wow, you get to watch all your favorite stuff. it'so die for. now you won't miss a thing. this is the way. the xfinity 10g network. made for streaming. >> good evening. on "the newshour tonight," vast areas of canada burn while maui continues its recovery from wildfires. as the official responsible for

not activating alert sirens resigns. president biden meets with leaders of japan and south korea to shore up alliances amid increasing instability in the pacific. and israel's minister for strategic pairs discusses tumultuous politics at home and his country's diplomatic deal with saudi arabia. >> let's not underestimate the impact that an israeli saudi arabia deal could have and would mean at least the beginning of the end of the arab-israeli conflict. >> major funding for the "pbs newshour" has been provided by the ongoing support of these institutions and individuals. and friends of "the newshour," including jim and nancy build there and kathy and paul anderson. >> the john s. and james l.

knight foundation, fostering an informed and engaged communities. more at kf.org. >> and with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. and friends of "the newshour." this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> good evening and welcome to "the newshour." the impact of wildfires is being felt on two fronts tonight. in maui, residents are trying to rebuild their lives days after fire scorched part of the island as they mourn the many lives

lost. for one city in canada's northwest territories, the fire danger is only just beginning. traffic mind of the only highway out of yellowknife today while other residents packed airports amid urgent orders to evacuate. >> i have never seen anything like it and i have never heard anyone speculate that in my lifetime something like this would happen. >> it is a race against time. wildfire rages just a few miles north of yellowknife, the capital of canada's northwest territories. forecasters say flames could push -- strong wind could push the flames into the city this weekend. more than 51,000 square miles have burned so far, far more than the country's average wildfire season, which typically scorches 9000 square miles. the wildfire danger also spreads to british columbia as a heat wave brings sweltering temperatures. >> this weather event has the potential to be the most

challenging 24 to 48 hours of the summer from a fire perspective. we are expecting significant growth, and we are expecting our resources to be challenged. >> meantime on maui, local authorities face scrutiny after last week's wildfire wiped away the entire town of lahaina, seemingly without warning. >> the sirens, as i mentioned earlier, are used primarily for tsunami's, and that's the reason why. >> maui's emergency services chief, who defended his decision to not sound the alert sirens as the fire raged, resigned overnight, citing health reasons. that is as relief efforts continue. >> it is a touchy situation right now. for us as a community, of course we are happy that we have our homes, but our heart aches because that's our other neighbors and our families.

>> the search for victims continues with more than 1000 people still missing as of this morning. president biden is scheduled to visit the island on monday. vanessa: here are the latest headlines. a category four hurricane brewing over the pacific ocean could weaken and become the first tropical storm to reach southern california in 84 years. it is currently located off mexico's western coast, packing sustained wind of 130 miles per hour. forecasters expect it to weakened by the time it hits southern california sunday, but it could bring heavy rain and flash floods to the state and other parts of the southwest. also parts of the spanish island of tannery for are engulfed in

smoke and fire tonight. it is the worst wildfire the area has seen in decades, burning sites that make it a tourist destination in the canary islands. as fire fighters raised to contain the blaze, nearly 8000 people in the affected regions were left fearing for their homes. >> human lives are more important, but it could have been avoided. we believe not enough has been done. that is the sorrow we have. it is not the material, it is our lives, our roots, the work of our relatives, of our parents. vanessa: russians say they shot down another ukrainian drone over moscow. there were no casualties. meanwhile, the u.s. gave its approval for the netherlands and denmark to deliver f-16 fighter jets to ukraine. it is unclear when they will enter the conflict, but they

could take as long as a year to train the pilots. in washington state tonight, a fast-moving wildfire has burned more than 3000 acres in spokane county with no containment. the fire has destroyed several buildings. the washington national guard is helping to evacuate patients from eastern psychiatric hospital tonight. parts of the county are under at level three leave now evacuation. former first lady rosalynn carter celebrated her 91st birthday today in plains, georgia. the carter center said festivities included cupcakes, peanut butter ice cream, and also releasing butterflies in her garden. mrs. carter is the second oldest presidential spouse in u.s. history. she has been diagnosed with dementia while former president jimmy carter continues to receive hospice care. they are the longest married first couple to date. still to come on "the newshour,"

we examine rising threats against judges, juries, and election workers. also, david brooks and ruth marcus weigh in on the week's political headlines. and a comedian talks about her journey to the stage and her first special. >> this is "the pbs newshour" from weta studios in washington and in the west from walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. geoff: president biden today met with the leaders of japan and south korea at camp david. japan and south korea have long had antagonistic relations, but today's meeting is a new starting point for the two countries. they released cap david principles in which they promised to consult with one another if either felt that her security was threatened. they also to commit -- they also committed to improving military coordination by sharing information about north korean

ballistic missile launches. they will expand trilateral military exercises and establish a three-way hotline for crisis communication. president biden said today's agreements would have long-lasting effects. >> this is a historic meeting, but we are about to lay in place a long-term structure for a relationship that will last and have a phenomenal impact not just in asia but around the world. this is a big deal. this is a big deal. geoff: a big deal, he says. how significant are the new agreements? a professor at the elliott school of international affairs at george washington university focuses on japan and security in asia. welcome back. it is good to have you here. >> thank you for having me on the program. >> these agreements on joint military and technology initiatives come against the backdrop of beijing's growing power. in your view, what impact will

this have? >> first of all, i think it enhances deterrence and coordination among the united states, japan, and south korea to counter the aggressive havey or by china, but there could also be a negative consequence of the camp david summit, and that it is -- it could intensify the consult -- it could intensify the divide between the united states and south korea and japan on the one hand and china, north korea, and russia on the other hand. as a result of camp david, the other trilateral could respond in ways that could actually undermine the security of japan and south korea. geoff: one imagines the annual

joint military exercises between japan and south korea would most anger the chinese government. china just finished its own exercises with russia. how might china respond? >> ok, well, what china will do is most likely engage in gray's own behavior, engage in more military exercises -- engage in great zone behavior, engage in more military exercises in japan's neighborhood with russia and be more of a restraining source with north korea in terms of the development of its nuclear weapons program. the real concern, i think, for japan and south korea is this could lead to a real divide in asia between those countries that seem to be much more dependent on china and the countries in asia that are aligned with the united states.

>> what might this mean for taiwan? because the three countries have an interest in the taiwan strait and the east china sea. >> certainly the camp david statement talked about the importance of peace and stability in the taiwan strait. this is something that the leaders of japan and the united states and others have said in statements, but i think the concert as there might not be any kind of constraining factor in terms of the intensification of tensions across the taiwan strait. i sense that in both japan and south korea, there is a feeling the united states may be overreacting to some of the provocations in china and in so doing, might be exacerbating the

tensions and ultimately increasing the danger of military conflict in the taiwan strait. both seoul and tokyo would be very much interested in having the united states engage in a serious dialogue with china in order to stabilize relations with china and tried to refuse -- try to reduce tensions across the taiwanese strait. geoff: this summit has been a shot in the arm for american diplomacy in asia because the trouble between south korea and japan has sort of been a weak link in washington's efforts in the pacific. why was the moment right now to bring this together, and how was the biden administration able to do it? >> i think major credit has to go to president you. japan and south korea had been locked in tensions regarding the

tight labor force issue. japan insisted the forced labor issue had been resolved in the 1965 normalization process. in the end, president yoon made the bold decision to basically make a dramatic concession to japan and have the south koreans pay for the compensation for victims of forced labor. unfortunately, this has not been a popular decision in south korea. 60% of the south korean public oppose the decision, so i think what president yoon has been trying to do is to move very rapidly to improve security relations with japan as well as the united states to lock in these gains so that they will survive even after his presidential term ends in 2027.

president biden has seized this historic opportunity to move the ball forward by inviting both prime minister kishida and president yoon to camp david. geoff: thank you for your insights this evening. we appreciate it. >> thank you. geoff: top level israeli delegation is in washington to discuss the broad outlines of a once unthinkable agreement between israel and the kingdom of saudi arabia to normalize diplomatic relations. nick: several agreements shepherded by the trump administration between israel and its former adversaries comes another prospect of the biggest price, but at what price for israel, the united states, and saudi arabia? at the same time, unprecedented

upheaval groups israel as benjamin young -- benjamin netanyahu's government looks to restrain the supreme court in what critics say could restrain the nature of democracy. the israeli minister of strategic affairs joins me not to discuss more. welcome. among the topics you are here in washington to discuss is the possible normalization between israel and saudi arabia, which u.s. officials tell me they are prioritizing, hoping in the next year, and part of that would be allowing saudi arabia to have civil nuclear capacity, including enrichment. does the israeli government support that? >> like so many things, the devil is in the details, and we will have to look at what ultimately is agreed upon. you are right, the saudi's have looked at a civilian nuclear program. as signatories of npt, they could go to china or france tomorrow and ask them to set up a civil nuclear program and to allow for domestic enrichment.

they could do that tomorrow if they want to do. the question i ask myself is if the u.s. is involved in this, what will that mean 10, 20, 30 years down the road? and what is the alternative? geoff: it sounds like you are not against it, certainly, and that is not necessarily the policy of the israeli government over the last few decades. there has been a long tradition opposing nuclear expansion in the region named after a prime minister who bombed an iraqi nuclear reactor to prove his doctrine. does this israeli government believed it no longer applies? quick no, it definitely applies. you have countries in the region that can have civilian nuclear power. that is a different story. saudi arabia joining the nuclear club would produce a widening of

nuclear proliferation in the region and other countries would work to acquire uranium enrichment capabilities in their own territory, so what does israel want in exchange for that? >> we are not going to agree to any nuclear weapons program with any of our neighbors. the question becomes what are the safeguards? and what happens if they take another path? let's not underestimate the impact that an israeli/saudi peace agreement could have on the region and the world. i think if you get a saudi-israeli peace, you will have several other arab countries, and muslim countries will follow. >> we also have to deal with palestinians. saudi arabia will demand significant concessions from israel. ending illegal and -- ending illegal settlement activity, expanding the territory under its jurisdiction. >> this may surprise you, but

i'm actually not going to negotiate on pbs. the way we look at this issue, it is not just this or that price range. we would like to ultimately achieve peace with our neighbors. >> studies have made clear there's no peace until these concessions are made. >> i don't think they have been specific about what concessions -- >> i have, which is why i gave you that list. >> i think saudi arabia looks as this move as something that will anchor their alliance with america for a half-century, and i think we both have an interest in seeing if we can get the palestinians on a path which can ultimately lead to political sediment of a conflict. quick these are efforts the prime minister describes, you represent the government coalition that is negotiating with the opposition in the president's house in israel. in the united states, as you know, if the house of representatives by a small majority wants to abuse the rights of a minority, it would pass a law that goes through the

house, through the senate, signed by the president of the united states, goes through the court system. the supreme court as guaranteed by the constitution of israel, if the parliament wants to impose its will on the minority, there's only one check, the israeli supreme court. why are you trying to remove that check? >> we are not trying to remove that check. i can get has been widely misreported. there are many checks the court has. when at law is passed, they can describe if there's a conflict of interest and there's an extra check you don't have in your system here. the judges can decide we don't believe this is reasonable. in israel, you cannot replace the will of the public through their elected representatives with 15 unelected judges to decide this is reasonable or unreasonable. cleanse -- >> since you have been pushing this through, the shekel has lost value, startups

are registering abroad, moody's, s&p have warned about investing in israel and the military in israel have repeatedly warned there is a crisis of readiness because of the features that your reforms have created in society and because reservists are now threatening not to show up, so is that not a failure of leadership by the prime minister? >> no, i don't think so. some of these protesters have crossed lines that should never be crossed, unfortunately. we are a citizen's army in israel. the army never should have been brought into it -- geoff: are you criticizing individual members for protesting at all? >> no, of course not. what i don't think his military reserve or should not come to the government and say if you don't adopt this or that policy, we are going to -- because military reservists have decided they are going to dictate the policy.

the people who make decisions in a democracy are not military reservists or military officials. it is the elected branch of government and that is israel's democratic leaders that have to make that decision. >> next month, the entire 15-judge israeli supreme court will hear an appeal against the law that curves its own powers. >> israel is a country of the rule of law. what is the authority? what is the authority that gives the power to the supreme court to decide to nullify a lot? >> it is also -- will you abide by the court ruling? >> the prime minister put out two principles and set the government should always respect decisions of the supreme court and the supreme court should never be above the law. >> thank you >> thank you.

geoff: after georgia officials announced the fourth indictment of former president trump, threats of violence escalated. our white house correspondent has more on the alarming trend and its impact on civil service. laura: first, it was ruby freeman, a fulton county election worker targeted and smeared by trump and his allies in the aftermath of the 2020 election. the georgia indictment details how members of the enterprise traveled from out of state to harass freeman, intimidate her, and solicit her to falsely confess to election crimes that she did not commit. last week, a racist death threat against the judge presiding over the federal january 6 case led to an arrest. it is a familiar pattern. trump posts tree alec attacks and conspiracies. then his most ardent followers stop or threaten the targets of

those attacks. tammy patrick knows the steaks well. she is a former election worker in maricopa county and now the ceo of programs at the national association for election officials. thank you so much for joining "newshour." ruby freeman and her daughter, who was also an election worker in 2020, have spoken about the impact of that election intimidation on their lives. >> there is nowhere i feel safe. nowhere. do you know how it feels to have the president of the united states to target you? the president of the united states is supposed to represent every american. not to target one. >> it's turned my life upside down. i no longer give out my business card. i don't transfer calls. i don't want anyone knowing my name.

laura: what did you think after you saw the georgia indictment criminalized a harassment that ruby and her daughter face? >> i think it is a much-welcomed response to the situation we are in because unfortunately, for many election administrators, poll workers, and individuals in our community that stepped forward on election day to help their fellow citizens cast their ballot, they are faced with some of these same threats, and although it is extreme to have the president or the former president of the united states attacking you personally, there is still much of this going on to this day, so we need to hold people accountable because it is really creating a problem for the conduct of elections in this country. >> you work with election officials. what are they telling you about the steps they are taking to protect themselves? >> listening to the comments from the election workers in georgia, i'm reminded of stories i hear from electric -- election

officials across the country, stories of them taking their names off the mailbox at the end of the driveway at the family farm where their family has farmed for generations because people have come from out of states and attacked them. individuals who no longer go to the local grocery store. i have to pick up groceries curbside. they used to tell me that they would walk down the streets of their hometowns and felt like they were the pillars of the community, and now they feel like the pariahs because of the attacks, because of the assaults, but i want to be really clear here -- it is not just the election workers. it is not just election officials. it is that are wrens, their families. many get calls, and they say things like, "we know your daughter's bedroom is the second one at the back of the house by this oaktree" or "we know your son walks to school in the morning and goes down 3rd street and then turns on al."

these are the sorts of tactics people are using to intimidate election officials and to try to scare them away from a job and a profession that they love. laura: those are certainly terrifying stories. do you see a through-line between the experiences of ruby freeman and other election workers, as you just mentioned, and the treatment of the jurors and the judges this week? >> we find ourselves in an environment where it has become acceptable for some to leverage what they believe are their first amendment rights to attack others and to formant violence and to intimidate and to threaten others in their official capacity or in the capacity they have been tasked with, if they are a juror or stepping in to serve as a temporary poll worker. this is definitely something that is pervasive. we are seeing it at school board meetings. we are seeing it with poll workers. we are seeing it with jurors, with judges, and we have to understand that this is not the way that a free and fair society

functions, and we need to hold people accountable when they step beyond that line of the first amendment protections and step into the line where they are yelling "fire" in a crowded theater. laura: ruby freeman and her daughter are both no longer election officials, election workers due to their experience. how are those threats, the intimidation's that you just laid out, impacting your ability to recruit future election workers? >> in this moment, it is difficult finding individuals who will run for office that have the right motivations to serve in that office who want to be appointed as county registrar or auditor of elections or supervisor of elections, to serve as a county clerk, but it is also just as critical that we have the hundreds of thousands of individuals that we need to serve at the polling places and to work in the warehouse, to work prior to election day

preparing materials. laura: are you losing institutional knowledge in the administration of elections? >> we absolutely are in a situation where when individuals leave the profession, they take with them oftentimes a lifetime of institutional knowledge, which is hard to get back. one of the challenges in this moment is with that loss of institutional knowledge, we could see the increase of errors, and with those errors occurring, unfortunately, i think it's going to be the case because we saw this in the midterm elections, that any error can be turned and manipulated and leveraged and weaponized as though it is somehow demonstrating that our elections are illegitimate or that they lack integrity when in fact, elections are conducted by people, four people, and errors can happen, and that's why it is important we have

infrastructures in place so when a mistake is done or happens or occurs, that we have a situation where we can step in with policies and protocols to remedy those errors. laura: tammy patrick from the national association of election officials, thank you. >> thank you so much for having me. geoff: for a breakdown of the week's political headlights, we turn out to brooks and marcus, "new york times's" david brooks and ruth marcus. looking at the week that was, donald trump and 18 of his associates were indicted in georgia this week in a charging document that accuse him of being the head of a criminal enterprise to overturn the 2020 election. it strikes me that donald trump has legal problems in georgia. he also has political problems

in georgia because as "the wall street journal" pointed out this week in an article that really captured the ways in which trump fatigued is pervasive in georgia, especially among some suburban independents and disenchanted republicans, and then you have the popular governor who has called out donald trump's election lies and is trying to push the party beyond obsessing over the last election. does georgia provide a roadmap for republicans to move the on donald trump? of course, are the republicans who -- of course, those republicans who choose to do that, who want to do that. >> of course, georgia saw donald trump face-to-face. it was not just lies directed at somebody else, it was lies directed at them. i thought brian kemp would have been the strongest republican to run against donald trump. he is a very successful governor. he has demonstrated his courage in standing up to trump and the

fact that he has decided not to run for president was in my mind a tragedy of the party. i'm glad republicans in georgia are one of the few brave holdouts, but we need someone to lead the charge, and kemp was perfectly position. >> you asked if it is the road not taken. we have seen this road being not taken by republican candidates and republican elected officials for years now, and that is because in their perception, which is probably correct, it is not in their political self-interest to do that. i do think one of the interesting political questions about georgia involves georgia itself. there are very few battleground states in the 2024 election. georgia was close, as donald trump kept pointing out, he only needed 11,780 votes to get across the finish line. i do wonder, since governor kemp

won the state by a large margin, donald trump lost it to joe biden by a very small margin, if the impact of georgia might be in georgia rather than elsewhere. >> meantime, donald trump is also planning to skip the first presidential debate that is scheduled for wednesday and is instead expected to sit for an online interview with tucker carlson according to "the new york times" and cnn. what do you make of that decision and how might it affect the debate? >> he is saying i'm bigger than the republican party. republican party wants its candidates to debate. it is a normal thing to do, but donald trump is no stranger to violating norms. if i'm an advisor to trump, i would say he's doing the right thing. why put himself in the path of chris christie if he does not need to? no it looks more like a debate who -- a debate among contenders vying off against the champ. i thing this will be a bad night

for desantis. the path to get to trump leads through desantis. it seems to me every candidate on that state is going to try to take down desantis. i'm looking at it as sort of the primaries to get to trump, and hopefully somebody will emerge. >> ron desantis said today without mentioning donald trump's name, he said all republican contenders oh it to the people to show up. donald trump has made the point that republicans know him and his record and why should he share the stage with people who are pulling in the single digits? >> my hopes for wednesday's debate are that trump's absence allows for a little bit more talk about substance. i know this sounds incredibly naive, but a little more talk about substance, and i also hope it allows one or two candidates to emerge from the pack and get

their chance to shine. i do want to potentially take issue with machiavelli brooks over there. we have seen this stunt from donald trump before. he pulled it in january 2016 when there was a gop debate in iowa and he did not turn up, and guess what happened in the iowa caucuses a few weeks later. he lost to ted cruz. at least the numbers said he lost to ted cruz. i think he thought it was rigged. it is the smart thing to do when you are sitting on a lead not to e-file yourself by exposing yourself to your competitors, but it does make him look like a coward, as chris christie said -- not to befoul yourself. it does give room for others to potentially emerge and become serious challenges to him. >> meantime, on the democratic side, you have congressman dean phillips who is on a media tour

of late. he was begging for a prominent fellow democrat to mount a primary challenge to joe biden. he says that democrats are saying not a coronation but a competition. is that a widely held view, or is phillips here on a solo mission? >> i don't know if it is a solo mission, but it is -- i'm not going to say, causing mission, but it's not a mission that will end with what he wants. the are problems with joe biden's candidacy. there are many democrats behind the scenes and a few publicly who talk about his age and other problems with his candidacy, but let's be serious -- i'm sorry to say i'm old enough to remember 1980 and what happened to the democratic party when it was riven by division. if someone were to emerge and challenge joe biden at this stage in the campaign, him having decided to run, his vice president who if he somehow chose not to run, if she were

not the nominee, that would create some divisions within the demographics of the party. i think democrats are going to war with what they view as their strongest candidate and with good reason. that's joe biden, and no matter what dean phillips says, that's the way it is going to be. >> what is your view and how might the campaign turn biden's age into an asset? >> well, have him run a marathon. i agree with ruth that the phillips idea that there is some mystery moderate governor that democrats can turn to -- there's a lot of problems with joe biden running. his age, primarily. his approval ratings are low, but any time you look at some alternative, if it's the mystery moderate from the midwest or gavin newsom or someone else, things start unraveling really fast. democrats are lucky, frankly, to have a candidate in biden who has presided over an incredibly strong economic recovery and

pretty good international peacemaking efforts both in asia this week and also in europe and who i believe whose numbers will go up as inflation recedes, as it is, and the strong job numbers are there, and they are extremely lucky to have a candidate, frankly, who is not a member of what you would call the coastal elite. joe biden sends off the right cultural messages for moderate voters who do not have college degrees, and democrats are not grateful enough for what they have. geoff: david brooks and ruth marcus, big thanks to you both. have a great weekend. >> you, too. geoff: turning her interesting, sometimes tumultuous, life story into comedy comes naturally to a woman who sat down with us to talk about how that lands with

an ever-growing audience as part of our arts and culture series "canvas." >> her comedy is physical. >> did you eat? no. eight, please. eat. eat. eat. eat. >> her style eccentric. and she knows how to hook her audience. she's an internet sensation with followers who watch as she marries her husband for the second time. and dances with her grandmother, who now has a separate fan base of her own. she rocketed to viral fame with the creation of her own drop challenge to a beyonce song. a million people watched her,

creating their own videos, including tennis star serena williams and actor mandy moore. >> my husband and i had an intruder come into our house. >> and she shines in her first hbo comedy special "the intruder." her quirky observational humor has struck a chord. >> truly, there's a corner of my house that i sometimes take time to stand there just because i pay rent. i'm like, this is $30 right here. why don't i ever stand here? you pay for it. at least feel it. >> she sat down with me recently and talked about discovering comedy in an unlikely place. what do you see or hear and said this was something i would like to do? >> when i first watched comedy it was through margaret cho. it was this dvd that was handed to read during a really boring sermon at church. one of my friends, like, passed it to me and was like, hey, this

is standup comedy. it was someone who looked like me. it would not be until years later that a boyfriend told me that i was funding, that i should try doing standup. >> yes, my fellow basic person. >> it also took years to get her own special. she's just the second asian american woman ever to get her own hbo comedy special. the first was margaret cho over two decades ago. >> i never saw asian people on television or in movies, so my dreams were somewhat limited. i would dream, maybe someday i could be an extra on "m.a.s.h." >> it is not about them going no, there's only so many slots for so many asians at one time. it is just they show it to you.

>> why do you think it did take so long? >> i think people are afraid of things not working. people are afraid of things they are not used to seeing, but they have to trust the audience. the audience has been asking for it. standup comedians can post their own clips online and gain their own followers and go on tour, and the audience is there, and they prove, like, look, people do want to see this. then the industry usually listens. >> you have a story and a lot of people can relate to about coming here, learning how to fit in, making a new life in a new country, and your comedy special is called "the intruder." is there another meaning behind that title? >> yeah, and i'm glad you saw it because it's not so over the head, right? but, yeah, the double entendre is as a formerly undocumented immigrant, i oftentimes felt like i was intruding on everyone else. >> what do you mean by that?

>> i'm coming to someone else's country, someone else's culture, and, you know, being without papers means, like, you're not really supposed to be here. anyone who has ever felt like an outsider just because you talk differently or look differently or dress differently than other people, than the norm. you might have felt like an intruder as well. >> her road to success was an unlikely one. born in taiwan, she spent her early childhood in japan before moving to the united states at the age of 10 with her mother and grandmother. for years, she lived undocumented, hiding parts of her identity. today she owns it. >> i am a product of divorced parents, was undocumented for seven years. >> tell me about your family and

how you came to live in the u.s. >> my mom and grandma and i came to live in the u.s. when i was eight. at the time i did not know i was moving here. my grandma is so sweet, unassuming-looking, old asian woman, but she was a liar. she told me we were coming to the states for a two-month vacation, and then she had us overstay our tourist visas and become undocumented. we were living in my uncle's garage. that's how she, at least, got me to move to l.a. >> the challenges, some very personal, feed her work today, and she does not shy away from the tough stuff. >> at some point, i look at my family like guys, if you wanted me to do comedy, you could have just told me. >> you talk about your mother's

mental illness. why do you think it is important to weave those details into your work? >> as a kid, i was always able to make sad things funny. it is just a part of how i communicate with people. i go, ok, this very difficult to talk about subject, mental illness? no worries, let's talk about it. i'll make you laugh while doing it. that way we both feel better. >> she continues to tour across the country, bringing her comedy and building connections wherever she goes. what do you love about this work? what is it like when you are up on stage and can make an entire room laugh? >> oh, gosh, it is finding community. and my fans are fellow weirdos. you know, you are a fellow weirdo for even connecting with me. >> thank you for that. >> watching my comedy, laughing at it. sorry, you're not normal. that's what i love, though, that

we can find each other and be like, yes, we are not alone. and all the times we might have felt that way. that's why i love it. geoff: we'll be back shortly with a look at what is coming up on "washington week" and "previous news weekend," but first, take a moment to hear from your local pbs station. for those of you staying with us, we take a second look now at a unique public art program. as with many cities in the rust belt, fort wayne, indiana, went through tough times as manufacturing plants close, jobs dried up, and people left, but

recently, the city has seen a turnaround and made a big investment in public art. special correspondent kat wise spent time with a public artist who is a driving force behind that effort. it is part of our arts and culture series "campus." -- "canvas." >> artist alexandra hall brings colorful, playful creatures to life with paint and brush. paul, who is 37, grew up in fort wayne and has been a full-time artist since 2015. over the years, she has drawn and painted a variety of subjects including portraits, still life, and delightful tipsy frogs. more recently, she has become known for her large-scale paintings of animals. in bright pattern-filled costumes. >> i am inspired by a lot of different things. travel. sometimes it is a person i see on the sidewalk. i have for a very long time re-created the things i see into

whimsical animals that often have human traits are an anthropomorphized animal. >> tell me about the dripping of the paint. why is that important? >> i think there's a little bit of chaos in every piece. there needs to be that relief of control, the idea that nothing in our life is unchanging and nothing in our life is holy in our control. that has been part of my life story and i think is part of most people's life story. >> her life took an unexpected turn in high school when she was diagnosed with bone cancer. >> back when i was ill, i was spending a lot of time in bed. it was really up to me to create the world around me, to make it interesting. >> after recovering and going to college, she began traveling and discovered a love of public art. >> when i traveled, i noticed there were communities that organically have a really strong public art presence, and i found myself more drawn to those

places and those spaces because they have some sort of story to tell. at the time i would say i thought i cannot wait to live in a place like this. i want to leave indiana. >> she eventually decided not to leave. instead, she has brought public art to her hometown. >> in the summer, this can be a really cool place to hang out, read a book, and it is a little quieter than the street side. >> in 2016, hall started a donation-funded organization called art this way, now a nonprofit that is part of fort wayne's downtown improvement district. the organization facilitates public art projects on private property and the development of pedestrian-friendly spaces. >> we work hard to make spaces walkable in the sense that there is art every so often but often enough that you are intrigued. >> she says that art has helped breathe new life into the city

which during the downturn years had seen an increase in vacant parking lots and abandoned buildings. today, once dark alley ways are now a destination. oh, my goodness, tell me about this piece. >> this is called 77 steps. it can be seen in engagement photos. it can be programmed to do a lot of different things. we program it for special events and holidays. the community loves it. >> the projects including two of hall's own works are part of a growing collection of public art throughout the city. nearly 150 pieces, including a new sculpture in honor of ukraine. >> you're are supposed to engage with this. like a lot of the work we install, you're supposed to be able to touch them, and here you are supposed to stand and be pictured with your crown and your set of wings. >> the events like the annual art crawl in september draw locals and visitors and perhaps convince some of those visitors to stay.

>> there's more people moving in than are moving out. it is there. it is a big deal, and that is something to be proud of. >> bill brown is a retired fort wayne business owner and former head of the downtown improvement district. he says public art has played a significant role in fort wayne's revitalization efforts which have also included riverfront development and a baseball stadium. nationally, a 2018 survey by the nonprofit americans for the arts found 70% of americans believe the arts improve the image and identity of their community. in indiana, arts and culture is a 7.6 billion dollar industry, which supports more than 78 housing jobs. brown says in fort wayne, nearly everyone is on board now with public art, but it took some time to get there. >> i think the change was the realization that the arts can drive economic development. >> hall and other fort wayne artists have been building on that trust and expanding their

impact, like theophilus smith, who goes by the name fresh laundry. smith's work can be seen throughout fort wayne, including at the bradley hotel. he has high hopes for his city. >> i want this to be, like, a mecca in the northern region to see the arts flourished. being the second largest city in indiana, the economy is growing. people of all walks of life come to see what we have to offer. we want to make sure we are screaming artists. >> he wants to make sure everyone is included and able to access the arts. >> you have a fine line between gentrification and revitalization. you want people to feel invited, feel welcomed, feel i belong here. >> hall also wants to continue making public art feel accessible. >> we have this huge melting pot of street art. we are seeing diversity in the cultures and ethnicities and where someone is from --

roselle, germany, you name it. >> she's now consulting with communities outside of fort wayne and over the past three years, she has led more than three dozen projects in rural towns in indiana, new york, and pennsylvania. while she still loves to travel, she has no plans to leave her hometown. geoff: later this eveni, te in to "washington week" with the atlantic. >> it is a busy week, as you know, and we will be talking about indictments -- all of the indictments but with a special focus on the georgia indictment, and we will be talking about rudy giuliani a bit, the seeming downfall of a person we once referred to as america's mayor.

there's a lot to talk about, and we've got a great panel, so i hope everybody joins in. geoff: we will be sure to watch. on pbs news week and, how families are preparing for a new montana law banning certain medical treatment for minors with gender dysphoria. >> at 14, sit started taking puberty blockers and at 17 began hormone therapy. the beardsley's firmly feel this was the right choice. >> it has basically just grown my confidence. it has made me a lot happier. i actually feel like i have a future. i can grow up, be an adult, like i'm ready to exist on this planet. >> sit is among the last crew of transgender youth in montana who can legally receive gender affirming care. geoff: that's tomorrow on "pbs news weekend." that is "the newshour" for tonight.

thanks for joining us. have a great weekend. >> major funding for "the pbs newshour has been provided by -- ♪ >> moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf -- the engine that connects us. >> and with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions and friends of "the newshour," including kathy and paul anderson and camilla and

george smith. the walton family foundation, working for solutions to protect water during climate change so people and nature can thrive together. the william and flora hewlett foundation. for more than 50 years, advancing ideas and supporting institutions to promote a better world at hewlett.org. and with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. and friends of "the newshour." thisrogram was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you.

this is "pbs newshour west" from weta studios in washington and from the walter cronkite bureau -- and from our bureau at the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. ♪

>> donald trump historic felony charges. >> we look at the facts and we with them all. >> justice and the rule of law are dead in america. >> gop front runner john trump is charged with overseeing a criminal enterprise. >> this is a ridiculous application,