william: good evening. i'm william brangham. amna nawaz and geoff bennett are away. on the "newshour" tonight, this thanksgiving, residents in

asheville, north carolina hit hard by hurricane helene reflect on their community, and efforts to rebuild. then, the food and drug administration makes a major change to cold medicines, seeking to remove an ingredient that doesn't seem to help. and, this time of year, it's seemingly impossible to avoid. we look at the history and impact of the ubiquitous and controversial pumpkin spice. >> i think the allure of that idea of that nostalgic past, that pumpkin pie spice conveys through thanksgiving and through those dishes that we associate with that nostalgic past. ♪ >> major funding for the pbs news hour has been provided by -- ♪

>> moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf. the engine that connects us. carnegie corporation of new york. working to reduce political polarization through philanthropic work. more at carnegie.org. and with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. ♪

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. cease fire between israel and the lebanese militant group hezbollah has held for a second day, though both sides have accused the other of violating its terms. israel launched its first airstrike since yesterday's deal, hitting a rocket storage facility in southern lebanon after it says it detected hezbollah activity there. and israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu says he's instructed the military to be ready to restart the war if the cease-fire is violated. while these flashpoints remain,

it was another day of homecoming, both in israeli border towns and for many crossing back into lebanon after fleeing east to syria. >> we got displaced to syria, and spent 63 or 64 days in syria. we left our work, our homes because of the war. my feeling is that i am happy that there is a ceasefire and there is no more destruction. the enemy does not know how to distinguish between civilian or military. the strikes were quite random. william: in southern lebanon, cleanup crews rolled in to start the daunting task of rebuilding what has been completely destroyed. lebanese health officials say more than 3700 people were killed by israeli fire during the conflict. more than a million fled from their homes. in ukraine, following a massive russian attack overnight, more than a million homes are without power. residents in the capital kyiv took cover underground on subway platforms as almost 200 russian missiles and drones

criss-crossed the country, some as far west as lviv. the russians are targeting ukraine's energy infrastructure. it's the second major attack on its power grid in two weeks. as winter approaches, and temperatures drop, some ukrainians set up power generators in the streets. russian president vladimir putin said the strikes were in retaliation for ukraine's use of american-made long-range missiles. >> tonight we carried out a comprehensive strike. these strikes from our side took place in response to the incessant strikes on russian territory by american missiles. as has been said many times, there will always be a response from our side. william: putin also vowed to strike what he said were "decision-making centers" in the ukrainian capital. ukraine's president, volodymyr zelenskyy, called putin's comments an escalation. nearly half of ukraine's power grid has been destroyed since russia's invasion began.

in australia, tiktok, instagram, "x," and other social media platforms will likely be completely off-limits to anyone under the age of 16, now that a first-of-its-kind ban has passed the australian senate. the law will require social media platforms to take reasonable steps to verify the age of users, steps that could include biometrics or government id. the senate has also proposed amendments that would bolster privacy protections. australia's prime minister called the law a matter of safety, that social media can do more harm for young people than good. meta, the owner of facebook and instagram, called the legislation "rushed." companies now have one year to implement the ban before facing fines. thanksgiving travelers may have largely avoided disruptions ahead of the holiday, but the weather could be an issue for return trips this weekend. starting tomorrow, cold temperatures are expected to bring lake-effect snow to the

great lakes and new england. it's already snowing in places like new hampshire. and much of the midwest could experience a frigid weekend, with temperatures as much as 20 degrees below average. thanksgiving today was also a time for kindness and acts of service. president biden and the first lady dropped off pumpkin pies and gave thanks to first responders on nantucket, where they're vacationing this holiday. they also made their customary calls to units from each branch of the military. and vice president harris, alongside the second gentleman and extended family, prepared meals for those less fortunate with the nonprofit d.c. central kitchen. still to come on the "newshour," the cold medicine ingredient that the government says doesn't work and wants removed from shelves. in this increasingly digital world, why a growing number of

people are returning to the typewriter. love it or hate it, this time of year, it's certainly hard to avoid pumpkin spice. how did it take over? >> this is the pbs news hour, from the david emery rubenstein studio at weta in washington, and from the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. william: it's been two months since hurricane helene cut a path of destruction across the southeast, killing more than 200 people. ahead of the holiday season, we returned to the hard-hit region of western north carolina, where residents are still struggling to rebuild their lives. despite the challenges they face, residents described being overwhelmed with gratitude for a renewed sense of community. laura lopez has our report.

laura: a few minutes outside asheville, north carolina, the small town of swannanoa has a new community hub in one of the best places you would expect -- >> you guys hungry? laura: the parking lot of a pretzel shop. >> two months of feeding our community -- we're family now. laura: christoper smith is one of many volunteers who come together every day to feed more than a thousand people. work he's been doing since just days after the storm hit in late september. >> in the beginning we were all scared. we were all desperate. this was the place to come eat. so the whole community was here in line, talking amongst each other, sharing the pain, sharing the joy. laura: but the pain here is still fresh. more than 40 people died in this county, in the deadliest and most destructive storm in north carolina's history. helene's floodwaters swept away entire mountain communities, destroyed thousands of homes, and left whole neighborhoods

underwater, leaving this area almost completely unrecognizable. >> a lot of these folks don't have anything except each other, and i see them still expressing gratitude. and that's touching to me, because i know for a fact they were destroyed. laura: this daily gathering has become a crucial lifeline for many residents who were forced to live without basic necessities, like running water or power, for weeks. volunteers are doing everything they can to help out, like emily smith, a licensed massage therapist who moved here during the pandemic. >> i mean, it's been a really humbling experience to go without the essentials. but in this time of being able to live so simply, there's gratefulness for things that we weren't able to be grateful for fore. >> as strangers, you kind of are immediately friends because, you know, we've all gone through something together. laura: jordan doty and paul krause have also been coming here a few times a week. the mattress store they owned together was destroyed in the storm. >> in losing all of the

business, it's been incredibly supportive that everyone's like, you'll get back up, or we are going to get back up together. laura: across town, gerardo gutierrez is also coming to grips with all that's been lost. >> my keychain. completely gone. laura: the nearby swannanoa river, which swelled to 26 feet above its normal levels, filled his family's entire home, leaving it uninhabitable. for nearly two months, he and his wife and two daughters have been renting a nearby basement, an expense they can't afford along with their mortgage. >> i don't have nothing. missing everything. everything. laura: but since last week -- with the help of a local non-profit called be loved asheville -- the family has a new, temporary place to call home, this donated rv.

>> i have a home again! >> we're prepared to rebuild with people. and he wants to come back to this land. this is a very special place to him. laura: amy cantrell and gustavo bermejo are two of the co-directors of be loved. >> they lost everything. we are bringing more than rvs. we are bringing hope and the promise that we're going to rebuild. laura: that hope and willingness to help others. -- and willingness to help others has been a trademark of this recovery says drew reisinger, buncombe county's register of deeds. >> they just wanted to figure out how they could pitch in. >> we had thousands of people who were just everyday people who were wanting to do something to help. laura: back in october, he led the flush brigade, groups of volunteers who lugged water into apartment buildings across asheville, helping residents flush their toilets. >> i've had multiple people tell

us that was the moment of hope, when they could get this really gross problem out of their house. laura: community members also worked to track down missing loved ones, coordinate medical care, and help with the still ongoing cleanup efforts. >> i'm so proud of this town. i'm so proud of this community. i'm so grateful to be here amongst these people. laura: the state says the effort to clean up and rebuild these communities is expected to cost more than $50 billion. and much of the region's economy took a near-fatal blow. but despite it all, many residents say they plan to stay. and the storm has only strengthened their resolve. >> in the midst of all the devastation that comes from helene, the gratitude that all of us have learned is that where -- is that we know our neighbors now and we love each other and we were here to save each other's lives. laura: a silver lining from a storm that took so much from so many. for the pbs newshour, i'm laura barron lopez.

♪ william: with winter setting in around much of the country, we are also gearing up for cold and cough season, when people frequently reach for over-the-counter medicines. but the fda now says that a common, long-used ingredient in many of those medicines is ineffective and should be removed. as stephanie sy tells us, this proposed ruling could go into effect as soon as next year. stephanie: santa left for an is an ingredient in versions of popular cold medicines, including benadryl and sudafed. the fda is proposing taking enough shelves not because it is unsafe, but because it does not work. it can be effective when ministered in a nasal spray. to help us understand why the fda is making this move, we are joined by a professor at the university of florida's college

of pharmacy, who has been raising awareness on this issue for two decades. i know you and a co-researcher have been looking at this issue for years. i have to ask, why has phenylephrine become so commonplace in cold and flu medicines if it does not work, and why have we bought it for so long? >> you are right. we have been working at this for 20 years when we became aware of problems with oral phenylephrine after sudafed was moved behind the counter because of concerns where it could be used to make methamphetamine in plan design laboratories. when sudafed was moved behind the counter, phenylephrine was substituted and became widely used, and that is when patients started complaining about its lack of effectiveness. stephanie: the fda has ruled this ingredient safe, so why is it important to get it off the

shelves? >> it is safe because it is not absorbed. it is absorbed at less than 1% of the dose, and that is why it does not work. why should it be removed? because it does not work. drugs have to be both safe and effective. oral phenylephrine is ineffective. stephanie: what is the alternative for people that are suffering with colds, especially at this time of year? is it about a medication with a higher dose of this product? is it going back to pseudoephedrine, which is difficult for folks to get over-the-counter, or is it using the nasal spray version of this? >> first of all, i would never recommend using higher than the labeled those for oral finnan out from -- for oral phenylephrine products. for some drugs, like tylenol and

acetaminophen, we would is in those products, it could be toxic at that -- where it is in those products, it could be toxic at high doses. the only effective oral decongestant that could help with nasal stuffiness is behind the counter. it is perceived as being a barrier, but when you go to where there is a pharmacist, you can get that pseudoephedrine behind the counter in less than five minutes. i believe if somebody will tolerate using nasal sprays, the spray decongestants are highly effective and can be used briefly three to five days during the worst part of a cold, maybe to help someone sleep at night. there is sinex 12 hour, and there is phenylephrine, which is effective when sprayed up the

nostrils. stephanie: to be clear, you can get pseudoephedrine not over the counter, but you don't need a prescription. you just have to ask for it from the pharmacist. are there other drugs we can buy at a pharmacy that do not work as advertised? and are you saying that the fda should also take all of those medications off the shelves? >> yes, i believe they are old, over-the-counter products that deserve another look. just like fda took a look at oral phenylephrine, some of those old products that were approved using science from decades ago are likely ineffective, but in order to prove that, i believe we need the appropriate science that would look at those products and determine whether we should be spending our hard earned money on products that are ineffective. stephanie: critics of this fda move say this limits consumer

choices. what do you say to that? >> it would limit choice for something that does not work. why would somebody want the choice of something that does not work? and a drug has to be effective to be approved by the fda. we would not want a launch of ineffective products to choose from. that is not choice. choice would be choosing from effective and safe products the fda has reviewed and said works for the indications that we want to use them for. stephanie: dr. randy hatton, thanks for sharing your view with us on this. >> thanks for inviting me. william: while this season's politics and headlines may lead to heated exchanges over the

thanksgiving table, we thought we'd ask paul solman to address a different controversy and serve up something a bit different. >> there isn't pumpkin spice in that, is there? >> oh, there is! reporter: a thanksgiving feast, hold the turkey, stuffing, green beans, sweet potato casserole a man u just pumpkin spice. popcorn, pumpkin spice apple cider, and pie, of course. sampling the spread at baltimore spice haven mccormick and company on the 90th anniversary of pumpkin pie spice. >> you have that sweetness coming from the cinnamon. you have that peppery kick from the ginger. you have the nutmeg that brings its nuttiness, and then you have all spice that has a little bit of everything. you also get the entire house smelling like holiday. reporter: mccormick chef hadar cohen aviram says the blend was

designed to make pies easier to cook, but now just turn it with butter and smear it on anything. crostini. >> i'm going to put a slice of green apple. one piece of prosciutto and finish it with some candied walnuts. that's it. reporter: or infuse a pumpkin cheesecake. >> another way to maybe zhuzh things up a little bit, change things out, maybe try something new. reporter: something new, but relying on something old -- pumpkin spice's nostalgic appeal, at a moment when nostalgia for america's past seems especially strong. >> aroma is very much related to our memories. maybe it brings back nostalgia and that warm, fuzzy feeling of holiday. paul: maybe even nostalgia for a time that's become myth, since as you probably know, whatever mutual thanksgiving there was at the iconic 1621 meal di't exactly last. no pie there either, but --

>> the settlers, the pilgrims were eating pumpkin from the get go. that was what sustained them over those first few years in those winters, especially when they didn't really have much of anything else. they were eating just boiled pumpkin. paul: we met maryland food historian joyce white at the hammond-harwood house in annapolis. >> and this would have been where all the meals of the house were prepared. things like spices and sugar were still kept under lock and key by the mistress of the household. and every morning she would sort of dole out what was needed for the day's recipes. paul: and what about pumpkin pies? >> they were what marylanders at that time were calling yankee food. so it was not a popular dish. it was advertised as animal fodder. paul: so there was a north-south divide with regard to pumpkin pie? >> absolutely. it wasn't until after abraham

lincoln read his thanksgiving proclamation after the battle of gettysburg in the fall of 1863 that thanksgiving becomes a national holiday, and it wasn't until well after the civil war that each region of the south adopts the those yankee traditions eventually. paul: because industrialization began to build a national market, a national economy. >> children are now going out to factories to work. they're not staying on the farm. paul: and thus the spread of a new national holiday. >> so having this long weekend was a way for them to essentially come home. and so the warm spices, you know, conjure up this image of the warm hearth and home. paul: so is that part of the reason why pumpkin spice is so popular? >> i think the allure of that idea of that nostalgic past, that pumpkin pie spice conveys through thanksgiving and through those dishes that we associate with that nostalgic past is certainly there, is present, in america today. paul: capitalizing on that

nostalgic flavor, starbucks, which poured its first pumpkin spice latte, or "psl", twenty one years ago. in hundreds of millions of psl's later, the drink is now a seasonal essential, at caffeine haunts like black acres roastery in baltimore's historic lexington market, less than a mile from where mccormick first concocted pumpkin pie spice. owner travis bell's twist on the psl is "basic and boujee." meaning -- >> the basics of the uggs and the flannel shirts. but the boujee of the upscale luxury beverage that you'd want to get at, maybe another cafe that i won't name. >> boujee as in bourgeois. >> yes. paul: i'm kind of bourgeois for sure. that kind of does taste like pumpkin pie. >> we use fresh made pure pumpkin and spices. we keep that all together, add some sweetness to it, and that's our house made syrup. paul: bill named black acres roastery after the civil war promise of a mule and 40 acres of hearth and home for the formerly enslaved. >> seeing what the history of

that was in the plots of land in the south, black, green, yellow acres is what they were called. and so black acres is kind of stuck out to me. paul: but the formerly enslaved did not get their 40 acres and a meal. >> correct. paul: you are not terribly nostalgic for the america that was. >> i like the progression that we're making as a country. yes. paul: so for bell, his cafe, and even a basic and boujee, are ways to look ahead. building new memories with a taste of what is comforting about the past, dessert at the thanksgiving table. for the pbs news hour, paul solman, stodging in baltimore, maryland. ♪ william: this year, the acclaimed writer, activist, and public intellectual james baldwin would have turned 100

years old. he's best known for his novels and essays, and for his moral voice on issues of race, sexuality, and the fabric of american democracy. nearly 40 years after his death, his words are still reaching new audiences. in this encore report, jeffrey brown looks at baldwin's enduring legacy for our series, "art in action", exploring the intersection of art and democracy, and our ongoing canvas coverage. >> the inequality suffered by the american negro population of the united states has hindered the american dream. james baldwin, novelist, essayist, civil rights activist, public intellectual, here debating william f. buckley jr. at the university of cambridge in 1965. >> he's engaged in this ongoing work of self-creation, in this sustained reflection on the power of the american idea.

he's bringing the full weight of his intellect to bear on this project. jeffrey: eddie glaude jr. is a professor of african-american studies at princeton university and author of the 2020 book, "begin again: james baldwin's america and its urgent lessons for our own." >> if you read baldwin closely, there is this underlying idea that we have yet to discover who we are. right? because the ghost of the past in so many ways, not only blind us, but they have us by the throat. jeffrey: james arthur baldwin was born in harlem in 1924 and raised there by his mother and stepfather, a baptist preacher. the oldest of nine children, he excelled in school and served as a junior minister. a man on the margins, black and queer, he spent years of his life abroad, much of it in france, beginning at age 24.

he wrote novels including "go tell it on the mountain," an autobiographical book about growing up in harlem, and "giovanni's room," about a tormented love affair between two men living in paris. and powerful essays exploring race and american identity, including "notes of a native son" and "the fire next time." >> he's one of the greatest essayists we've ever produced, the world has ever produced, i think, and his subject is us. but his vantage point is not that of a victim. his vantage point is from those who've had to bear the burden of america's refusal to look itself squarely in the face. jeffrey: he was also a playwright and poet, an activist who marched and spoke out for civil rights, including on television, here on the dick cavett show in 1969. >> and the word negro in this country really is designed, finally, to disguise the fact that one is talking about another man, a man like you who wants what you want. and insofar as the american public wants to think there has been progress, they overlook one

very simple thing. i don't want to be given anything by you. i just want you to leave me alone so i can do it myself. jeffrey: baldwin died in 1987, but he's remained a powerful cultural presence, one that's only grown in the past decade. >> there are days, this is one of them, when you wonder what your role is in this country and what your future is in it. jeffrey: in the 2016 documentary "i am not your negro," director raoul peck drew from baldwin's own words. as he told me then -- >> he was already a classic, and he wrote those things 40, 50 years ago. and watching the film, you think that he would have wrote that in the morning, the morning before watching the film, because those words are so accurate. they are so prescient and so impactful

that you can't do it better. jeffrey: in 2018, baldwin's 1974 novel "if beale street could talk" was adapted by oscar-winning director barry jenkins. >> whether i had won eight oscars or no oscars, it's james damn baldwin, you know? it's james baldwin. that's pressure enough, in and of itself, because i wanted to honor his legacy in the way that i thought it should be honored. jeffrey: and now, a celebration of the centennial of his birth, including an exhibition at the national portrait gallery called "this morning, this evening, so soon: james baldwin and the voices of queer resistance," which takes its name from a short story he published in 1960. another at the schomburg center for research in black culture, "jimmy! god's black

revolutionary mouth," presenting baldwin's archive of personal papers. there's a new album by singer-songwriter and bassist meshell ndegeocello called "no more water: the gospel of james baldwin." and reissues of seminal works with new introductions and artwork. along with a podcast, the baldwin 100, in which host cree myles talks with contemporary writers and thinkers. what is his relevance today, especially when you think about younger people, younger readers, younger citizens? >> despite the time that has passed, his amount of truth is still relatively radical. even when i think about, like, his novels and like giovanni's room, and we're thinking about the ways that he grappled with, like, sexuality, those are things we're still coming to terms with. jeffrey: acclaimed irish novelist colm toibin contributed to a "on james baldwin."

-- contributed to the new book "on james baldwin." >> i'm interested in him as i suppose someone who really found ways of dealing with individuality versus community, with being an artist in a difficult time. but more than anything, more than anything, he wrote well. jeffrey: toibin saw connections to his own upbringing, and told us how baldwin has influenced him as writer and man. >> it's a question of engaging with this great intelligence and with the sensuous intelligence with someone is sort of thinking brilliantly and glittering sort of way. but it is also, of course, developing strategies, which he did, in relation to his family , in relation to harlem, in relation to black america, in relation to exile, in relation to being an artist in a time of flux, and also in a way, a way of being a gay artist, a homosexual artist coming out of a world which is very conservative and very religious, and attempting also to build strategies around that, that give you energy rather than ones that take you down. jeffrey: one deeply resonant

thread through all the commemorations, baldwin's focus on the fragility of democracy itself. >> baldwin's exposing the lie that is the source of the suffering, that defines this fragile project, it seems to me. he's committed to democracy, committed to america. after all, we are deeply american. but by virtue of that commitment, he has to relentlessly critique it. >> it comes as a great shock to discover that the country, which is your birthplace and to which you owe your life and your identity, has not, in its whole system of reality, evolved any place for you. jeffrey: a commitment, as glaude puts it, to the "complex experiment called america." for the pbs newshour, i'm jeffrey brown. ♪ william: when singer and

guitarist john mayer talks about keys, it's not always about music. sometimes it's about the typewriter he uses. actor tom hanks not only uses one, he's collected about 100 of them. mayer and hanks are among the growing number of fans who are re-embracing this decidedly analog device in a world increasingly dominated by all things digital. here's john yang with this report that originally aired on pbs news weekend. john: take a look inside this south philadelphia shop called "philly typewriter" and you'll see the renaissance of something many consider a relic of the past. and now it's gotten a boost from a 21st-century icon. singer taylor swift using a vintage royal 10 typewriter in the video for "fortnight," the chart-topping single off her latest album, "the tortured poets department." >> i made a sign that said, join

the tortured poets department. and then come in and find out who uses typewriters anyway. reporter: "philly typewriter" co-owner bill rhoda. >> any news about typewriters is good news about typewriters. john: he says swift has sparked a typewriter bull market. >> private market prices on specifically royal k fm and royal ten typewriters went through the roof. everybody who had one that didn't know it had value now all of a sudden knew it had value. it was it was amazing. that first weekend we had swifties in here and in and out, in and out all day saturday. john: browsing the shop, i spotted an old familiar friend. again. -- everything old is new again. when i was starting out as a reporter in the 1980's, an olivetti portable like this one was the laptop of its time, balanced on my knees as i wrote stories on the road. the 1870's invention of the typewriter as we know it today revolutionized the workplace. the demand for typists paved the way for women to enter male-dominated offices, the first in a series of advancesing

women the right to vote. novelists and artists were drawn to these new-fangled contraptions. mark twain was an early adopter, though he called his a "curiosity-breeding little joker." the 1961 introduction of the ibm selectric may have marked the apex of typewriter technology, the most successful electric typewriter in history, and by some, the most coveted. the beginning of the end of widespread typewriter use came in the 1980's with the rise of the personal computer. >> show you how simple it is to get started -- john: but today, some are eager for an analog experience - even if they came of age in the computer era, like 26-year old tristin guanzon. >> i love the hands-on process of things and kind of the idea of slowing down in a world that is moving so fast. you are more connected to the writing process instead of the computer trying to edit what you

are writing or automatically giving you suggestions instead of just letting you be a part of the process. john: rhoda says he hears that a lot. >> we have people that are wanting to unplug. they want to disconnect. they want to have something patient and thoughtful for themselves that isn't, you know, flashing notifications and doom scrolling or checking your email or facebook. but with the machine, when you're writing on a typewriter, you're just writing on a typewriter. it does one thing really well. i tell people a typewriter is a machine that writes, the computer is a machine that happens to write. jhn: philly typewriter is considered the world's largest typewriter company. they not only sell vintage machines, they repair and rebuild them. the waitlist for repairs is 50 names deep. ryan anderson is a recent graduate of the shop's apprentice program. >> the difference between something like this and a computer is you can't really see

what's physically happening. it's electrical pulses traveling through the, you know, circuit boards. this i can follow from pressing the key to it, typing on the page and follow every single linkage, see what's actually happening. >> 25 years they made 13 million of them, and it ate up 75% of the typewriter world. john: wow. co-owner bryan kravitz knows the ibm selectric inside and out. he's worked on them since 1975. >> i love it, i just love it. but there's like, all these different sections of the machine that have to work together. and here's the gear train on the side. and there's three different shafts that have to be timed perfectly or it won't work. john: the shop's basement is chock-full of typewriters in need of repair. most were donated, unearthed from attics and garages. >> these are all olivettis mixed with underwoods. there was a big merger there. and then these are a lot of the

big standard office machines. they take up a lot of space. they're workhorses, but people don't have a lot of space for these big guys anymore. so these machines we reserve for our repair classes. john: back upstairs, rhoda shows off two favorites. >> this one is a corona flat top also known as a corona standard. so corona is from the 1930s and this absolutely, in my opinion, exquisite design of this machine. this flat top design is known as the grand piano of typewriters. this is the corona folding typewriter. this machine was able to be lifted up or folded down. and once the machine was set like this, you could close, in its case, much more portable design. john: vintage typewriters have become a hot collectible. tristin guanzon is just beginning. >> i currently have two typewriters. it's a small collection. if i had a bigger apartment, it

would be a bigger collection. i'm actually working on buying a house, so the main point of that is so i have more room for the typewriters. >> you're getting the house around the typewriters? >> yeah. john: some more experienced collectors seek out unusual designs, typefaces and keyboards. >> this is a ukrainian typewriter, and i got this, like, off of ebay. but just like, a couple of weeks before the russian invasion of ukraine. john: julian plys of nearby haddonfield, new jersey, who works in i.t., has a special reason for seeking out this machine. >> my parents are immigrants, ukrainian immigrants. i grew up speaking ukrainian. the typewriters i collect have to do with language. >> there are there are certain keys and letters that are only in ukrainian and not in russian, like there's this g character, and then there are characters that are not here that are in russian. john: i got to ask, you'd like typewriters, you'd select

typewriters -- you collect typewriters, but you're an it guy. >> i am, yes. john: is there something that you were attracted to typewriters because you deal with digital all day long? >> it is about attention and concentration and writing. so to me, these are instruments and they're beautiful. and they do one thing. they write words. words are beautiful, literature is beautiful, and so the machines that are for that purpose, they are beautiful. john: for pbs news hour, i'm john yang in philadelphia. william: the two million vietnamese-americans in this country often find their stories are still told through the lens of the vietnam war, which ended nearly 50 years ago. but as i learned on a trip to i the gulf coast earlier this year, a new generation of vietnamese americans are trying to tell a different story about their lives today. it's part of our arts and

culture series, canvas. for artist christian dinh, almost everything he makes contains a tribute to home and community. at the ohr-o'keefe museum of art in biloxi, mississippi, dinh's memories of growing up in a large vietnamese-american familyare embedded in his ceramic work, like this porcelain vase, where he inscribed his grandmother's recipe for steamed fish. >> my favorite out of the directions is towards the end, when she explains, you'll know when the fish is ready when the eyeballs turn white. i remember her telling me that and i was just like, what does that mean? can you give me a temperature or something else? william: or this enormous rice bowl, a giant replica of the small, plastic longevity bowls that are ubiquitous on family tables. >> these plastic wears are the fine china of asian american

culture. so i wanted to emphasize that by its size, just by making it a more monumental piece, scaling it up, and by changing it back into its original material, which is ceramics. william: in another series, dinh reimagines the white display hands that are typically seen in vietnamese-american nail salons. he casts them in porcelain, an homage to his people's success in that industry. >> the nail salon series was a project that i started in 2020, really around the height of the asian hate crimes. i knew that i wanted to make this body of work to counteract a lot of the negative energy and stereotypes and stigmatization that was going on. over the past five decades, they've really turned that industry into a multi-billion dollar industry. but, besides, -- besides the monetary figures, i see it as this beacon of success that trickles down to

the entire vietnamese american community that can be celebrated. william: the writings and the symbols that we see on there, what are those? >> on each set of hands are my different ideas of success within the community. it can be as simple as having a meal with your family. sharing food, cooking, setting the table. that's what i am getting at but the work. even though i am coming from my own background of vietnamese culture, it is not too different from other cultures. i look at the work is not necessarily being vietnamese or asian, but it's it's american work just as much. william: as the child of immigrants, raised in the u.s., dinh wanted to expand what it means to be vietnamese-american today. >> when you hear stories about the vietnamese community, it's usually revolved around the war. that's kind of where it ends.

the war doesn't define these people. it is very important for them in their lives and what they've experienced, but they've also experienced a whole new life, established a whole new community here in the united states. william: about an hour and a half west from biloxi, many forged that community here in new orleans. for decades the -- in new orleans. the city's village de l'est neighborhood has been home to several thousand vietnamese-americans, including cyndi nguyen. >> people came down to new orleans because of the weather, because of the possibility of working immediately, because of the gulf. many of these immigrants were fishermen by trade. william: nguyen and her family came to new orleans as part of that wave of refugees fleeing the chaos after the fall of saigon in 1975. she too planted roots in america, becoming the first asian-american to serve on the new orleans city council. >> my father say, well, we're going to new orleans.

where is new orleans? well, that's where all the vietnamese people are going to. how did you know this? well, we just got word. so we moved to new orleans, where we saw people that looked like us. it was definitely comforting, especially in a new country. william: but just 30 years later, many of those immigrants had to flee their homes again when hurricane katrina drove them away. >> we had a lot of conversation with many of our residents and they said, well, when katrina hit, it was just kind of like, where am i going to go? this is the only home i know. william: but in a show of resilience, nguyen says her community was one of the first to return and among the fastest to rebuild. five years later, another blow. the bp oil spill devastated the gulf's fishing industry, and the livelihoods of many vietnamese-american shrimpers. but again, nguyen says, there was rebirth, a shift to farming in community-owned cooperatives like this. >> it's something to do with resilience and community. >> it's something to do with

family. it's something to do with love. i have been -- happen to tell them through a vietnamese-american lens, but they're themes that we all relate to in some kind of way. william: vietnamese-american composer dylan tran's first instrument was an old hand-me-down guitar passed from older brothers. but it was working in his father's laundromat where he was first inspired to weave his family's heritage into his own work. >> it was a couple of years after my dad had passed and i was working at the laundromat that he owned, sitting in his office, smelling his smell. and while i was in there, i would be listening to traditional vietnamese music. i had my manuscript paper. in between mopping the floor and cleaning out the dryers and everything, i would go to the office and just transcribe, and i would write down everything i was hearing and try to get it as close as possibly could. william: those ideas were central to his string quartet composition called "number one on viet themes."

it became the score for the documentary "uncle, at sea" about the struggles of a gulf-coast vietnamese-american fisherman. and it was later performed at the den museum of southern art in new orleans. >> i cried countless times throughout it and afterwards thinking about it, because the response from the vietnamese community was, it just felt so huge. people who just heard about it on the street or saw a poster in a cafe and were excited to see part of their culture presented and elevated in this way. when i write music that is influenced by my vietnamese-ness, it's to express myself and it's to connect with other people who share that. and anyone is welcome to come and enjoy that. but it's, it's something that i do for us. it's something i do for us. william: and while this younger generation innovates, the timeless theme of resilience is threaded through their work.

♪ ♪ william: thanksgiving day is about coming together with family and friends, enjoying delicious food, and, of course, giving thanks. this holiday, we wanted to take a moment to hear from viewers like you, so we asked people across the country what they were grateful for this year. here's some of what you told us. >> i live in elba lake, minnesota, and i am grateful for my family. it's not always easy for people to get together. i am so grateful when my kids and now my grown grandkids makes the time, make the effort and take the time for us to get together. that just that just warms my heart. >> my name is lillian hemphill,

and this is my dad, calvin hemphill sr. this is my mom, frankie hemphill. and this is my younger brother, calvin jr. and i'm thankful for the ft that we're in our new home for thanksgiving. i was in my classroom and i got a phone call. and normally i never answer my cell phone in my classroom. and that day i decided to answer the phone and i answered it and they said, lillian, your house is on fire. and i was like, stop joking. and she was like, no, it's on fire. >> hi, my name is francesca avelleyra and i live in silver spring, maryland. i am happy to be able to travel and visit my family overseas. my daughter lives in london with her family, husband, and two beautiful granddaughters. >> my name is steve dluginski. my name is steve dluginski. i live in new york city.

and i am grateful for having a large family. my mom and dad are still alive, in their mid-eighties, and we have four grandchildren. i have an older sister and a younger brother, and we all get together for thanksgiving and it's a big feast. >> we have two daughters and they are both married, so we have two son in laws. we have a two sons and one daughter in law and one significant other. and we will have an empty space on our table. 15 years ago, we lost -- our oldest two are twins, and so one of the twins was in a car accident. it's not any different than it has been the last 15 years, but there is an empty space. >> the day all the house was burning down in the front yard and we stand around looking at it. i just looked at my family, said, we're going to build a new home.

and i am a contractor, so i know how to build stuff. our goal was to be at home by thanksgiving, and i'm very, very thankful that we are in that home thanksgiving and we will have thanksgiving dinner over here. i'm really, really excited to be at home. >> i'm thankful that we have the means to travel to visit with them, because i know it's a privilege and i know not a lot of people are able to do that. we are. i'm very thankful for that. [9.8] >> everyone is a good cook and that sounds kind of strange, but honestly, that is that everyone has their specialties and our grandkids all enjoy it a great deal. we have wonderful meals. we have some really good cooks. >> when i'm making the gravy, my mom and my sister and everybody has to add their two cents and maybe we need more water. maybe we need some more chicken broth, da da da da da. so normally i have to shoo them out of the way. they can pose for pictures, which is fine, but, you know,

i'm the gravy master, so that -- i've got to get them out of the way so i can concentte on what i'm doing. >> of all the things that we lost in our house, the one thing -- the very first thing we found was our family bible. we have our faith. she looked at me, she said god is going to carry us through. another may be a family watching and you are going through a tough time, but i would tell you, if you have love, if you have faith, if you have determination, you have your life and a little bit of humor, your family can get through anything that happens. william: love, faith, determination, and a little bit of humor. that is a powerful combination. our thanks to everyone of you who sent in your responses. ♪

remember there's a lot more online at pbs.org/newshour, including a look at some of our favorite and least favorite foods here at the news hour. >> my family likes to do something a little strange, but they like turkey neck. is that a yes or no? amna: it is a hard no. i don't even know what that is. what is turkey neck, the actual neck? >> the actual neck. amna: is there meat on it? >> i don't know, i don't eat it. amna: hard pass. >> what is a me to you like? amna: i like eating turkey with lentils. >> let's see if other correspondence agree. we asked correspondence if they like dark meat and lintels is a must have. what do you think? >> i would be willing to try it.

i love lentils and turkey dark meat, so it is a maybe. >> what is your must-have thanksgiving meal? >> must have as many vegetables as possible and mashed potatoes and turkey gravy. i could eat an entire platter of it. william: you can see that video and more of our answers on our youtube, instagram, and tiktok pages. that is the news hour for tonight. i'm william brangham. on behalf of the entire team, thank you for joining us, and we hope you have a very happy thanksgiving. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy.] >> major funding for the pbs news hour has been provided by -- the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions, and friends of the news hour, including the judy and peter

blinkova foundation. >> creates a trust to keep the craft alive. a raymond james financial advisor gets to know you, your passions, and the way you enrich your community. life well planned. >> the ford foundation. working with beneficiaries on the frontlines of social change nationwide. and with the ongoing support of these institutions. and friends of the news hour. this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting, and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. ♪

♪ >> you are watching pbs.

♪♪ -"cook's country" is about more than just getting dinner on the table. we're also fascinated by the people and stories behind the dishes. we go inside kitchens in every corner of the country to learn how real people cook.