♪ >> good evening. on the newshour tonight, the united auto workers expands its strike to dozens more facilities putting further pressure on the big three. congress is mired in gridlock. a government shutdown draws newer and -- draws nearer. and ukraine's national security advisor discusses the ongoing counteroffensive and the

uncertain future of their fight against russia. >> but every day we are inching forward. what i mean is that it is not only up to us when it comes to the fighting. a lot depends on other factors which we have no control over. ♪ >> major funding for the pbs newshour been provided by. the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. and frids of the newshour, including jan and nancy, and kathy and paul anderson. >> consumer cellular, how may i help you? this is a pocket dial. i thought i would let you know, with consumer cellular that you get nationwide coverage with no contract. that is kind of our thing.

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this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. william: welcome to the newshour. on capitol hill today, a looming government shutdown, a top senator is indicted and lawmakers find a way around amongst long block on military promotions. more in the moment. but first, you the united auto workers expanded their strike against two fhte big three automatic fractures today. workers at 38 more sites are now joining the picket line. all part of a move to get attention of car buys and car owners. >> no pay, no parts. >> to distribution centers in

dallas, texas, autoworkers have taken their walkouts nationwide, following the union's latest rallying cry. >> today at noon eastern time, all of the parts distribution facilities at general motors are being called to stand up and strike. >> uaw president sean fain called on an additional 5600 workers to join the 13,000 already on strike against the detroit big three manufacturers. usaw is now targeting gm and their parts distribution facilities for dealerships. but it spared ford from any additional work stoppages for now. fain says that the union made real progress with ford on cost, profit-sharing and job security. but a deal is far from done. >> we still have serious issues to work through but we do want to recognize that ford is showing that they are serious about reaching a deal. and gm, it is a different story.

>> they fell short on cost-of-living allowance is providing zero increases. they also rejected the unions's profit sharing and job security proposals as well as changes that would convert temps into permanent positions. uaw has other demands for all three companies, wage hikes of 36% over four years. the carmakers have so far put forth half of that. the union has also proposed significant changes, a four day work week and traditional pension plans and the end of tiered wages, aimed at wedding workers lost during the 2008 crisis. the automakers argue they cannot meet the demands due to the industry's shift to electric vehicles. earlier this week, detroit free press published an op-ed by the gm president writing "85% of

current employees with were in -- would earn a wage of 80t $5,000. 5,000." president biden will travel to michigan on tuesday after the union dialed up the pressure by inviting him to the picket lines. while the president has expressed support, he has steered clear of getting too involved, including in negotiations. one day later, former president donald trump is also expected to meet with union workers. instead of attending the second presidential debate. the former president is trying to peel off union workers to support him. the union leadership has said a second trump presidency would be a disaster. >> uaw. >> in the meantime, uaw says consumers will feel the impact of the strike expansion as the attention turns from production plants to distribution centers. workers say they are prepared for a lasting standoff. >> we'll take as long as we have to. if they -- they can negotiate we

will be ready at any time. william: turning from the auto industry to the u.s. capitol it is been an unusual day with a series of development including news this morning that new jersey senator bob mendez, democrat and committee chairman, has been indicted on bribery charges. our congressional correspondent is covering that and more, she joins us no. -- joins us now. this is such a striking indictment against senator menendez. >> also with his wife. they are three counts, and they are all bribery charges. charging that menendez and his wife in a relationship with three businessmen took bribes including money and we get into other things in a minute in order to help deal with prosecutions of those businessmen and foreign governments. here is what the prosecutor said

today about the case. >> the indictment alleges that through that relationship the senator and his wife accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes. in exchange for senator menendez using his power and influence to protect and to enrich those businessmen and to benefit the government of egypt. >> menendez has fired back in a lengthy statement "this is a smear campaign against him. he said, prosecutors has mr. -- have misrepresented the normal work of a congressional office and not content with making false claims against me they have attacked my wife for friendships she had before she ever met me." let's get through the details in that indictment because it came with codas. prosecutors allege they found at menendez's home, it nothing less than half $1 million in cash and gold bars, in some cases i think two large gold bars, $100,000. the dna of one of the

businessmen was found on envelopes with that cash in hand. now, this is a third investigation we know in the senator's career. the last one in 2015 ended in a hung jury. he was not convicted and kept his job in the senate as you know. now tonight, the new jersey governor, a democrat, is calling for him to resign. he has, because of senate rules, stepped out from his chairmanship. >> another major setback here that i know that you are following is a major setback in the efforts to fund the government. mccarthy let all of congress go home for the long weekend evenness we are on the precipice of a shutdown to what is happening on that front? >> here's what i want folks to know. essentially, house republicans now have given themselves not just a week, because they have gone home but the four days, they come back next tuesday and wednesday to figure this mess

out. they were not able to pass the short or figure out a short-term funding deal that all republicans could agree to. so what are they doing? they are trying to re-create the entire appropriations process from scratch working on 11 different bills that are due. that is something that takes weeks and weeks and yet is that -- yet that is what house republicans are doing in an effort to get a more conservative spending bill in negotiations down the road with the senate. it is a wild idea. it is something we have never seen at this point in the process before. so, a lot of folks are saying, all right, the shutdown is coming next week. why not just agree with democrats on a clean, easy short-term deal. speaking mccarthy was asked about that today. how about working with democrats? >> i believe we have a majority here. we can work together to solve this. this is the same place you were asking me during the debt ceiling. you know what? it might take us longer but this is important. >> he was saying no, i think

republicans have the majority. this will take a little longer. what does that mean? i asked the ranking democrat on the appropriations committee and this is how i figure, think of this, do what republicans are trying to do, get the whole thing through, minimum of six weeks. so, think of what is going on here as this. i know you have covered hurricanes. think of the shutdown as a coming hurricane. we know it's coming. republicans, instead of moving to a shelter and getting out of the way of the hurricane, they are trying to just start building a new house from scratch. in other words, everyone is getting ready for the shutdown. leaning into the shutdown unless something dramatic changes. >> really incredible metaphor. third development that is happening this week. there was action on something. the senate was able to confirm a few military leaders. this circumvents the block we've

seen from senator super bowl. -- senator tuberville. >> this was significant. these are major military posts, two have been open for weeks and sometimes months. let's look at who was confirmed. so people understand the gravity. nothing less than the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff nominee. the army's chief of staff, the common debt of the marine corps, two offices on the right have been open until this confirmation this week. these are the top military officers waiting for a single senator. it is significant. but what happened is, chuck schumer essentially moved around the block of senator tommy tuberville. it is not a long-term breakthrough. tuberville, as we discussed before, is holding up these hundreds of military nominations because the objects to the military's policy helping to fund abortion and reproductive travel for people who are in the military and unable to get that

care where they live. now, what's going on now? tuberville still says he is not going to allow these larger blocks of nominations to move. he is still daring chuck schumer to do them like he did this week, one by one by one. i will tell you, tuberville didn't land his nominations move more quickly, it is very senate process, but it was notable, the first crack we have seen. i know from behind the scenes republicans are telling him, it is time to end this. this is a problem and in the military, it also is something we hear a lot about from colonel s that are waiting for their promotions and waiting to take command. >> lisa desjardins, thank you so much for getting us through this. lisa: you are welcome.. >> here are the latest headlines.

tropical storm ophelia is raising the risk of flooding and tornadoes. it's expected to strengthen before making landfall saturday morning in north carolina and then move north through the mid-atlantic. authorities are warning of life threatening storm surge and dangerous rip currents. a federal judge struck down a california law banning high capacity gun magazines. it prohibits possession of detachable magazines with more than 10 rounds. the ban will remain in effect for now to allow the attorney general time to appeal the decision. a judge at one time -- at one time obey has declared one of the key defendants in the 9/11 attacks on fit. a medical panel found that years of cia torture has rendered him psychotic. the prosecution will continue for the other four co-defendants. no trial date has been set. israeli prime minister says

israel is close to an historic peace agreement with saudi arabia. it would be the fifth arab nation to normalize ties with israel since 2020. benjamin netanyahu made the announcement at the u.n. today where he spoke optimistically about the future of the region. >> today i bring this marker to show a great blessing, the blessing of a new middle east, between israel, saudi arabia, and our other neighbors. we will not only bring down barriers between israel and our neighbors. we'll build a new quarter of -- new corridor of peace. >> there are still several obstacles including saudi arabia is demand for progress towards a palestinian state. separatist forces in the breakaway region have started surrendering their weapons. azerbaijan recaptured the region this week and the cease-fire is

being monitored by russian troops. meanwhile, in armenia, protests are wrapped it in the capital. dozens of demonstrators were arrested after demanding their prime ministers step down for not stopping the offensive. pope francis is -- is denouncing the fanaticism of indifference that creates migrants. he did so while in france of . among the migrants influx from africa. >> before us is the sea, a source of life, yet this place has the tragedy of shipwrecks that cause death. no, they are names and surnames. they are faces and stories. they are birth and lives and shattered dreams. >> the pope's visit comes days

after 7000 migrants overwhelmed the small italian island in just one day. still to come on the newshour, the white house announces the first ever federal office of gun violence prevention. new ethics allegations against clarence thomas. david brooks and jonathan k part weigh in. and the husband and wife duo behind the blues rock trucks ban d, reflects on their career. >> 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. >> president biden today announced the creation of the first ever federal office of gun violence prevention. it aims to curb the epidemic of firearm violence in america. so far this year, there have been more than 500 mass shootings in this country. and some 25 t,000 people have

died. that is 118 deaths per day. the president says that toll was far too high. >> i'm determined to send a clear message about how important these issue -- this issue is to be and to the country. after every mass shooting, we hear a simple message, the same message heard all over the country. do something. my administration has been working relentlessly to do something. >> our white house correspondent joins us now to break down what we can expect from this new office. hi. the number of dead from -- from guns in america is horrendous. what is this new office intending to do? >> it's going to be essential -- a central hub for coordination and public outreach. as you well know, last year the president signed into law a

bipartisan bill that crackdown on background checks, trying to enhance background checks. they are going to be coordinating aggressively with states. there's also billions of dollars that were allocated in that bill to tackle gun violence prevention, mental health, school safety. so, a lot of the people i've spoken to including the white house say this office is goig to make sure that all of that is enforced and implemented with those communities, realize that there is that money for them to use. >> and vice president, harris is going to oversee this. >> that is correct. harris is going to oversee this. there will be a specific director that is also named. they brought in two people who had worked for a long time as gun safety advocates on the legal side as community organizers. but harris, the vice president brings a lot of visibility to it that would not have been there if they had just appointed other civil servants or brought in

lower-level people. so, this is a part of her larger effort to really reach young voters and show the administration is focused on this issue. >> gun violence prevention experts have been arguing that there needs to be a federal office like this for years. so, why is the white house doing this now? >> the gun safety advocates i was talking to said that as recently as march, the white house was not going to appoint any director or create this new office but they feel it is because -- because the election is around the corner and because of the public campaign that they waged to get the white house to do this, that the president and the vice president came around because they have been talking to a lot of voters. i did speak to the new town alliance, and she said, she wants to make sure that this new office talks much more frequently to survivors of gun violence, to young people who have experienced it.

as well as also making sure that law enforcement is doing what they need to do to correct -- to crack down on this. >> white house and democrats think this is an electoral strategy? >> the white house these guns is one of the defining issues heading into the 2024 election cycle. i spoke to senator murphy today, f connecticut. that is where the sandy hook mass shooting took place. he told me that my party got it wrong for 20 years. after 1994, democrats stopped talking about guns and that was a huge mistake. you cannot win the suburbs or the cities if you have no answers to the gun violence, other sources that i spoke to, told me that polling shows that guns is the second top issue for young voters behind student debt. >> you mentioned some of this before. where does this effort fit in with president biden's other efforts on guns?

>> there was the big crack down, those kits sold online that do not have serial numbers, but that regulation that is currently in place. changed that. biden pushed for that, as well as right now just around the corner, the justice department regulation is soon to be finalized, and what that does is expand who actually is defined as a fire arms dealer. in effect, once that is finalized, it would also expand background checks. now, the one thing that democrats and a number of advocates still want to see from the administration is they think there could be executive actions on changing who has oversight of the export of firearms from the commerce department, where it currently is. over to the state department. they also think that the defense department could issue a rule essentially or a memo saying

that they will only, they only want to buy firearms from manufacturers that sell to military or not to civilians. >> thank you so much. >> thank you. for years, the influential koch network for founded by charles and david koch has held a fundraiser in palm springs. it attracts wealthy conservative donors from around the country. in 2018, justice clarence thomas attended this fundraiser, one of several he allegedly attended over the years. that is according to another new investigation by pro-public of. like previous reports, this raises serious questions over justice thomas's undisclosed connections to powerful people who have brought cases before the supreme court, including one of the most watched cases in the

court's upcoming term. we are joined now by one of the reporters who helped break this story. joshua kaplan. good to have you back on the newshour. before we get to thomas and his role, can you tell us a little bit more about the koch network and its aims? >> yeah. so, the koch network was founded by billionaire industrialists charles and david koch to push america toward their libertarian visions of the country. it's one of the most influential political groups of the last half-century. so, to name a couple things, the helped cultivate the tea party in the obama years, and are credited for helping stamp out gop support for combating climate change. and behind that influence is a huge fundraising operation. and the marquis fundraising event is this annual donor

summit in palm springs, which is what thomas attended. to score an invite, donors have to give at least $100,000 a year. >> so, you report in your new investigation that justice thomas flew on a private jet to this fundraiser. he didn't disclose that, we do not know who paid for that. but beyond that, what else is a conflict here for the justice? are there members of the koch network who had business before the court? >> yes. they've had multiple cases over the supreme court. a pretty extraordinary position he has been in, having served as a fundraising trough for this network. it is also, judges sit in a unique position of public trust. the judiciary has very lofty ethics rules to protect their independence and impartiality. there's political activity is

banned, so is fundraising. we talked to one former federal judge appointed by george bush who told us, he could not imagine thomas would think it was appropriate to go to the summit. it took his breath away. if he had done the same thing when he was a lower court judge, he would've gotten a letter starting the disciplinary process. those rules only apply to the lower courts. the supreme court, the justices decide what is appropriate for themselves. >> there was a spokesperson for koch's group, cited in your report, and their statement said in part "there is a long tradition of public officials, including supreme court justices, sharing their experiences, ideas, and judicial philosophy with members of the public at dinners and other events. our events are no different." how accurate is that?

is there a distinction to be made here? >> yes. i mean, i think there is a dissension to be made. that this is a political organization. and it is also, like i said, to other judges this was shocking. yes, as they said, many justices and judges give speeches, they go on book tours, but i'm not sure, certainly the experts we talk to, judges we talk to, the judiciary rules consider that very different than attending an event for political donors. >> we heard today, similar calls coming out of congress that we are reporting further incensed the democratic party, saying that there needs to be reform. do you have a sense that the supreme court will change its ethics guidelines, or that congress or the senate will do

anything about this? >> i mean, for the supreme court it is hard to say from the outside, but john roberts and brett kavanaugh have both said that they hope the court will take concrete steps at some point in the near future. i mean, members of the court have publicly said that the court will adopt its code of ethics for 4, 5 years now at least and the has not happened yet. but, and i think there is potentially challenges with do they need unanimity, and how does one get that consensus? in terms of congress, there is a bill that has been advanced out of the judiciary committee that would require the supreme court to adopt the code of conduct and implement some other ethicsr rules. that so far has gone nowhere. i believe, senator schumer has

said he thinks it would be filibustered. so he is not advancing it to the floor. >> thank you so much for being here. >> thanks so much for having me. >> one day after visiting washington, ukrainian president zelenskyy met today with justin trudeau. and ukraine claimed responsibility for another attack in russian occupied crimea. within the headquarters of russia's naval fleet. today, nick schifrin sat down with the national security advisor in kyiv to discuss the possibility that congress will not approve a vital aid package to free russian occupied territory. >> outside, ukrainian soldiers

advance. they won this battle, through a village. in the last few days and seven ukraine, they push through some russian defenses -- in southern ukraine. but the counteroffensive's costs and challenger greg, says ukraine's national security defense secretary. >how do you think the counteroffensive is going? >> difficult. hard. every day we are inching forward. unfortunately, it has not -- it is up to us. a lot depends on other factors. >> that is a reference to ukraine's partners, the united states. president zelenskyy received a warm welcome yesterday at the white house but he also walks through a congress fighting over the next aid package. he says the problem runs deeper. >> the west has not come to a

consensus on what would be victor p they talk about assistance but not about victory. these are two different things. we do not have victor, the war that our children and grandchildren will have to fight is only a matter of time. that is why we need victory. >> yesterday president zelenskyy told senators, if we do not get the next aid package, we will lose the war. can you explain that, why would we lose the war if we do not get the next u.s. aid package? >> keep in mind, that is very painful to review reports of how many of our boys and girls are dying. if we had the capabilities to end this war, they would still be alive. >> but what did he mean? >> it means we need help. >> so far the u.s. has sent weapons, vehicles, and ammunition worth more than $46 billion.

he suggested if the american well runs dry, there's no backup. what are you doing to prepare for the possibility of not having as many american weapon systems, ammunition, as you have been using? is there a plan b? >> we cannot say that we have some sort of separate discussions about some plan b. we have no desire to engage in some sidetracked discussions. >> yesterday afternoon expanding meeting with zelenskyy, president biden went even further. >> i'm counting on your judgment of the united states congress. >> he showed me an interactive map that tracks russian air strikes and today's front line. the most critical direction towards crimea. are you trying to move further down in this area to be able to threaten russian supply lines? >> it's very simple. we have to go to the sea. >> today, ukrainian cruise

missiles struck russia's naval headquarters. ukraine appears to have increased its attacks in crimea including on russian ships last week. >> well, starting from february 24, 2022, we are constantly trying to destroy the military potential. of crimea. several times we have struck the so-called illegal bridge, a gateway for the russian federation. we have achieved results in attacking warships that fire missiles into our territory. >> ukraine has also increased attacks deep inside -- deep inside russia, including an airbase, and vip transport planes. >> these air fields house planes for missile launch jets that fire rockets into our cities. why should we not destroy them? we will keep attacking them until putin withdraws off his

troops from our territory. >> as for the counteroffensive, the days ahead might be dark but he remains determined. >> sooner or later, it will end. we will win, and it will be a happy ending for our country. it cannot be otherwise. if the darkness keeps winning, our country will be first and yours will be next. >> thank you very much. >> washington is bracing for busy days ahead as the deadline for government shutdown approaches. to discuss that, we turn to the analysis of brooks, the new york times columnist david brooks and jonathan kapart. gentlemen, welcome. so nice to see you.

david, congress has left for the weekend. i guess they think it is a good time for a break but we are awfully close to this government shutdown. how close do you think we really are? >> quite close. in time terms, basically a week. in probability terms, there is a very hyper blue -- high probability that the government will shut down. and the core cause is that there are group of members of congress who are not interested in practical governance. they are right that our deficits are too big, but they have no strategy. so, they're basically a nihilistic performance artist. >> that looks great on a business card. >> that was my nickname in high school. [laughter] and so, speaker mccarthy was asked what to do. the civil truth should be, we do not allow performance artist to have power. and he is giving them a lot --

a lot of power because he is unable or unwilling to do with the democrats and freeze out the people on the right. in my view, he should take them on right now. because his power will wane, his fear he will lose his job as speaker. if you want to keep that speaker job, he will be weaker in two or three weeks when everyone is in a government shutdown. he should take them on right now and try to cut some sort of deal, or stick to the deal that joe biden -- >> david is describing the idea that mccarthy still has some agency. but it seems like in the last few weeks and days, it seems like he has utterly lost control. >> that's assuming he had any control to begin with. let's not forget, it is now a mantra, it took 15 ballots for him to get the speaker's gavel. i agree with david. the speaker needs to exert some control. he has a five seat majority. get it. totally understand it.

speaker pelosi also had a similar majority and she got a lot done and why? because she exercise the power of the office. speaker mccarthy absolutely should tell this rump faction within his majority to go stuff it. i have governing to do. we have governing to do. we can't allow the government to shut down. and this is the fort and the road the speaker, is facing. unfortunately, i have no confidence that the speaker will, won't choose holding onto the gavel versus showing real governance. passing a c.r., getting the budget bills passed. he's going to keep that speaker's gavel at all costs. we'll pay for it. >> david, you mentioned this idea that republicans feel that they have to reach out to the democrats to get this done. do you think the democrats will do that, and at what price might they want to extract from him? >> i think the price that should

ask for is we already did this deal. joe biden and mccarthy did this deal. that is our price. let's stick to the deal. the problem for mccarthy is that there are a lot of people, more than the french, who really -- the fringe, who care about spending and they want something with less spending. that's probably a political nonstarter. if they want to cut spending, let's throw everything on the table, tax cuts and entitlements and defense on the table. but thinking can make us big -- a big spending reduction is not true. they are not serious. i supervise with the idea that the debt is too big -- i sympathize with the idea that the debt is too big. >> do you think that the democrats want to see mccarthy twist in the wind, more than they want to see the government shut down? >> both are happening. he's twisting in the wind right now, and i firmly believe as i sit here right now, the

government is going to shut down. and it is going to shut down because speaker mccarthy would be, is going to be unwiling to work with democrats. there is an easy solution to this. work with democrats,, have that bill passed out of the house by huge numbers, thereby sending a single to -- a signal to the rest of the country that we know how to do the job you are interested -- we are entrusted with. >> we saw president zelenskyy here again, pleading with america's leaders to come forward with more aid. he's arguing basically that this war hinges on our morel, which they have in plenty of supply but western aid. he really got a frosty reaction from republicans. macarthur would not even have his picture taken with him. is the skepticism really growing? >> yeah. if you are told me a year ago that the ukraine -- ukraine would be still in it. and that western europe would be

strongly supportive. and the wavering would be in the u.s., i would not have believed that. there have been a group of people in the party that do not want to military. don't think ukraine is a strategic country. that number is may be up 50%. it is significant. at the same time on the democratic side there is a big and important debate, should we admit ukraine into nato? the hope is that putin will not want to attack a nato country and that will prevent the forever war. the two parties are going in very different direction, where the republicans are walking away and some democrats are saying no, we need to get more involved in ukraine politically and give them this alliance so they can stand up to putin. >> how do you see that unfolding? >> um, one, i i'm going to go back to the idea that the

speaker of the house would not even allow himself to be photographed with a wartime president. and what i find so -- >> what do you attribute that to? >> fear of the far right in his caucus that are clamoring for defunding ukraine along with a lot of other things they want to do. that is what i think that is about. it all goes back to the shutdown. but th other thing thate, why i find that move so galling, as speaker he's number three in line to the presidency that makes him a statesman. so, you have a wartime president coming to this country, begging for our help and our continue support, and he will not even show him that. thankfully mitch mcconnell and majority leader schumer and the president showed him america's result. i'm with david. i am astounded. i am old enough to remember when

the republican was about standing with allies, bolstering the western alliance and a country where the battle is between democracy and autocracy, and if they lose, then the whole enterprise, the whole experiment that is democracy would be on its last legs. >> do you see it that way as well, do you think as jonathan describes, the great -- the gray beards will prevail? >> i think so. if your vladimir putin, you are looking at this and thinking, they are weakening. i'm definitely going to fight until november 2024. because his best hope of victory is not anything on the battlefield, it is donald trump getting reelected. in which case, he is going to do very well in his war. on both of these issues, the budget and on ukraine, donald trump is the four time indicted elephant in the room.

he has been saying, we have to get out of ukraine. >> before we go, i want to ask you about this tweet that you put out this week, where we can put this up on screen.l you posted this tweet that showed a dinner you are having at an that cost $70. this is why the american people think the economy is terrible. you got roughed up online about this but i'm curious more about what you were trying to convey with that? >> first, it started out -- as a joke, because if you looked at what i was eating, it was bourbon and a very fattening hamburger. i can't afford to make bad lifestyle choices. but the problem with the tweet, which iw wrote stupidly, that an upper-middle-class a journalist having a bourbon at an airport is a lot different than a family living paycheck-to-paycheck. when i'm getting sticker shock, it is like an inconvenience and

when they get sticker shock, it is a disaster. i screwed up. i should not have written that tweets. >> that is the advice we should all be taking. >> i made a mistake, it was stupid. but the one point that can be -- if anything can be drawn -- was you can experience inflation as a chart with a downward slope, but the way we experience inflation day-to-day is as that moment of sticker shock, in the grocery store at the gas station. and something costs way more than you anticipated. for people less fortunate than i, that is a disaster. you have to understand why we see inflation is coming down, but with people seeing those sticker shock moments, it does not feel that way. >> david brooks, so nice to see you both. have a great weekend. thank you.

well, caused heartbreak from millions,-- heartbreak from millions and it provided some chance for artists to reset. i spent time with artist to credit their time will lockdown and a centuries-old poem, with not only opening new creative paths but fusing their band more tightly, as part of our arts and culture series canvas. ♪ >> ♪ oh oh anyhow ♪ in the world of musical marriages, there is none like this one. susan and derek truck. ♪ as the creative duo behind the 12 member to desk he truck's bank, they have been called two

of the best musicians of their generation. but before joining together musically, they each had successful solo careers. ♪ >> ♪ i'm feeling kind of lonely ♪ >> susna'first major record, being reissued for 25th anniversary went gold. rare for a debut blues album. with her soulful voice and guitar, she got five grammy nominations and to work with some of the greats, buddy guy, bb king, bob dylan, and the rolling stones. derek is considered one of the greatest living blues guitarists. he began touring at age 12. a prodigy talented enough to take on eric clapton's layla.

at 20, he joined the legendary allman brothers and played with them for over a decade. ♪ his blend of blues, jazz and indian styles made him the youngest player named rolling stones list of the 100 greatest guitars, number 16. >> this up here, this osprey nest. >> after years of passing each other on road, these two met, fell in love, and started a life together. >> we did it all out of order. it was pregnancy, marriage. >> but we bought the house first. >> house. pregnancy, marriage and 10 years into it. >> then we got married. >> then we put the band together. >> that is really a scrambled set of -- >> you do what you can because we don't have a normal life schedule. ♪ >> their 2010 debut went gold,

won the grammy for best blues record and launched a new chapter. their band, including horns, double drummers and keyboards, recorded a string of records and spent 10 long years touring. by any measure, they were success. but it was draining, and then when a band member died of a heart condition, a man trucks called the beating heart of the band, they began to reassess. >> that is the coronavirus pandemic. >> then came the pandemic and subsequent lockdown that brought life to a standstill. >> for us, in a lot of ways the pandemic saved our band. we were really at a point, we were about to take time off to deal with our loss and reset and think about what we want to do, and what is this thing? it was a hrd reset -- a hard

reset for us. ♪ >> band member, mike madison said it was a rough period. >> the tank was pretty low. we had achieved what we wanted to achieve. but i think what we realized in going down this wo-- worm hole is we had not said what we wanted to say. >> so, he had an idea. during lockdown, everyone would read the persian poem, an arab romeo and juliet story about two lovers held apart by a male dominated society. he wanders the wilderness going mad. laila gets locked in a tower and forced to marry another man. that poem inspired air clapton's -- eric clapton's record "layla

." but madison wanted to go back to the centuries-old source, all 25 8 pages. >> the thing i was most concerned about is that i would be just shown for being a nerd. gee, now we have homework. >> mike's original thought was, let's all read the poem and flipped the perspective, instead of the layla album, is a lovesick man. what did she think about this, what was her perspective? that's perfect. >> mid pandemic, the band gathered in their home and studio and began writing. an enormous number of songs poured out, multiple band members contributed ideas. some but not all touched on themes from the poem. >> ♪ so tired

i feel everything ♪ >> i like when music comes like that. >> it sounds like a beautiful experience. >> you really do not have any control over it. it is more like if the muse is there that day. if you can be receptive and feel it or play off of your bandmates or whatever. >> did you have any hesitancy to looking at a book that was about the man and the woman at the center of the story, that's basically you guys, and have everybody in the group reading about the central relationship? >> there was a little bit of that. there were times that songs woul d be. >> that is a little on the nose. >> wait a minute. one of the big takeaways for me in reading that story, mike alludes to this in a few tunes he wrote is when in a

championship, it does not just affect the people in the relationship. it can spill out in positive ways and we see that in our situation, that is true. >> it is not just about a guy in the wilderness pining. there is so much more going on. you hear from layla. and she was very specific about how she feels about this guy. and not all of them are great. also, her treatment at the hands of her father and the world. ♪ yeah, i think she definitely picked up on that. that resonated with her, especially being in a business that she is in. >> i see, as a woman, in all the things going on in the world as a woman, trying to stand up and having a voice in a different way. even though women are more vocal. that doesn't mean that our

rights are more equal. there are a lot of things that really have nt changed. obviously in american, we are much better off. but there are plenty of countries in the world that are just like that. ♪ >> it was remarkably fruitful period. th band recorded four albums and release them. "i am the moon," each with the films that accompanied them. ♪ the band continues there tour -- their tour, 12 members strong. they are playing music inspired by centuries-old poem, but in this telling, the starcrossed couple made it. and the woman is not locked away in a tower but command center stage. ♪

>> later this evening on pbs, american masters presents a film about legendary attorney floyd abrams. the documentary focuses on the groundbreaking career of the first amendment lawyer who helped define free speech. floyd abrams, speaking freely, premieres tonight at 9 p.m. eastern and for more on the republican infighting and the looming government shutdown, don't forget to watch jeffrey goldberg and his panel tonight on washington week with the atlantic. and tomorrow on pbs news weekend, driverless taxis. are they the way of the future or dangerous venture? that is the newshour. thanks for spending part of her evening with us. good night. >> 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 camille 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. this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs stations from viewers like you. thank you. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy.] ♪ >> this is pbs newshour west from weta studios in washington and in the west from the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university.

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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. jeffrey: the speaker and extremists. can kevin mccarthy gain control of the house? >> do you believe the government is going to shut down? >> yes, and it's kevin mccarthy's fault. jeffrey: a strange and dysfunctional week as republicans fight among themselves about government funding and many other things as well. then -- >> ukraine will be yet another in this funded by the american taxpayer. jeffrey: ukraine's president visits capitol hill, looking for weapons and support, but some are not buying his argument. plus -- >> the nomination is confirmed. jeffrey: