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republican candidates for the white house clash on multiple issues including the former president their first debate of the 2024 election cycle. and on this ukrainian independence day, the country's ambassador to the u.s. details progress and setbacks in the latest counteroffensive against russia's invasion. >> we have one goal and we will reach that goal. how much time, weapons, energy it will take, that is a question nobody knows. >> major funding for "the pbs newshour" has been provided by -- >> consumer cellular. this is sam. how may i help you? >> this is pocket tile. >> well, somebody's pocket, just want to let you know with

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this program was made possible by the corporation for broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> good evening and welcome to "the newshour." former president trump is turning himself in at the fulton county jail in atlanta, georgia, tonight. he faces 13 felony counts tied to his attempts to overturn the state's 2020 election result. it is the fourth time this year mr. trump has faced criminal charges. a couple dozen of his supporters gathered outside the jail as the former president made his way from his new jersey golf club to atlanta. we are joined now from outside the fulton county jail. walk us through what the former president will experience as he surrenders himself and is booked in the jail behind you. >> the former president is expected to have his mug shot

taken, to have fingerprints, and he will not actually be in this facility very long, we expect. that's because earlier this week, his lawyers negotiated a $200,000 bond, so he probably will not be inside very long before we see the motorcade come down the street and then back to the airport. >> earlier today, donald trump shook of his georgia legal defense team. why? what is his new attorney bring to the team? >> his new attorney is well known in the atlanta criminal defense community. he is an expert at defending rico cases, these broad racketeering cases that form the framework of the district attorney's case here in fulton county. he has represented some famous clients in the past like usher and ti and really brings that experience running a high profile case like we will have here in fulton county.

>> some of the other defendants in this case tried to have the state case moved to federal court on the grounds that they were federal officials when these acts were committed, but the judge in this case rejected that argument. in fact, mark meadows was among those surrendered and booked today. what comes next on that front? >> the judge rejected that argument to basically postpone them having to surrender themselves while that argument plays out. ther is a hearing scheduled monday in federal court to determine if it can be moved out of state court and into federal court. what the judge will have to consider is if these acts were committed under the cover of office, basically as part of the initial duties of these defendants when they were working out of the white house. >> there were new developments today from the d.a. regarding the timeline of this case. part of the case could start

within two months. is that right? bring us up to speed. >> one defendant filed a motion for a speedy trial, which is something you can do under georgia code. one question here will be what happens to the rest of the defendants? the district attorney has said she is ready to go ahead and move to trial for all 19 defendants. former president trump's lawyers have pushed back against that idea. we just have to remember that it is up to the judge to set the schedule, nothe district attorney, so it is really up in the air what happens with the timeline of this case. there are so many factors that could slow this down from jury selection to those efforts that you just mentioned, moving the case out of state court and into federal court, so a lot of unclear in this moment where the timeline heads. >> the one defendant you mentioned is kenneth chesebro who allegedly helped plan the a collector's tragedy. -- fake elector strategy.

let's talk about the judge because he seems to be making decisions fairly rapidly. >> this judge was an appointee of governor brian kemp, who was a republican. he has actually only been on the bench for a couple of months. he is fairly new to the board room, but lawyers who have worked with him, who have stood on the other's as defense attorneys when he served as prosecutor have said that he is smart and kind and this will certainly be his biggest case yet. >> we appreciate it. >> thanks. >> donald trump's legal issues are one of the many topics featured in last night's republican presidential debate in milwaukee even though the former president himself chose to skip it. a total of eight other candidates at this stage in hopes of establishing themselves for -- as viable contenders for the gop nomination.

>> tonight, the race for the white house -- >> in wisconsin, the state where the republican party was formed, a heated debate for its future. >> we don't need to bring in a rookie. we don't need to bring in people without experience. >> and that of the country with eight candidates on stage by them for the spotlight in a debate full of fireworks. >> hold on, senator scott. >> early on, florida governor ron desantis touted his record and approach. >> we must reverse biden onyx -- bidenomics so middle-class families have a chance to succeed again. >> after that, biden was no longer the center. instead it was vivek ramaswamy. he doubled down on climate denial when asked about wildfires and storms scientists

agree are driven by mankind. >> i'm the only one who can say this because i'm the only one on the stage not bought and paid for. >> we are in the middle of a national identity crisis. " we are not looking for a new national identity. the american people are one of the most faith-filled, freedom-loving, idealistic, hard-working people the world has ever known. we just need government as good as our people. >> it is not morning in america. we live in a dark moment, and we have to confront the fact that we are in an internal, sort of cold cultural civil war. >> later, it was former south carolina governor and united nations ambassador nikki haley railing against ramaswamy on foreign policy.

she accused him of wanting to cut support to israel. >> you want to defund israel? [crosstalk] >> the fault lies -- >> you have no foreign policy experience, and it shows. >> some others on stage like south carolina senator tim scott stayed out of the fray. >> going back and forth being childish is unhelpful to the american people to decide on the next leader of our country. >> scott focused on other issues like schools on abortion. >> we must have a president of the united states who will advocate and fight for at the minimum a 15-week limit -- >> how and if to push for an abortion ban was a flashpoint. >> when you are talking about a federal ban, be honest with the american people. don't make women feel like they

have to decide on this issue when you know we don't have 60 senate votes in the house. >> 70% of the american people support legislation to ban abortion after -- >> front runner donald trump was absent but aiming for the same viewers with an interview posted on social media. >> i'm saying, do i sit there for an hour or two hours or whatever it is going to be and get harassed by people that should not even be running for president? >> back in milwaukee, of course, the debate about trump was moving in. >> if former president trump is convicted in a court of law, would you still support him as your party's choice? please raise your hand if you would. >> all but chris christie and former arkansas governor asa hutchinson raise their hands. >> i'm not going to support somebody who has been convicted of a serious felony. >> here's the bottom line -- someone has got to stop

normalizing this conduct. >> this is the great thing about this country. booing is allowed, but it does not change the truth. >> others like the governor of north dakota bemoaned the topic altogether. >> every minute these eight candidates spent talking about the past instead of the future is time -- biden loves it. >> next question -- who do voters love enough to keep in the next debate that is set for the end of september? >> lisa is back in the studio alongside amy walter. let's talk about ron desantis who escaped the debate unscathed. observers and analysts are citing that as evidence of his diminished standing in t race, that none of his opponents felt compelled to attack him. what is his campaign saying about that and his debate

performance last night? >> that has been a topic of a lot of my questions as well. some made the argument that he was the adult in the room. he did not want to engage. he wanted to be above everyone else. there's a different argument they make, too, saying the reason he was not attacked is because he has an incredible record, the best according to chip roy of texas, of any governor in the u.s., but that conflicts with the third thing supporters told me which is that no one has been attacked more before this debate, and that is a sign that he still is the guy in the center. i think what happened was i surprised to many in the dissent's camp. i think they were ready to be attacked and were not and now are trying to figure out what it means. they think he probably is still the number two but i'm not sure where he will be in two or three weeks. no one has a better organization in iowa at this point. these early states are going to matter. >> the "wall street journal"

editorial board, which cannot be accused of left, wrote about donald trump's absence, and they said donald trump did the country and the party a favor by ducking out of the debate. americans were able to hear eight other candidates and size of their policies. gop voters want to nominate someone who can defeat president biden. what do you make of that? >> that's the challenge that they have right there, that thep candidates to choose from. i think this race from the beginning until now has boiled down to these three key groups of republican voters. about 30%, 35% will stay with trump no matter what. those folks are not going anywhere. another 20% will never vote for trump, and whatever we have left sitting in there who are saying i like trump and right are probably telling voters they are -- right now are telling pollsters they are voting for

trump but are open to other options. ron desantis did well enough. i think you are right that he is still in the mix, but he got overshadowed by ramaswamy, who is the candidate most aligned with donald trump, who will defend donald trump constantly against splitting up that vote with him. the other thing lisa pointed out in her piece, every single person raised their hand except for two when asked if they would support donald trump if you were convicted. you are trying to get voters who are on the fence about donald trump or may looking around. if a conviction is not enough to get those people to say i won't support him, why should i as a voter think that is disqualifying? as we said finally, we came out of this what i think three candidates who did either reasonably well or did get good

attention. ramaswamy, haley, and dissent is, but not one of them has been able to put together that never trump and sometimes trump coalition. it is really a question of how much they need to make up to get close to donald trump. >> let's talk more about vivek ramaswamy. he was downright trumpian in many ways last night, but he seemed to delight in having a target on his back. >> he did know how to take a punch, which is something very few candidates on the debate stage, especially first-time candidates, can do. i was hearing from my sources, they had a problem with the name id. they had a problem with the

voters even being able to say his name. and what name are we saying over and over today? that's one reason that he was very happy, much like the trump school of thought, as long as they are talking about you, you are doing well. >> let's talk about nikki haley, the only woman on stage last night. you could argue she ran away with the debate. she had a passionate exchange with mike pence on abortion. she had that other passionate exchange with vivek ramaswamy about foreign. i have talked to another -- and number of never-trump republicans who had their eye on tim scott. it strikes me that they might shift to nikki haley. >> i think that is very astute. for folks that really do want to make a break from donald trump, she gave them a lot of what they are looking for. her messaging was aimed more at

swing voters than it was at base republican voters. her answers on climate, abortion, foreign policy. the question is how far that is going to get you. again, this helps donald trump because now, does she become the candidate of the never trump wing, which is 20% of the vote, leaving whoever else fighting over the persuadable sometimes trump voters, and again, trump getting the biggest chunk of the vote and able to win in a divided race. >> we have a couple of minutes left. >> there was no one happy in the room then they nikki haley supporters. however, i think what she presented last night was something very appealing in a november election. the voters i have been talking to, i did not hear the kinds of things that got her into that first-place spot. the other camp that was very happy last night, mike pence.

he has the most white house experience of anyone on that stage. he really should be a dominant character, and until now, he has been kind of an afterthought. they knew he had to perform last night. you could argue, did he try to hard? was he pushing back too much? he wanted to look authoritative and did. the question is -- can he overcome the bad taste that former president trump has intentionally put in voters' minds about him? >> about 20 seconds left. time for a lightning round. did any candidate on that debate stage last night and emerge as a real threat to donald trump's front runner status? >> i don't think it did change much of that at all. it is just a question of if dissent is has stabilized. that's probably good news for santos, maybe a tribal -- maybe a problem for trump down the road -- it is a question of if dissent is -- if desantis has

stabilized. >> updating now our top story, former president trump has surrendered to authorities in georgia this evening. he was placed under arrest and booked into the fulton county jail before departing a short time later. in a historic first for a u.s., the sheriff photographed and mugshot. investigators are coming through the wreckage of a private jet that crashed outside moscow yesterday. yevgeny prigozhin, head of the wagner mercenary group, is presumed dead along with several of his top lieutenants. rescuers found all 10 bodies of those aboard. an investigation is underway to determine what caused the crash. in the meantime, russian president vladimir putin offered his first acknowledgment of prigozhin's presumed death.

>> i knew yevgeny prigozhin for a very long time, since the early 1990's. he was a man with a complicated fate and made serious mistakes in life. he achieved both he needed for himself and when i asked him, for the common cause, as in these last months. he was a talented person, a talented businessman. >> a pentagon spokesman said so far, there's no evidence to suggest that a surface-to-air missile brought down the plane. u.s. national security forces say the incident was likely intentional. a russian court has ruled that american journalist evan gershkovich must remain in jail until at least november 30. the "wall street journal" reporter was seen going into court earlier today, but journalists were not allowed to enter. he was detained on a trip and charged with espionage, even though russian authorities have not provided any evidence. the u.s. government says he has been wrongfully detained.

in the dominican republic, tropical storm franklin claimed the lives of two people after unleashing heavy floods and landslides. residents in santo domingo trudged through waste-deep water just to get home. the storm is heading north and could strike bermuda early next week. broward county sued the hawaiian electric company today over the wildfires that have ravaged lahaina. they claim the utility failed to shut off power amid fierce wind and dry conditions. the lawsuit comes as fire recovery efforts in the town entered a new phase with new equipment. crews are using excavators and heavy machinery to dig through the disaster zone in lahaina to help with the search and recovery process. at least 115 people are confirmed dead. a wildfire in northeastern greece has been declared european union's largest blaze

on record. over a hundred fires are burning across the country, including one nearing the suburbs of athens. 20 people have died over the last week, and 60 firefighters have been injured. harsh wind and a hot, dry summer have stoked claims they are and throughout southern europe. japan's fukushima nuclear power plant began releasing treated radioactive water into the pacific ocean today. the government says it is an essential step in cleaning the facility after nuclear meltdowns caused by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. the release operation is expected to last about 30 years. officials say they tested the water to ensure it is diluted to safe levels. >> when this operation finished to check the water has been properly diluted, we took samples from underwater piping and will analyze and measure the concentration level and compare

it to the level we have touted. >> as we reported, not everyone is convinced the water will be safe. china announced a total ban on japanese seafood today. their lease has also sparked protests inside japan and in neighboring countries -- the release has also sparked protests. there are concerns over the toll it could take on the environment and human health. >> i'm furious about the water release and even more angry about our president who has been silent on this. i will reduce the amount of fish i eat, but i'm even more worried about letting children eat seafood. >> the five-nation bloc of developing economies known as brics invited six new countries today, including saudi arabia and iran. current members are brazil, russia, india, china, and south

africa. the announcement came during a summit in johannesburg. its representation of more than a quarter of the world's gdp will increase once new members join. still to come, we look at what is behind the dramatic rise in maternal mortality among black women in the u.s. also, a special legislative session in tennessee becomes contentious over gun measures. and a clinical psychologist gives her brief but spectacular take on the making of identity. >> this is "the pbs newshour" from weta studios in washington and in the west from walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. >> 32 years ago today in 1991, ukraine issued a declaration of independence from the soviet union, but as we know, today ukraine is fighting to be free from russian attacks and occupation.

>> in a country at war, independence is not celebrated but commemorated. president volodymyr zelenskyy and his wife gave thanks to all those killed in the country's existential war. they sang the national anthem, its title "ukraine has not yet perished," a dark, determined call to one day celebrate a new independence. >> ukrainian children will celebrate the independence of ukraine. >> the residents of key have walked through lines of burned out russian vehicles. but still, the war grinds on. ukrainian soldiers evacuated residents from a newly captured -- a newly recaptured town in ukraine's south. the blue and yellow fly out of what used to be a school. ukraine also says soldiers later in russian-occupied crimea, which is a direct challenge to russian control of president

vladimir putin's most prized ukrainian territory. moscow praised the legacy of yevgeny prigozhin, who died in a crash yesterday the u.s. believes was likely intentional. the fighting has caused ukrainians unimaginable loss. the western city of lviv today, ukrainians walked through a cemetery that continues to grow. this woman carried her son to his father's grave. he was a combat medic killed three weeks ago. they moved here to this city from central ukraine to be close to him. >> we live for each other. i have no right to be here. that's why we raised defenders. our boys, i know how to take care of him by myself. today he turns two years old.

that was very proud of him. he called us his little independents. >> u.s. estimates ukrainian fatalities and wooded since last february's full-scale invasion to be as high as 150,000, not to mention the millions of ukrainians who have been displaced, wounded, or killed. let's start with a counteroffensive. some officials have been concerned about some ukrainian military strategic decisions. u.s. officials worry ukraine is putting too many soldiers in the east rather than the south. too many western weapons are going to the east rather than the south, which is the front of this counteroffensive. what is your response? >> first of all, we have trust

in our military commanders. i think since the start of this war, they have shown they are very capable and no what they are doing. we have been able to liberate more than 50% of what russia has taken since february 24, and i never heard in the conversation amongst the officials any grievances. we all heard from the -- we all understood from the beginning that it was going to be a very difficult summer campaign. we know the enemy have disregard for any human life. they simply destroy everything. when our defenders are liberating them, they are trying to be careful because they liberate our people. we knew it was going to be difficult. we knew it was going to take all

we have, and it still will require many more capabilities and weapons. >> there are some intelligence estimates that fear ukraine will not reach one of its main goals in the south. what is your response to that skepticism, that doubt? >> we have one goal, to liberate all ukraine, and we will reach that goal. however much time, weapons, energy it will take, of course, nobody knows that, but, you know, i have been recently in kyiv. they know it is difficult, but they also are very optimistic. now we saw the new packages we hear from the u.s. and other allies. we are very eager to train on

all the new capabilities and f-16's. >> the u.s. announced today that ukrainian pilots will be training in the u.s. for f-16's, get u.s. still does not send some of the weapons ukraine is asking for. does ukraine have a plan if it does not or cannot receives -- re-seize all the territory? >> again, we have one goal, to liberate all ukraine. president zelenskyy is very active in discussing not only with leaders, but also we have a number of subgroups and the 10 steps to being discussed right now. we have focused on the goal, and we are positive that if we are all united and we do it together, we can reach it, and

we have to, not just for the sake of ukraine, but for the sake of all of us. >> the biden administration uses the term as long as it takes, but on that united aspect, there are some doubters within the republicans who are as of last night debating in the republican primary. let me show you one of the quotes from vivek ramaswamy, a businessman running for president. we are protecting against an invasion across somebody else's border in ukraine when we should use those same military resources to prevent the invasion of our own southern border here in the united states. are you fearful someone like him or someone who feels that way could become president of the u.s. and reduce support to? >> you know, it is an internal matter of the regulars who will become president. as a democracy, ukraine welcomes the democratic process, and it is up to the american people who they will elect.

what i will say is i was glad to hear yesterday when i was watching the debate that almost everyone else understood very clearly that actually supporting ukraine is in the u.s. national interests. if we want to deter other autocrats, if we want to restore the order, which is the basis for the prosperity for all civilized world as we know it after world war ii, if we want to send a resounding message that democracies not only can defend themselves but help each other, and if we want to contain this war, to defeat russia while it is still in ukraine, we can make it very clear that his threat is to everyone else. >> but, yes, nikki haley, former

ambassador to the united nations , former vice president mike pence, did express support, the establishment candidates, but the person who was not on the stage, former president trump, has not been questioned if you would send aid. do you acknowledge there is some erosion of ukraine support among at least part of the electorate? >> the majority of americans, democrats or republicans, support ukraine. i have seen it in all polls. i see it outside when i walk in washington, d.c., but also when i travel. i recently traveled to ohio. overwhelming support. people understand that the american people are not only very generous people but also people who are brave and true. people who believe that when injustice is done somewhere, they threat to justice anywhere is a threat to justice

everywhere. i feel from the american people that they understand this, and they understand how important it is for all of us. >> finally, we saw in the story that preceded us reports on yevgeny prigozhin's death yesterday. president zelenskyy said ukraine was not behind prigozhin's death but "everyone realizes who has a relationship" to his death. >> we see war criminals not only attacking ukraine but also killing each other on a regular basis. everyone in pressure from president putin to everyone on the battlefield all are war criminals, and when they decide to kill each other, it is an internal issue, but, i think it is again showing how fragile

russia is and how this aggressive, senseless war they have started against ukraine is actually ruining them. >> does ukraine believe vladimir killed yevgeny prigozhin? >> when our intelligence will have this information, they will say it. at the moment now, i think nobody knows officially, but, you know, we cannot exclude it, of course. >> thank you >> thank you. >> for too many american women, giving birth can be deadly. the u.s. has the highest rate of maternal mortality among developed nations. over 1200 women died of maternal causes in 2021 alone, but for

some, the risk is even higher. black women are three times as likely to die from labor complications. we have this report on the people who help them have safer pregnancies. >> hi, how are you today? good. >> this doctor is on a mission. >> take a look at where your blood pressure was today. >> the obstetrician gynecologist is an attending physician at the university of maryland medical center in baltimore. >> i went into medicine to improve health. when you see disparities, i want to make it better, particularly as a black woman. this is something that is near and dear to my heart. >> more than 60% of the city's population is black, which she says plays a crucial role in the quality of prenatal and postpartum care black women often receive. >> i think race plays a couple of factors. they have less access to quality

education, and we deal with issues like redlining, for example, that historically has been present in the united states, particularly baltimore. it affects housing. it affects income, and that will affect health outcomes in terms of access to care. >> another critical component -- patients not being heard and their pain dismissed >> what ends up happening is black women feel that their concerns are not listened to or when they come in in labor, their pain is dismissed or when they come in with a complaint of pain, that it is explained away for other reasons other than being listened to and evaluated. >> they were relatively dismissive of what i was saying. they were saying, well, fibroids are common. >> crystal struggled to get doctors to get -- to take her seriously when she struggled to conceive. quick they were seeing just a patient based on whatever

demographic i fit in and just because fibroids are higher for african-american women, and lots of women do conceive with them. >> researchers found that by the age of 50, 80% of black women are likely to have fibroids. >> what i learned is sometimes fibroids can impact your ability to conceive and other times it cannot. another physician was able to help me identify that potential issue. it felt like a decision i was very much in charge of. after i had the fibroids removed, i was able to conceive. >> but black women are at higher risk for other health complications as well. >> black people have higher rates of high blood pressure. in pregnancy, high blood pressure can manifest as preeclampsia. diabetes in pregnancy. and it is not something inherently about black people

that genetically causes them to have these conditions more. with fibroids, we don't necessarily know why. it is this idea weathering, that the chronic stress of racism over time is changing our bodies at the cellular level. >> despite growing awareness of these issues and medical advancements over time, the numbers of black women dying in childbirth have continued to climb. a long-term study out this summer showed that the largest jump in deaths was among american indian and alaska native mothers and that the maternal mortality rate in the u.s. more than doubled for black mothers. >> the nurse in labor and delivery tells you to describe your pain, you start crying and her exactly how much pain you're in, and she tells you to shut up because she is typing. >> some black women like mary catherine have been sharing stories on tiktok and other

platforms to raise awareness and create a community of support. >> because you feel like you are dying, she tells you she feels like you are faking for pain medicine. >> i think these stories tell us the crisis is real. >> this journalist had her own bad experiences while pregnant, even early on during routine checkups. >> you talked about going doctor to doctor trying to feel safe and heard. give us a sense of what you were running into. >> i had a doctor interrupt me in the middle of the question, closing her laptop, standing up, walking out of the room and told me on the way out that i was asking too many questions, and it made me feel incredibly small and belittled. >> she eventually sought support from black-owned birthing center, working with a midwife and dula -- and doula to deliver her son. she now uses her platform to advocate for change and

hopefully save lives. >> i should not feel like one of the lucky ones because i survived my birth experience in the richest country in the world. but i do. >> experts worry for women already at higher risk during pregnancy. the supreme court's decision to overturn roe v. wade could potentially be more deadly. what kind of impact do you think the dobbs decision could have on maternal mortality? >> i think it will only be worsened by the dobbs decision. i think the states in which individuals are having to carry pregnancies that they either did not desire to carry or their clinicians thought they were not healthy enough to carry, that will only exacerbate the inequities we see in severe maternal morbidity as well as fatality. >> the dr. is now preparing the next generation of doctors to carry forward her work.

>> my mission as an ob/gyn and educator is i want to fundamentally change how we provide care to black women, how we provide care to other women from marginalized communities, and addressing a lot of these issues that we have talked about related to unconscious bias, related to structural racism, related to trust, related to >> crystal meanwhile is settling into motherhood. >> i am learning something new every day. i'm learning that i'm not actually in charge. i can make a schedule, i can make a plan, but my girls are really the ones who are going to dictate how the day is going to go. it has been exciting. it has been joyful, and it has been exhausting. i was given the tools i needed

to help keep myself and my baby safe. >> grateful she says for the support of her doctor that brought her to this moment. >> tennessee lawmakers return to the state capital this week for a special legislative session in response to the covenant school shooting where three children and three school staff members were killed back in march. we have more on what lawmakers will or will not do amid the public outcry. >> mr. speaker, you have a quorum. >> it is a special session months in the making. facing pressure after six people were killed in a mass shooting at a national school in march. the republican governor called for a special session focused on public safety. in the months since, he has

backed away from a proposal to temporarily remove an individual's access to guns if they are considered a threat after the republican super majority running the state capital rejected it. instead, the legislature is looking at other proposals loosely connected to the shooting. those include school safety measures like alarm systems, tougher sentencing reforms for juvenile offenders, and mental health reform. this week, parents and gun safety advocates again flooded the capital, emotionally asking for changes to tennessee's gun laws, but republicans in the house and senate are at an impasse, fighting over the limited legislation they are willing to pass. democrats argued the legislature needs to address gun violence in the state. state representative gloria johnson pleaded for change while recognizing the 15th anniversary of a school shooting in her district. >> we have to do something. you have to do it for ryan.

we have to do it for everybody since and everybody in the future. >> the special session comes months after thousands of tennesseans took part in gun reform protests, putting the state capital in the national spotlight. two black democratic lawmakers were expelled from the legislature for leading a protest on the floor of the statehouse. gregg's reaction to this body is to expel me -- the reaction to this body is to expel me rather than consider gun legislation. >> lawmakers will return to the capital to debate the bills next week. national public radio's blaise gainey has a front row seat to this special session. he joins us now. thank you so much for joining "the newshour." republican governor bill lee is under

pressure to deliver some type of response to the covenant mass shooting, but republicans in the statehouse don't want to touch gun laws specifically, so what kind of legislation do you expect to come out of this special session? >> there's a little bit of legislation coming, but most of what i see so far is three gun locks from the state for anybody that request then, another that speeds up the state's background check process, and also one that allows a report on human trafficking. >> do you expect those to ultimately pass? >> so far the senate and the state is looking to pass those. the house also wants to pass those, but they want to do a couple other things mentioned in the program earlier on mental health and juvenile sentencing also. >> the gop super majority in the house agreed on one thing quickly, which was rules cracking down on protests on the floor and from the public. how has that impacted protests

this week? >> at first, it did not impact much. people were going about it as if the rules have not been established, but on tuesday in a civil justice subcommittee, the chair told a couple of people to put down their signs. three women refused, and one was removed by a highway patrolman. since then, the american civil liberties union sued, and the judge put in a restraining order so that people can hold up their sons from now on. >> this special session is going to spill into next week. you reported that the senate is bills, but governor lee has proposed a handful of his own. is the governor involved in any of these negotiations, and do you think that this prolonged session could make it possible for even more bills beyond the three we outlined -- make it possible for any more to pass?

>> it is highly unlikely because the senate is very strong in their stance, but politics is crazy. we did not think that we would be gone until monday. -- we did not think that we would be going until monday. we thought it would end today. the governor has said he was speaking with lawmakers months up into the special session in order to get those proposals to them. and at the time they were willing to pass them, but it seems something must have shifted. >> democrats are functionally powerless in this legislature. what has their approach and to this debate? >> to ask a lot of questions, a lot of hard questions about if republicans believe that the bills they are trying to pass would actually have stopped a mass shooting. yesterday, one republican was asked, why can't he basically admit that guns led to this, and he said that if the person had a rock or a car, they could have also killed people, sort of not

putting the blame on weapons and just saying that it is the people that need to address the mental health issues. >> if these bills ultimately pass, the ones that so far appear headed for the governor's desk, they don't have anything to do with actually restricting gun access, so do you think it will actually satisfy the public? because there seems to be a lot of outcry for change in response to this mass shooting. >> it will satisfy, you know, people on the right that are -- that one of second amendment rights to be upheld, but the covenant families that are here, the citizens that are here, the democrats that are all outraged that there seems to be nothing that can happen for republicans to change their mind on how easy it should be to get a gun. >> do you think that at all in

tennessee, given the super majority for republicans, that this could impact them politically, future elections? >> some of the covenant families are saying they are going to raise money. they put up an action fund, saying they are going to raise money to try to get people out of office. it will just have to wait and see. like you said, they have a super majority. his it's not like two or three seats will change anything here. i just highly doubt that they will have any kickbacks from this. >> we will be watching closely next week to see where all of these bills end up, and if they reach the governor's desk. thank you so much for your time. >> thank you. >> and award-winning poet,

author, and clinical psychologist was born in illinois but growing up spent time in several other states as well as in kuwait and lebanon and shares her brief but spectacular take on how those experience formed what she calls a hyphenated identity. >> i was born to palestinian and syrian immigrants, and my childhood was spent between the middle east and different parts of the united states. i think like anyone with any sort of hyphenated identity, there was a lot of social and littoral code switching that went on in my house, and a lot of my writing and expression has been centered around thinking of ways to center -- two merge these identities and really create a third hybrid one. my parents sought asylum in the u.s. after saddam's invasion in kuwait. i went back to the middle east for high school and did my undergraduate in beirut before returning to finish my education. it is 1990.

my mother is crossing a border. i'm paying attention. i mean i'm learning the colors of the flag. i mean i'm learning english. i mean, i'm forgetting arabic. it is 1994. i'm falling in love with a white boy, a habit i will never kick. >> i feel like i was one person in my house in oklahoma or texas and then another person trying to figure out a lot of the american mainstream and societal expectations and around 12, that flipped, and suddenly i was the americanized kid in the arab world. >> when they say the pledge of allegiance, i say my country is a ghost, a mouth trying to say sorry, and it comes out all smoke. my country is a machine, a spell of bad weather, big feather lacing my mother's black hair, i mean, her dyed hair, so shiny and borrowed and painted over.

my identity intersects a lot with the diaspora and what it means to be in different places. >> it is 2003. i mean i am in my country watching my country burn because of my country or it is 2020 and the women in beirut are at sea. i mean my country looks beautiful in red. it is every year and my country is taken. i mean my country is stolen land . i mean all my countries are stolen land. my country is an opening. i mean bloom. i mean bloom not like flower but like explosion. my country is a teacher. i mean, do you like my accent? i mean i stole them. i mean i stole them. i mean, where do you think i learned that from?

this is my brief but spectacular take on making and remaking identity. >> you can watch more brief but spectacular videos at pbs.org /newshour/brief. also check out our tiktok to learn about the restoration of the national cathedral in washington, d.c. 12 years after an earthquake caused millions of dollars in damage to that landmark. and that is "the newshour" for tonight. thanks for joining us. >> major funding for "the pbs newshour" has been provided by -- the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions and friends of "the newshour." >> architect. gatekeeper. mentor.

your raymondjames financial advisor tailor's advice to help you live your life. life well planned. >> the ford foundation. working with visionaries on the front lines 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 from viewers like you. thank you. >> this is "pbs newshour" west from weta studios in washington

and from the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. ♪

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