i think it is reasonable to say that it falls within the discretion -- obstruction of a proceeding. that is not weaponization, that is enforcement of a law. will the case be hard to prove? are there areas where they may not be able to make the case? perhaps. are there some disadvantages for having brought it? i think there are. but i think it is unfair to say this is abuse. the abuse was on after the election and conducted by trump. >> what are the disadvantages that you see in terms of rain this case? >> i think it is a time when there is for mount -- profound feeling where there is two standards for justice.

that is a justified concern. i think to come at the same time you see the mishandling of the hunter biden investigation, i think it will be very hard to persuade people this is not political. i don't think bringing this case is political. but i can understand why would think it is given the understanding of the hunter biden thing. the other is that it helps drop. -- trump. i think that has to be taken into account. if we do not want this stuff happening, i could see why people say we have to prosecute it. but you are making it more likely that he could get back into office. >> what do you make of the job of the attorney general is doing? some people criticize the dod -- doj and say it took too long to

bring this case. >> advocate took that long. i think they were focusing on people who went into the capitol building. the lower level people for a while. i have said publicly that they seem to have decided to do that. that scene article say there was some resistance to the idea of doing that from others in the fbi. i think it was a legitimate investigation to look at what happened on january 6. i would like to know something about what happened. i think garland needs to act swiftly.

i would advise him to pull the issue in and make a decision as to whether it will be a hourly or a misdemeanor. make him explain it. >> the trump legal team is floating their defense. they said it is his right to free speech. you think this line of defense will fight its way into a courtroom? >> i think it will. that is a version of the real issue. the real issue is whether it is possible to impose liability on this case without chilling other

kinds of legitimate speech. i don't think the other stuff here is what she is entitled to do under the first amendment. you don't want to have a fuzzy decision where future campaigns are reluctant to challenge the outcome because someone might accuse me of thiseing crime. i think that's a legitimate concern. i think this indictment was carefully drawn. they will say that they will prove trump new that the election was not stolen. they are focused on deceitful actions. such as submitting false slates of electors. and trying to use them to create the illusion that there was a bona fide dispute within the

state that the vice president could rule on. that was a complete fallacy. he does not have a constitutional right to do that. >> he also said the former president is following the advice of his lawyers, he and john then. how solid a defense is that to you? >> i think that will quickly fall apart. he basically searches around for any lawyer who agrees with his predisposition. he does not get advice and follow it. he looks for a lawyer who will tell him what he wants to hear. he was passing through all the government lawyers and in pain lawyers were telling him no. he finally found this professor, it will be interesting to see what he actually told him. i don't think he necessarily set this is legal and ok. i think he said he might be able

to make an argument for this the courts will accept. we will have to see how he casts it. but there is a big practical hurdle in doing that. he will have to get on the stand to raise that the fans and subject himself to cross-examination. john eastman will have to get on the stand. >> would you ever testify? >> if they call me, of course. i'm hoping i'm not called as a witness. >> why not? >> i have better things to do. [laughter] >> can mr. trump get a fair trial in washington? his legal team is asking for a change of venue. at least they say they are going to do that. they say washington is not politically favorable. >> i feel strongly that the most boring thing is fairness to the individual.

i think this may not be a fair jurisdiction for him given the heat of political sentiment these days. i think that motion is worthy of consideration. i would just point out that in the other case, i thought the justice apartment sought the venue in florida rather than washington and it was moved to an even more favorable jurisdiction. that favors trump. >> it is remarkable how little visibility the american public will have into what you could argue is the most important federal criminal proceeding in u.s. history. only a handful of reporters are allowed into the classroom and the cameras. should an exception be made? should cameras be allowed so the american public and watch it unfold? >> i don't think so. i'm opposed to cameras in court. our life is becoming more like

reality tv. all of the posturing. i would hate to see that happening more and more in boards. >> what did you see an donald trump initially that made you want to serve as his attorney general? >> i did not want to serve as his attorney general. i was actually not interested at all. i had reservations about him. i did not support him initially. but he was elected and i thought he was being unfairly treated and being thwarted from trying to run a normal administration. i felt he was entitled to that. i also saw some good things about him. he was willing to speak lamely, to take on issues other people were afraid to talk about.

he also had the stamina to keep on going on all of these issues and try to eat his election -- keep his election promises. his policies were ones that i agreed with. i went in because i felt we were headed toward a constitutional crisis and i thought i could help stabilize things at the department of justice. >> you were one of his most influential and ardent supporters. have you any second thoughts about that? >> no. i would agree that maybe i was influential.

i was not an artists supporter. i was a member of his cabinet. i realized his deep false. but he was the elected president. people are talking about the weaponization of the department. they start talking about cases where i intervene. i said we were not going to weaponize the department.

in each case, demonstrably, they kicked out treatment that would not have been done in any other case. they asked for sentences higher than what would normally be given written i said no, we are going to leave it to the judge. >> can you make that same case about hunter biden? he is only facing prosecution because he is the president's son. >> those charges, some of them were brought under me. the democrats were constantly beating up the administration for not prosecuting people who live to get their guns area. i said ok, i made it a priority. it is one of the top priorities of the department to prosecute as felonies people who lie on their gun applications. one of the first people was hunter biden. he is brandishing that again in photographs.

he should not be allowed to plead to a misdemeanor. he should be charged with a felony. other people should be charged with felonies and that case. >> you are clear in your book that the gop needs to move on from donald trump, yet he is a dominant years will. is his nomination inevitable? >> i do not think so. i think people are way ahead of themselves. i think he has a hard-core following of about 30% of the republican party. i think there are 20% who tend to support him.

i think that reflects how they instinctively want to do that. it could become a better race. i think that is essential for the future of the republican party. >> you said previously that there will be more shoes to drop. >> i think it will be more evidence. perhaps as we saw in the documents case. evidence of his knowledge. of statements he has made or

other things that would be probative of what his state of mind was. i don't think the department will throw all of evidence away. >> were you questioned by jack smith? >> i will not get into that. >> do you believe it is your duty to speak to him? >> of course. if he asked me to talk to him, i would talk to the special counsel. >> would republicans ever turn away from donald trump that he was to be convicted? >> i think a lot of republicans would. when they see some of the facts that are characteristic of his behavior, they will. unfortunately a lot of them are tolerant of behavior that are

not appropriate for a chief executives. he has a lot of people who follow him stubbornly. one of the interesting things is the people who have worked with him and seen him behind the scenes are not many are supporting. >> i spoke with his attorney last night. i asked if there was any universe in which she would accept a plea deal, and he said no. should he except a plea deal? >> i would not push and to accept a plea deal and i don't think he will. i think the stuff about prison time is hyped. even if he is convicted of both crimes, i don't think he will serve a day in prison. i think you will have a felony record but i think any president, republican or debit,

and any department of justice would cut some kind of deal so you don't have the spectacle of a former president in prison. he is raising money. >> if he is reelected, what would a second term mean for this country? what with the defense look like? the legal advisors who had his year, any of them are now co-conspirators in this indictment. >> i think many of the people he would otherwise turn to will have their law licenses revoked. it'll be interesting to see how he staffs the department of justice. the only way to really talk sense to him would say this will hurt you and your reelection chances. i am concerned that in a second term, he would be off the hook. there will be no way of controlling him and he will surround himself with yes-men.

>> your memoir is now out in paperback. for people who have not read the book, the title, can you quickly explain it? >> it is a story that attorneys general tell. when reagan appointed his, he went to talk to one of his predecessors. he had been in academia. smoked a pipe in ward three jacket. he said tell me about this job? he was expecting to hear this elevated lecture about separation of powers. but he said it is one damn thing after another. that is what attorneys general have told each other since then. >> thank you for coming in. >> thank you. ♪

>> four years ago today a gunman entered a walmart in el paso, fatally shooting 23 people and wounding 22 others. the shooter targeted hispanic shoppers in one of the deadliest attacks in u.s. history. last month, he was sentenced in federal court to 90 consecutive licenses. -- sentences. grief stricken family members read emotional statements in court. we hear from people connected to the tragedy of that day. >> i live in georgia. i am a survivor. >> i lost my brother and his wife in the shooting. >> once we heard the gunshots going on, the first thing that happened was, how many are

there? what was really going on? i left my mother in the meat section and i went to the front and i saw a body laying down with blood. i saw him for some seconds while he was holding the gun. i started shouting. >> my dad got nervous because he knew my brother would be in that area. it turns into a dream. you start hearing things. your mind is trying to process it. one of my brothers friends, his dad was one of the police

officers at the scene. i said please tell me, is my brother alive or dead? he said i just wanted you to know your brother is a hero. he died protecting his family. that is when i realized things were not looking good. >> now the time passes and i have a baby now, it angers me sometimes that there has not been justice yet for us. these type of people are a virus. this is about justice.

i saw him with the weapon. i heard from his mouth what he was saying. he did not care. >> i am against the death penalty. i think that is too easy. i think the punishment is sitting with your thoughts knowing you got arrested. that is the worst punishment a human being can get. i let him know that his actions will not affect the rest of my life. my brother was a very loyal person. he was about to be a great father. the next year my father died as well. it was very depressing. it is something that is let me change my life. >> i am very happy that i'm not

in el paso anymore. it was not helping me to be there. it hurt me to see that walmart. it was too much for me. i changed who i trust now. how i go to stores or restaurants. before i go, i check where the exit doors are. i park somewhere, i look at the license plates area i look at who comes out of the car. my wife considered that i should go and take some courses on how to shoot a gun. i don't like carrying guns. it is not in me. but what is going on, now that i have a baby, now it is not only my protection but my baby protection. >> my nephew is doing really

amazing. he surprises me a lot. he was looking at a photo of his father and crying. he said he missed his father. you see them as children. we need to show them love. they don't want to grow up being full of fear and danger. >> i am still looking for some closure.

that is my culture. ♪ >> signs point to a covid summer surge once again for the fourth consecutive year. infections remain much lower compared to the past. we look at the growing concerns. >> after months of decline, numbers show that reported cases are on the rise.

the cdc says covid deaths are the lowest they have been since they started keeping track. about 400 americans are dying each week. when you hear those numbers, what are they telling you? >> it tells me here we are. yet again. we find ourselves in the middle. we have seen is the past three years. the virus continues to mutate. our protection is waning over time. there are two pieces of good news.

they are starting from low levels. that is helping our hospital systems. some signs are that acceleration is slowing down. >> should people be concerned or are there particular types of people who should be concerned? >> i think it depends on how you define concern. this is deadly causing disruptions in family vacations, which is not on. it is not fun to take care of a sick toddler. those most at risk remain older people and the uncompromised. particular those who have not had their spring booster. >> the white house is a limit of covid coordinator.

as this created a sense that it is all over? >> they are still tracking some metrics. we are in a very different place. i understand the mindset. but we do the public a disservice by saying we must move on. the virus does not care. covid is obviously still here. it will cause disruptions. it is going to cause a lot of people to lose their lives. we and prevent this. we prevent it by removing the gaps for improvement. this is absolutely unacceptable. we still have a lot of work to do in public health.

>> you say that protection is waning. is this feeling that it is over contributing to the low rate of people getting boosters? >> i am very nervous about booster rates. especially going into the fall. for those over 65. last fall, 40% got a covid vaccine. if we compare this to the flu vaccine, 75% of the same population got a new vaccine. that is a disappointing difference. i think we still have a lot of unanswered questions. we know we are getting an updated vaccine. we still don't know who is eligible yet. the cdc will decide that in the next month. it is to be determined to his

eligible this fall. i hope everyone who is gets a vaccine. >> because there are so much concern people about specific advice and tips you might have. masks? >> yes. you should wear them in crowded areas. >> what about at home? if you are walking on the street? >> certainly at home it works if you want to reduce transmission. i would not wear a mask while walking your dog. just be distant of other people. >> home testing? >> that is an incredibly valuable tool. there are a lot of false positives. he sure to retest if you get a negative. >> if you do get a positive, how long should you isolate? >> a lot of people are still

infections. please wear in isolation. the best practice is to test. >> you are a local epidemiologist. thank you very much. >> thank you. ♪ >> firefighters are working to control a massive lays that has swept through the california desert and into nevada. a brief but heavy downpour helps contain efforts. a wildfire of this scale did not used to be common in the hobby desert landscape known for its unique agitation and animal species rated we explore what has already been lost to experts say it is unlikely it will grow back. >> in this part of the mojave desert by the nevada border, smoky skies are not the view

they are used to. >> there is a haze. >> while crews are making progress on containing the fire, major concern among officials and ecologists is the lasting damage to the fragile desert ecosystem, including the trademark -- with trees. he is a science reporter focused on climate change and natural disasters. he said fires of this scale in this region used to be rare. >> everywhere in california cease fire at some point. some of these ecosystems might not see a substantial fire that could clear things out. in a couple of hundred years. >> the mojave desert is known for its unique vegetation and wildlife. >> is a very special place.

the ecosystem is quite diverse. not a large array of trees. a large variety of wildlife. such is the desert tortoise. that is a very unique species. >> there are 10,000 threatened desert tortoises in the region. as well as the iconic joshua trees. experts worry they will not come back after such an intense wildfire. >> when you have a plant that is not fire adapted, the seeds have time to reestablish. they grow three centimeters a year. it takes a long time for them to grow. >> the long-term impacts of those fires on those ecosystems are of great concern to us.

the recovery can take decades if not centuries. depending on the ecosystem. >> experts say climate change is made conditions right. not just hotter summers but wetter winters. >> we are a mediterranean climate. it is supposed to become more extreme as time goes on. what we see is a lot of rain. those plants get crispy quite quickly. they are ready to burn. >> this fire started on private land. there have been no reported human casualties. it is too soon to know how many tortoises or trees might be lost. even more challenging is the path to recovery for this

precious desert ecosystem. ♪ >> an obscure bit of colonial history dating back to a summer night led to a new england town celebrating frogs. we take a leap of whimsy as part of our boards and culture series. >> whether you arrive from the north, south, east, or west, one of the first things to greet you is a large grain base. >> they have a lot of character. >> for big bullfrogs pay -- planted on the bridge. like a concrete lily pad right in front of town.

what is with all the frogs? >> welcome. that is a very popular question. a lot of people say that. >> at the pharmacy, library, the hospital, the local radio station. they honor amphibians. their association with amphibians goes back more than a century. an obscure bit of colonial history. >> it was right in the middle of the french and indian war. people were a bit on edge. there were on a hundred people living in the general area. they heard a noise. it was a hundred yards into the

woods. she was born and raised here. men got up out of their houses. they were arming themselves for an invasion. everyone was fearing for their lives. it is reported that there was a drought here. apparently it was pretty dry. i think they gave up trying to hold territory and did an acquisition strategy. instead of defending territories, they gathered

together to display themselves. >> instead of singing a love song, they were having a primal scream. >> exactly. >> she spent more than 3000 hours were -- recording bullfrogs in the wild. >> this is what it would sound like. there are entire songs. here they start switching. >> she is built a recreation of what they might sound like. >> this is what i think it could potentially have sounded like on the battlefield. so to speak.

>> the story has legs. it became an american legend. banknotes issued injured a frog standing on top of another frog. the local opera house had a musical. it has enjoyed several local revivals. the brewery has an annual hop fast. >> it has been a joke. >> but we are pretty good at laughing at ourselves. >> the bridge is a example. the locals insisted it pay

tribute to their heritage. >> apparently it was pretty embarrassing for the collins back then. but now we look back and laugh. they will patrol the town forever. >> that is the newshour for tonight. thank you for spending part of your evening with us. >> major funding has been provided by -- the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. and friends of the newshour. >> consumer cellular has been offering no contact wireless plans designed to help people do more of what they like.

our customer service team can help find the plan that helps you. >> the ford foundation, working with visionaries on the frontline of social change worldwide. and with the ongoing support of these institutions. and friends of the newshour. this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station by viewers like you. thank you. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] ♪ >>

♪ hello, everyone, and welcome to "amanpour and company." here's what's coming up. >> indictment was unsealed charging donald j. trump with conspiring to defraud the united states, conspiring to disenfranchise voters, and conspiring and attempting to obstruct an official proceeding. >> the united states of america versus donald j. trump. again. what happens now that the former president has been indicted for a third time? this one, for attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 election. we get the legal view with the former federal prosecutor jessica roth. then, how republicans are reacting to the news with presidential candidate joe walsh. and the democratic take, with congressman joe neguse, who

served as