♪ amna: good evening. i'm amna nawaz. geoff: and i'm geoff bennett. on "the newshour" tonight... the united auto workers hit the picket lines after the deadline for an agreement between the union and the nation's big three car makers expires. amna: the small ohio town where a train derailed seeks answers while cleanup continues seven months later. we speak with the head of the rail company. alan: i am really proud of the progress we've made. i also understand there is a lot more work to be done. geoff: and...

it's friday -- david brooks and jonathan capehart weigh in on mounting tensions in the house of representatives as lawmakers launch an impeachment inquiry into president biden. ♪ >> major funding for "the pbs newshour" has been provided by the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions, and friends of "the newshour," including jim and nancy goldman and kathy and paul anderson. >> consumer cellular. this is sam, how may i help you? >> this is pocket dial. >> well, somebody's pocket. >> i thought i would tell you you get nationwide coverage with no contract. that is kind of our thing. have a nice day. >> actually, you don't need vision to do most things in life. yes, i am legally blind and yes,

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thank you. geoff: welcome to "the newshour." the united auto workers launched a strike today. it's the first time the union started a strike by picketing against the big three automakers simultaneously. amna: the union, under fiery new leadership, has also changed its traditional approach to a walkout by starting with a shot on the production of popular truck models. automakers say the workers' demands will endanger their ability to compete. and both sides have portrayed this battle as a critical moment because of a changing marketplace. after weeks of stalled contract negotiations... >> [chanting] no deals, no wheels, union strong! amna: nearly 13,000 autoworkers walked off the job this morning, saying they had no choice, but to strike. >> it's hard. this is not something everybody wants to do. i don't think anybody wants to do this, but this is what we have to do, so this is what

we're going to do. amna: the uaw strikes aim to disrupt operations for the so-called big three detroit automakers -- general motors, ford, and stellantis, which owns jeep and chrysler. combined they produce half of the roughly 15 million vehicles made in the u.s. every year and employ nearly 150,000 uaw members. but workers aren't striking en masse. the union is rolling out a new strategy -- targeted strikes at a few facilities. the first include 3 midwest plants -- a ford bronco plant in michigan, a gm truck and van plant in missouri, and a stellantis jeep plant in ohio. the union is asking for a 36% wage increase over four years, and the restoration of some pay and benefits cuts made in the 2008 recession, including cost of living adjustments, an end to a tiered wage system, and changes to pension plans and retiree healthcare. they are also proposing a four day work week. uaw president shawn fain spoke at the picket line just after

the work stoppage began at midnight. mr. fain: it's a shame. it is a shame we've got to be out here right now doing this because the companies won't take care of their workers, who they want to call family. we're not asking to be millionaires. we're not asking to join the billionaire class. we're asking for our fair share of the fruits of our labor. they deserve it. amna: the union says companies raked in billions in profits and worker wages have not kept up. between 2013 and 2022, combined profits for the big 3 -- ford, gm, and stellantis -- surged 92% to $250 billion total. president biden today gave his support to striking workers and said he hoped for a fair agreement. pres. biden: auto companies have seen record profits in the last few years because of extraordinary skills but those profits have not been shared fairly, in my view. the companies have made some significant offers, but i

believe they should go further to ensure record corporate profits mean record contracts for the uaw -- let me say that again. record corporate profits, which they have, should be shared by record contracts for the uaw. amna: the companies have countered the union with a proposed pay hike of 17.5% to 20%, 5 weeks of vacation, some cost of living adjustments, and more health benefits. and automakers argue that union demands will keep them from competing with non-union and foreign auto companies. and that it would drive up prices. gm ceo mary barra on cnbc this morning. ms. barra: i'm extremely frustrated and disappointed, we don't need to be in strike right now. we are at the table, we are problem-solving. we want to get this done. this will not be good for the economy overall and all the communities impacted when a plant is in their city. amna: the strike follows a pandemic, supply chain disruptions and a semiconductor shortage, and comes amid an

industry shift to electric, raising union concerns of lower-paying non-union jobs ahead. the big question now: how will the strike impact the economy? mark: the strike is going to have a negative effect on the economy. amna: mark zandi is the chief economist at moody analytics. mark: this should not push this resilient economy into recession, certainly not by itself. i mean, obviously, it can construct dark scenarios where the strike extends on, let's say, through the end of the year into next. if that's the case, then the damage to the economy could be serious enough that it could push us over the edge into an economic downturn. but that seems unlikely at this point. amna: the loss of income, says zandi, could impact those midwestern communities who rely on auto production jobs. and consumers nationwide could feel that impact, too. mark: it's just going to be tougher to find many of the vehicles that you might want to purchase. it also could result in higher vehicle prices. vehicle prices have gone skyward here since the pandemic because of the supply shortages, and

this would only exacerbate it. i don't think it's a big deal in terms of availability and price. the strike lasts a few days, a few weeks, but if it drags on for a month, two or three, then shortages will become more prevalent and higher prices more likely. amna: as negotiations continue, more plants could be called on to strike in the days ahead. ♪ geoff: the deadly floods that inundated eastern libya earlier this week have now led to a tide of the dead -- bodies seemingly everywhere with a death toll of more than 11,000 -- and a race that pits dignity and respect for those lost, against the threat of disease and further calamity. stephanie sy reports. stephanie: saad rajab's home in

the city of sousse is submerged in layers of mud, and completely unlivable. saad: it's not easy for a man to go through this. only god knows what we are going through. even the government did not help us. we are left out on the streets. stephanie: but the streets of derna, about 60 miles east, have sustained the most damage. thousands are still believed to be missing, and as much as a quarter of the city has been washed away. for the fifth day straight, local and international rescue teams continued to search the rubble. and wade through the waters. libyan authorities today sealed off most of the city and said only rescue teams would be allowed to enter the worst-hit areas. libyans are now racing to bury their dead, but there aren't enough body bags. 5,000 from the red cross shipped out today. what to do with the bodies is a pressing question.

the world health organization called on authorities to stop burying flood victims in mass graves. the u.n. says at least 1,000 bodies have been buried that way, which experts warn could lead to further trauma for family members. bilal: graves need to be mapped so there is record of who is buried there. the efforts make it possible for loved ones to later recover the body and had the closure of a private burial. stephanie: for the living, critical aid supplies are coming in but with damaged roads, and , bridges, access to derna remains difficult. local authorities say a sea corridor could be established to deliver urgent relief. martin griffiths is the un's top humanitarian official. martin: priority areas are shelter, food, key primary medical care because of the worry of cholera.

stephanie: but aid groups accuse the government of a lack of central oversight. even before the disastrous flood, at least 300,000 libyans were already in desperate need of aid. the u.n. has launched a $71.4 million appeal for the hundreds of thousands more now reeling from the floods. >> alahu akbar. stephanie: as appeals for help go out, prayers are lifted up. hundreds of survivors filled a mosque, still standing, in derna. grieving, but not without faith. for "the pbs newshour," i'm stephanie sy. ♪ i'm stephanie sy with "newshour west," here are the latest headlines. new england braced for a close encounter with hurricane lee. more than 400 miles of the region expects high winds and

heavy rain, in an area that's already seen flooding this week from an earlier system. the hurricane is on track to make landfall tomorrow, in nova scotia, canada. maine's coast line could see waves of 15 feet. tens of thousands of people worldwide have kicked off a weekend of protests against climate change. demonstrators are calling for an end to the use of fossil fuels. marchers in germany closed down streets today and rallied at berlin's brandenburg gate. in the philippines, activists demanded quick action by leaders. aaron: science has said that we only have seven years as a window for climate action and we are not, and we are nowhere near the urgent solution, the drastic solutions, the ambitious actions that are needed yesterday. stephanie: the protests are timed to coincide with a united nations climate summit. the u.n. warned last week that countries are far from meeting commitments they made in the paris agreement of 2015.

u.s. central command says it will interview more troops about the kabul airport bombing two years ago. that's after a former marine said he spotted two men behaving suspiciously, but never got orders to take action. the suicide bombers struck during the chaotic u.s. withdrawal, as thousands of people tried to flee the country. the attack killed 170 afghans and 13 american troops. the original investigation said it was not preventable. chinese authorities are saying nothing tonight about the fate of the country's defense minister. lee shawng-foo has not been seen in public for more than two weeks, and numerous reports today said he's being investigated for corruption. secretary of state antony blinken was asked about it in washington. sec. blinken: i don't know about the status of the defense minister and in any event ultimately these are issues for the chinese government to decide. we remain fully prepared as

we've been to engage with the chinese government, whoever happens to be holding the positions of responsibility as any given time. stephanie: li's disappearance follows the ouster of china's foreign minister. he dropped from sight and was replaced in july, without explanation. back in this country, the death toll in the maui fires has been revised downward. officials today announced 97 people died, down from a count that had stood at 115. testing revealed some victims had multiple dna samples. the number missing was revised to 31, down from 41. federal prosecutors say former president trump is trying to intimidate potential witnesses in his january 6th criminal case with threats and inflammatory statements. a court filing today said they're asking the presiding judge to impose limits on what he can say. trump is accused in the case of illegally trying to overturn the 2020 election.

birmingham, alabama marked 60 years today since the bombing of the 16th street baptist church killed four young black girls. they were getting ready for sunday services when a powerful dynamite bomb exploded. the attack brought an outpouring of grief, and shook the country's conscience. today's remembrance service at the church featured justice ketanji brown jackson -- the first black woman on the u.s. supreme court. justice jackson: the theft of those souls and spirits shook and bent our own, but we did not break. indeed, it was from the rubble of the bombing of this church that our nation rened its commitment to justice and equality. stephanie: three members of the kkk were eventually convicted in the bombing, decades after it took place. a currently illegal drug is being submitted to the fda as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. a study from a company developing prescription psychedelics shows military veterans and others suffering the disorder saw symptoms lesson

after taking mdna. if approved, it would be the first new treatment in 20 years for ptsd. and a passing of note -- famed colombian painter and sculptor fernando botero died today in monaco, of pneumonia. he was known for sculptures and paintings of oversized figures. his work now decorates cities across europe and latin america. fernando botero was 91 years old. still to come on "the newshour"... iran tightens security ahead of the one year anniversary of mahsa amini's death, which sparked protests around the world... and a sister's struggle. an israeli researcher believed to be kidnapped by an iraqi militia. >> this is "the pbs newshour" from weta studios in washington, and in the west from the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. geoff: this past february, a norfolk southern training

carrying hazardous chemicals derailed in a small ohio village, east palestine. the toxic freight was burned to avoid a possible explosion, sending a black cloud of smoke drifting ominously into the air. many residents and plaintive wretches, sore throats, nausea and headaches. it's been over seven months and the cleanup is ongoing and some residents tell us they are still concerned about ingoing effects on their health, the economic future of their community and whether this could happen again. joining us to talk about those concerns is the ceo of norfolk southern. it is good to see you again. alan: a pleasure to be with you. last time we were together was seven months ago in the immediate aftermath and at that point i made the commitment that we were going to make it right and we are keeping our promises and i'm proud of the progress made but i understand there's more work to be done. geoff: there are residents who

say they are still suffering damaging systems, they want or testing and more clear assurances about the safety of their homes for they want health care costs to be covered and in the event they develop cancer or serious health problems paired what can you offer -- problems. what can you offer? alan: i go back multiple times a month, and i'm there to remediate but also listen, to hear what norfolk southern can do to help. the things we really hear about our concerns about water testing, concerns about property valuation and long-term health care. just yesterday, we were able to make an announcement of a $4.3 million grant to enhance the city water system. next week i am pretty confident we will make an announcement on a long-term fund for property

evaluation and we are working with key stakeholders on issues associated with health care. we are listening and taking action. geoff: does norfolk southern have a full accounting of the chemicals spilled and the ones created during the controlled burn? alan: we certainly know what was on the train. it is important to note that through the process, the u.s. epa and ohio epa had air and water testing, and they showed that the air was safe in the water was safe. geoff: one of the concerns we've heard is the time it is taking to do this remediation. initially it was thought the cleanup could take weeks and it is now about seven months. none of the main roads has been shut down. what is taking so long and what is the expectation for when the work will be done? alan: that's another thing i hear when i go to the community. folks want environmental remediation to be complete in they want the street to be open

and i understand that completely. we are working under the oversight of the u.s. epa. we believe the most intense phase of environment remediation will be done next month, we understand our commitment is not done and we will continue to remediate the site and test and monitor. geoff: let's talk about real safety, because the ntsb investigated and found there was a norfolk southern employee who expressed concerns about the size of the train the day before the derailment. the train itself had two mechanical disruptions before it derailed. we know it was caused by an overheated wheel bearing not picked up in time by sensors. what is norfolk southern doing to ensure this doesn't happen again? alan: we've been really active. i immediately instructed my team to look for ways to enhance safety on norfolk southern. in march we announced a six point safety plan we are

implementing. i reached out to an admiral who used to run the navy nuclear propulsion system and asked him to put together a team of experts with navy nuclear experience, and they report directly to me as an independent consultant. they are going to help us enhance the safety culture at norfolk southern. just yesterday, full transparency, i've released the findings from the navy team. we are now sitting down with them and mapping out a two to three year roadmap for implementation, and i will mail those results to every one of norfolk southern's 20,000 employees because i want 20,000 voices advocating for real safety. geoff: ohio's two senators introduced railway safety act this past spring, which would strengthen notification, strengthen inspection requirements and also mandate a two-person onboard crew. do you support that legislation? alan: there are many things we support in the various railway

safety bills in the house and senate. what you've seen from he is a vocal advocate for many of these provisions. i am taking a lead role in the industry in trying to advance bipartisan real safety legislation. geoff: which provisions do you think are unnecessary? alan: we are data-driven and we look for science and at this point of not seen any link between crew size and railway safety. what i can tell you, things that make a lot of sense to me, is additional training for first responders they are the heroes in this situation. they devote their whole careers to protecting communities in which we serve. -- in which we live, pardon me. also enhanced car standards. a lot of things make perfect sense. geoff: people will hear you say that and also think it makes perfect sense to have more crew on board.

that the nearly two mile long train in east palestine had three crewmembers, one of whom was a trainee, but if it had only had one crew member, as bad as it was, it could have been worse. alan: what we haven't seen is a link between crew size and real safety. but i am absolutely advocating for many of the provisions out there. i am taking a leadership role in the industry on enhancing real safety. geoff: final question -- when i talk to folks who have been following what happened in east palestine and pay close attention to the on goings and the rail industry, they say real carriers for a long time, the industry has been self regulated. the big rail carriers want to keep it that way. is that the case? alan: we work closely with elected officials and regulatory agencies. we understand the powerful role

that real plays as an economic growth engine in the u.s. economy and we do a lot of things that are aligned with both sides of the aisle, including enhanced investment in manufacturing, high paying union jobs, picking trucks off the highway and sustainability. we understand our role and take safety very seriously. geoff: alan shaw, think you for coming in. alan: great to see you again, thank you for your time. ♪ amna: the u.s. today imposed new sanctions on iran, is the -- explicitly designated on the anniversary of a death of a young woman. she took off her headscarf and was arrested and never left custody.

the protest that followed shook iran for months. we have the story of some of the women who participated in the protests and others who did not. >> september 2022. angry ptests led by women gripped the streets of tehran following the death of mahsa amini, who died in police custody after she was arrested for allegedly breaking the islamic dress code, not wearing her headscarf or he job. one year later we spoke to some of the women who say they peacefully took part in protests. they asked us to not reveal their identities. sarah is a 54-year-old aid worker. mary s is 23, a dental assistant. >> it was a good feeling, it felt like everyone was united. it was a feeling of fearlessness. i'm usually a feel for -- fearful person but i felt strong. we felt like we had to defend

our rights. >> it was like someone shot an arrow attached to the string and arrow and string united everyone in the streets. religious people, nonreligious, men, old and young. they bonded like a big family. reza: at the protests, many women remove their hijab in a show of defiance. for the clerical rulers, it is a pillar of the islamic republic. for protesters, it is the civil of an oppressive government. by removing the hijab, they said no more. >> from that moment i complete removed my hijab, which should be your choice. we chose to be without the hijab . reza: as protest bread, authorities increased the crackdown. in the months that followed, more than five people died, including nearly 70 security officers. thousands were arrested and among them journalists and activists. the protest became one of the

biggest news stories of 2022, with international headlines depicting iran's women taking on its oppressive leaders. >> for me as a journalist, i think they wanted to produce a bad impression of the leadership. reza: but this journalist from one of iran's conservative newspapers, says coverage of the protest was one-sided and incomplete. she grew up in a conservative family in iran, where for many the hijab is part of everyday culture. she said she was deeply concerned by mahsa amini's death, but also what women want in the capital is different from her conservative hometown. >> i often walked by conservative -- security forces and i thought do you know what the concern is for women elsewhere?

for me the difference in views is remarkable. i think to myself, people are fighting one another for one thing here while we want something very different there. reza: she says what most iranian women want our better lives, better jobs, the ability to save money for a secure future. >> the hijab has become a symbol in protests against the erosion of society. when people see the leadership is sensitive to the issue, they push their button and remove the hijab. if livelihood improved, maybe people would have an easier time dealing with it. reza: that's maybe the most important, the most surprising point we heard over and over again from irani and women -- yes, these were anti- hijab protest, but many iranian women said their main demand is a better economy. >> the hijab was weapon used but it was not the only concern for any of these women.

>> when i talk to everyone around you, the head job -- hijab is not the main concern, it is the cost of living in inflation. >> people are so concerned with putting bread on the table that they can think of anything else. >> if our situation improves and every thing is great, i am personally ready to where the hijab. reza: for many iranians, the economic situation is not improving and the fallout of the protests may have made things worse. inflation, on a planet, the plummeting value of the irani and currency, and more western sanctions are battering the economy. many women make a living with digital businesses on social media, but with the government tightening internet restrictions and blocking instagram in response to the protests, many smaller startups are going under. two years ago, business was booming for this instagram business owner. this year, she delivered a teary

goodbye. >> this will be the last time you hear my voice and see me on my page. your support and friendship were very important to me. i often said you became my second family because you are always with me. reza: when you're after the death of mahsa amini, the mandatory hijab law is still in place and iran's leadership still denies she was beat to death. in a recent news conference, a judiciary official described the arrest as a hybrid war instigated by the west. >> what is a hybrid war? you mean you have destruction, rights and disorder that is sown not just in the streets, but prisons, universities and schools. social media is used to support this hybrid war. the news media outside of around assist and implement a strategy. smile agencies are also involved.

-- spy agencies are also involved. reza: put in the streets of the capital, more women openly walk without the hijab. >> the women who wore it before still wear it, but the women who didn't believe in it are no longer wearing it. you see the morality police but they don't dare say anything to you even though you hear threats of fines. women are standing up for what they want. reza: what iranian women say they want our better lives. it's up to the iranian government to deliver. failure to do so will likely fuel the discontent that sparked iran's women led protest and still bruise one year later. i am reza sayah in tehran. ♪ amna: princeton graduate student

elizabeth tsurkov has been missing for six months. a dual russian-israeli citizen with family in the u.s., she was conducting research for her doctoral degree in baghdad when she was believed to be kidnapped by an iraqi militia. i spoke recently with her sister, emma tsurkov, who lives in the u.s., and has been trying to get government officials and princeton to do more to bring her sister home. i asked emma how she first learned her sister had been taken. emma: we are very close, we text each other daily. she loves my son so much, truly the apple of her eye. no matter what is going on and even if she is mad at me, she will always respond to pictures of him. so i sent her a picture of him, and then a few hours went by and then at the point at which it was 12 hours and she has not responded, i knew something must be wrong. there is no way she is ok and

has not responded to a picture of him. and then i started making phone calls and trying to understand what's going on. and i contacted the russian authorities and i contacted the israeli authorities to try and understand what's happening. and from that point on, that's basically the way and as it started. amna: so she's believed to be held by a group called kataib hezbollah. it's an iranian backed shia militia in iraq. she was taken, have you heard anything from her or from them? do you understand why she would have been kidnaped? emma: so i have not heard from them. i have not received any demands. they have kidnaped her because because she is jewish. she is a jewish woman at the hands of an extremist terrorist organization. and so she is a completely

innocent woman, a brilliant scholar and a very kind person. she has done nothing wrong to anyone and does not deserve to languish at the hands of a terror organization. amna: you have been in touch with a number of officials, and you even stood outside the iraqi interested -- embassy trying to get a meeting with the ambassador. amid all of these countries, who do you think is responsible? who should take the lead in trying to get your sister out? emma: i believe that the united states is uniquely positioned to help secure my sister's release for several reasons. first of all, because my sister has a stronger relationship to the u.s. while she is not a citizen, she is a resident of the state of new jersey. she's a graduate student at princeton university. and more importantly, and i will

point to the fact that as the u.s. government provides aid to the iraqi government, that funds the organization that kidnaped her. so the fact that the u.s. government needs to apply pressure. they are not doing everything. amna: she was doing work as part of her degree at princeton. it was reviewed by princeton in advance. approved by princeton in advance. what have your conversations been like with them so far? emma: they've been very frustrating. i expected princeton to be a strong ally of mine and help get my sister back. but in fact, what they have done is treat it mainly as a pr problem. i was passed from one administrative person to another. princeton had started this whisper campaign in which the israeli and u.s. governments were told -- which is untrue --

that she was there on her own. and all of that is deeply damaging to my sister's case and to her chances of survival. this isn't a matter of pr or of liability. it is literally life or death for her. amna: you've been meeting with u.s. officials here in your visit to washington. have any of them said that they will help to take the lead to secure her release? emma: i have letters from members of congress. representative eric swalwell, who represents the district i live in, in california, and senators menendez and booker, in which they ask the state department to do more to get the iraqi government to intervene and do more to free my sister. but it seems that so far everyone is passing the buck. everyone wants to know what's happening, but no one wants to take the lead and take the responsibility of doing everything possible to bring my sister back.

she's an amazing, kind, brilliant person. and she doesn't deserve this. she doesn't deserve this. amna: that is emma tsurkov of sister of elizabeth tsurkov. and, emma, thank you so much for being here. we appreciate it. emma: thank you for having me. amna: in a statement to "the newshour," princeton university called elizabeth tsurkov a "valued member of their community," saying there's been ongoing contact with government officials and experts to understand how princeton can best support her safe return. ♪ geoff: a new report sheds light on a staggering number of people dying behind bars in louisiana prisons, jails, and juvenile detention centers. john yang has more. john: the incarceration transparency project at the loyola university law school says there's been a 50% jump in deaths from 2019 to 2021.

and what's more, there's been a significant spike in deaths due to drugs, suicide and violence all reaching new highs. , roby chavez is a communities correspondent for us based in new orleans. roby, as i understand it, there have been 1,100 deaths behind bars since 2015. this report analyzes that. what are the big findings? roby: well, john, the numbers show a big surge since the start of covid. and prison reform advocates say that this report points to what they call dehumanizing and deadly problems at these prisons and jails, but they say it's a completely solvable problem. until now, there has been no comprehensive analysis of the deaths at louisiana prisons and jails until loyola university law school started to collect the data through public records request. here's some of the things that they found. one in four people killed in louisiana jails had not been tried yet. black people made up nearly 58%

of deaths. medical conditions like heart disease and cancer were the primary cause of death. but overdose deaths among incarcerated people starkly increased in louisiana from over just over 2% in 2015 to nearly 12% in 2021. now, while covid deaths remained low, researchers believe that the restrictions put in place during the first two years of the pandemic certainly played a role in these increases. andrea: covid changed the prison in jail environment. it meant that there was no programming and it meant that there were fewer staff on site. it meant that the people who were incarcerated had lesser access to the outdoors. those changes in the environment affected people's mental health. and so what we saw in that time is higher levels of violent deaths as drug overdoses, as well as suicides during the covid period. roby: now, other studies have shown that louisiana has the highest in-custody mortality rate in the country. john: roby, has there been any response from both the family members of people who've died

behind bars or the department of corrections? roby: family members, for their part, just want to know how the drugs continue to get in the prisons, in jails, especially during the pandemic, when they were on lockdown and family visitations were halted. we did speak with prison officials who acknowledged the spike in deaths, even calling the rise in suicides a black eye for the department. but we also spoke with the louisiana department of corrections medical director who said what he's seeing parallels, what they're seeing in the general population on the outside in the goal is to provide a standard of care that is equal to what's available in the community. now, that spokesman went on to say that there's a department wide concern over these deaths, saying, "you would like people to do their time and to go back home to their families." john, clearly, for some people that's not happening. john: and is the department of corrections taking any steps, any actions? roby: researchers and advocates

say just bringing awareness through this report will help move things forward. family members believe that those deaths of folks who've died from non-medical illnesses deserve an independent criminal investigation. now, for its part, the department of corrections has started to evaluate people incarcerated with high needs to determine their best placement. spending has increased by $6 million since 2017, and the department of correction has increased onsite clinics to treat people for everything from mental health issues to substance abuse and dialysis. now, we should mention the lead author of this report says that in-custody deaths should be rare events. andrea: we don't draw any conclusions about whether a death is preventable or not. but what this project does do is it identifies patterns and trends in deaths, both in jails and in prisons, and that this information is helpful for administrators of that facility to identify what types of things they can look to to improve, such as supervision protocols or

searching protocols, and the ways in which they might be able to reduce preventable deaths inside. roby: now, louisiana is unique from most other states because more than half of the people convicted of crimes have to serve out their times in local jails. those are run by sheriffs. and that's where we're seeing the spike in deaths. local prison advocates say that points to a need for independent oversight and mandatory standards across all these facilities, john. john: roby chavez, thank you very much. roby: thank you, john. john: and you can dive deeper into roby's reporting, including his interviews with family members of those who've died behind bars by going to our website, pbs.org/newshour. geoff: this week, president biden faced the opening of an impeachment inquiry in the house of representatives and his son faced an indictment on federal gun charges. we turn now to the analysis of brooks and capehart. that's "new york times"

columnist david brooks and jonathan capehart, associate editor for "the washington post." good to see you both. there are more indicators the 2024 presidential race could play out in congressional committee rooms and courthouses more so than early voting states. the fact that hunter biden has been indicted by federal prosecutors on a gun charge after his plea deal fell apart, how will that impact the biden campaign? jonathan: it will impact the biden campaign only as much as it is the president's son, who was facing accountability. unlike the person the president will likely run against, who will actually be in several courtrooms in four jurisdictions around the country while also running for president. the president loves his son. i'm sure this is a painful time for him personally. but as the campaign goes on, and assuming this goes to trial, you

listen to a lot of legal analysts who say it probably won't go to trial, but if it does, the longer this goes on and the president is asked questions, he will have to answer. but i think it is incumbent upon us in the press to keep some perspective. the charges that the president's son is facing is nowhere near the charges the former president the united states is facing. geoff: that's right, hunter biden's alleged misdeeds do not compare at all compared to the scale and quantity of donald trump's alleged crimes. still, it is an interesting strategy among republicans to try to exploit this perceived vulnerability and distract from donald trump's legal troubles. is it effective? david: no, donald trump's legal troubles is not something we will ignore. the gun thing is a distraction to me, i will not waste neurons on that one. influence peddling should be investigated.

hunter biden was in the business of peddling influence and it's not clear that his dad did anything, but it should be looked into. his dad was somewhat involved, if only small talk. we should know whether hunter biden's business was a sham, pretending to pedal influence he did not have, or if there was substance p that merits and inquiry but not an impeachment. an impeachment should be holy cow, we should have evidence of something truly shocking before we take the extraordinary step of beginning an impeachment inquiry or else we risk cheapening the process. geoff: republicans have failed to produce any evidence of wrongdoing. pennsylvania senator john fetterman was asked about this in the halls of the u.s. senate and this was his response. senator federman: oh my god, really? oh my gosh, you know, it's devastating. ooooooohhhh. don't do it.

please. don't do it. geoff: setting aside his arterial choices, the fact that he is dismissing it in a cartoonish way, is that a mistake? should democrats should take it seriously? jonathan: yes, they should take this seriously. i get where the senator is coming from. to david's point, there is no evidence here yet and if the republicans were serious, the oversight committee would be doing a serious investigation instead of a fishing expedition that they are on so far, finding nothing. that's why the senator is like ooooh, this is so scary. but on the other hand impeachment is a big deal. the american people will say wait, what, he is being impeached? this is terrible, this is what happens to terrible people who do terrible things. we don't have any evidence of that at all. the key thing here, the senator

is reacting that way but the white house is not, the white house is taking this seriously and that's what they should be doing. geoff: for kevin mccarthy to greenlight this inquiry, as he now have to follow this into its natural end? does he have an offramp? david: first i want to support any's arterial use of sarcasm -- sartorial use of sarcasm. there are a lot of republicans who are saying impeachment backfired on republicans when they did it to clinton and it sort of backfired to democrats when they did it to trump and this is stupid. they could be hard right or not, it look at the history of impeachment and realize people don't like this stuff so we should not do this. he has a lot of people in his caucus would be happy to let this go. geoff: it also raises the question of how the house speaker is handling the pressure from the far right wing of his party. not just on impeachment but funding the government and

infighting. there was extraordinary reporting from inside a house caucus meeting, republican caucus meeting this week. jonathan: yes, some f-bombs were dropped in that meeting. there might not be enough votes in the caucus to actually approve impeachment, but there aren't enough votes in the caucus to pass a budget. that's why we are hurtling toward a government shutdown. the speaker i thought, from the reporting, he thought i will just say i am authorizing an impeachment inquiry and that will be enough to satisfy matt gaetz and marjorie taylor green and we can get on with the business of a cr, and passing a budget. that is off the table now. we are less than 10 working days before congress runs out of runway to come up with a budget

by october 1. the government is going to shut down because of this insanity. geoff: what do you make of the situation? david: being house speaker is like having a really bad, old boat. you are happy new first get it but then you get rid of it. i think that's the experience. this congress came in, and especially republicans, with two words on their mouth, regular order. we will do congress the way it is supposed to be done, committees will do the work, it will look the way it's supposed to but that is gone. it is completely shambolic. i still think, as they always do and has happened a couple of month ago, they will come up with a rough deal to prevent a government shutdown because people know how terrible that would be politically for them. it certainly doesn't look like regular order to me. geoff: at the risk of sounding naïve, what does it mean that this congress cannot pass bills through the regular order, which is to take bill by bill as

opposed to doing the omnivorous method, doing it -- omnibus method am i doing it altogether. david: this is the history of my life, doing this big omnibus thing. mitt romney, maybe we will talk about that later, when the impeachment process came to him, he studied the evidence, he prayed about it, consulted experts and did things like a number of congress would do. that norm -- he was probably the only one that did that. that norm, especially on the budget side, the norms of how we do budgets has completely broken down. we've been out this for decades. geoff: david raised it -- mitt romney's decision not to run for reelection. how does it affect the senate to lose another moderate republican voice? jonathan: not just a moderate republican voice. a states person, a person of

conscience, a person who took his job seriously, took the job of senator seriously and what it means to be one of 100 and what it means for the functioning of american government. it was surprising but not surprising. surprising because we need voices like that -- i don't agree with senator romney on just about everything, but i respect him and the fact that he truly has service in his heart. but it is surprising because the nation needs him. but i understand why he wants to leave. why do you want to be in an institution where regular order is gone, there are very few other serious people around you? geoff: what was it, it was george washington who told thomas jefferson that the senate was supposed to be the saucer,

to pool the business -- to cool the business of the house. as the senate becomes more like the house, what is the effect? david: this needs to be very different from the house and they all had this collegial, you go to the dining room and they were always buddy buddy, there was a room off the senate floor where they get have a drink together. these days i would go in that room and the bourbon levels in the bottle didn't go down. there was no collegiality, no flattering. the senate has become a place to go to get on tv. mitt romney came to congress a very earnest guy, came to the senate, had a list of things he wanted to pass in the staff was like what? that's how we do here. i lament -- think of the kind of republicans that used to be common.

george h w bush, george romney. that is all gone. that's one thing. another thing, we learned romney gave interviews to the atlantic, published this week and we learned there have been times when trump has gone into talk to the republican caucus and he left and they all laughed contemptuously at them. that level of that faith is high. we also learned there are members who will vote to convict on impeachment but were afraid families might get assassinated. we are way beyond the bounds of normal democratic governance when that is even on the minds of members of congress paired geoff: senator romney sing he pay some thing like $5,000 a day for personal security because of threats he and his family faced as we pine for the days of yesterday. is there a way back? jonathan: there is and it is called leadership. leadership, particularly among republicans. geoff: all right, great to see

you all as always. ♪ amna: remember there is a lot more online, including a look at why hundreds of thousands of children in texas are losing their medicaid coverage and how schools are trying to fill the gaps. geoff: be sure to tune into washington week with the atlantic later on pbs. our colleague, guest moderator laura barrón-lópez and her panel will discuss infighting among house republicans and kevin mccarthy's comments daring members of his party to try to remove him from the speakership. amna: and tomorrow on pbs news weekend the rise of robo-taxis and the benefits and risks they pose. and that is the newshour for tonight. geoff: thanks for joining us. have a great weekend. >> major funding for "the pbs

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wow, you get to watch all your favorite stuff. it's to die for. now you won't miss a thing. this is the way. the xfinity 10g network. made for streaming. ♪ laura: house republicans in disarray. >> we will go wherever the evidence takes us. laura: speaker mccarthy opens an impeachment inquiry into the president all to appease his most extreme members just weeks before a deadline to fund the government. >> mr. speaker, you are out of compliance. the path forward for the house is to either bring you into immediate total compliance or remove you. >> i showed frustration because i am frustrated. laura: facing threats of losing hispe