♪ ♪ geoff: good. amna: on the news hour tonight officials stopped most helicopters from flying near washington's national airport while they search for clues into what caused the deadly collision with the passenger jet. geoff: a u.n. relief agency has

vowed to continue providing aid to gaza. amna: and syria faces the daunting task of rebuilding after 13 years of civil war. how one revolutionary envisions his nation's future. >> i feel like i am a human being again. i am free again. most of us feel we were born just now. ♪ announcer: major funding for the pbs news hour has been provided by -- friends of the news hour including jim and nancy build narc and the robber and virginia schiller foundation. the judy and peter blum kovler foundation, upholding freedom by strengthening democracies at home and abroad. ♪ >> cunard is a proud supporter

of public television. on a voyage with cunard the world awaits. a world of flavor, diverse destinations and immersive experiences. a world of leisure. and british style. all with cunard's white star service. >> the john as an james i'll night foundation fostering informed and engaged communities. more at kf.org. >> and with the ongoing support of these individuals and 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. amna: welcome to the news hour. the black box from the army helicopter that collided with the passenger jet near washington's reagan national airport has been recovered. geoff: investigators hope to gather valuable data as they try to understand what led to the deadly midair klatch. families were also briefed by officials and met with the medical examiner. reporter: police boats were back on the potomac river today as divers searched for the remaining bodies of the 67 people that died in the collision of a passenger jet and then army helicopter. both aircraft are still -- still submerged. and the faa shut down most low

altitude helicopter flights near the busy washington reagan national airport, one of the most congested airspace is shared until now by commercial jets and government helicopters. and investigators began analyzing the cockpit and floyd date -- flight data recorders. on fox news this morning the defense secretary said the pentagon is trying to find out if the crew was using night vision goggles. >> the qualification was a night flight. there is a lot of ambient light there could be depth perception problems. that is speculation. reporter: several news outlets say that at the time of the crash one was handling planes and helicopters, tasks normally performed by two individuals. that practice is allowed but typically later in the evening. at the white house reporters

asked whether the flying public should be concerned about faa staffing levels and in response the press secretary doubled down on president trump's comments yesterday about diversity and inclusion. >> when you are flying on an airplane with your loved ones, dupree your plane lands safely or do you pray the pilot has a certain skin color? we know the answer to that question and does the president said yesterday, it is common sense. reporter: more than 40 bodies of the 67 victims have been recovered. ian epstein and denise yet where the flight attendants. a 13-year-old figure skater and her mother were among those returning from a skating camp. a civil rights attorney had been in wichita for her mother's surgery. she was going to be a professor. michael was one of seven friends

on the flight returning from a duck hunting trip. and chief weren't officer andrew and ryan o'hara were both husbands and fathers and they were two of the three soldiers aboard the blackhawk helicopter. geoff: the crash is bearing many more questions of the safety of the aviation system. for a pilots prospective we are joined by a retired american airlines aaa's seven captain who was also a contributing editor to flying magazine. thank you for being with us. the altitude of this military helicopter is coming under scrutiny. new york's -- the new york times is reporting that the helicopter appears to have been flying too high and outside of the approved flightpath at the time of the crash and the president posted on social media that the helicopter was flying too high by a lot. as we await the findings of this

investigation based on your experience and review of the new videos, what is your best assessment of what transpired? >> everything is pure speculation at this point. none of us should be making conjectures. the altitudes of the helicopter might have been flying i think is being reported by data networks as flightaware using gps altitude which can be different than regular altitude. it is possible but my gut feeling is that the pilots of the blackhawk might have identified the wrong aircraft and did not realize it until the last minute. if they were using night vision goggles, if you use those

goggles, ambient light especially coming from the landing light of another aircraft can potentially blind you. that is a possibility as well. this is what the ntsb is doing. there will be a number of contributing factors to this terrible tragedy. geoff: the faa has indefinitely shut down the low helicopter core door in use at the time of the collision. in your view is the airspace around reagan national too crowded? what other changes need to be made? >> it is crowded. it has been that way for decades. we have managed to get through decades with no midair collisions of any consequence that have had fatalities. yes, it is a busy airspace. we have military operations and civilian operations and

restricted airspace. i think what we could do is, let's take a look at what we have now -- what is it that potentially caused this problem? evaluate that first, where can we make changes? is it possible that we could have more restrictions on what we call the distance between the airplane ahead of us and the airplane behind us. we need to increase that spacing? it is increased during weather operations. it can be a complicated and challenging experience but a lot of times there are visual approaches that follow the potomac river right to the particular runway especially coming from the north. geoff: it has raised questions about the air traffic controller shortage. we don't know the degree to

which it played a role in this collision. though shortage is so severe that you have many controllers working 10 hour shifts, six days a week. what danger does that present to the flying public? >> no doubt this could be a potential issue but it could be a potential issue in any facility. this is a busy facility. there are sharp controllers that work for this particular facility. if indeed it is a staff shortage issue, it could be related of the accident. we don't know but anyone working on a job as intense and stressful as this one has the potential to be fatigued just as pilots have the potential to be fatigued. there are restrictions on how pilots and controllers can work. are they stretching and pushing it to the limit?

it is possible. geoff: thank you for joining us with your insights. we appreciate it. ♪ geoff: president trump said he is moving forward with his plans to slap tariffs on three major u.s. trading partners. amna: he confirmed 25% tariffs on goods from mexico and canada and 10% from china with many to go into effect as soon as saturday. the president also said that tariffs on european union are to be expected. >> the tariffs are going to make us very rich and strong and we are going to treat other countries very fairly. if you think about it, other countries charge us tariffs. amna: our white house

correspondent has been following this and joins us now. what are the potential impacts and how sweeping are they? reporter: they are very sweeping and unprecedented. nothing like what we have seen in our lifetimes in terms of their scope especially being exacted on allies like mexico and canada. i spoke to the vp of federal tax policy and she said these are going to be extremely disruptive because they are on all goods to mexico and canada. she and other economists said they could upend the supply chain relationships the u.s. has and ultimately this is going to have a lot of impact on the american consumer. donald trump also said there would be future tariffs on european union and some economists believe targeted

tariffs are good. president biden kept in place a number of president trump's first term tariffs but they crunched the numbers that the tax foundation and this exact percentage of terrorists could cause -- cost the average american household over 800 extra dollars a year. amna: president trump is doubling down on the threat to do this. reporter: the canadian prime minister said that canada will be forceful but reasonable and have an immediate response they are prepared to implement. another canadian official told the news hour that they are prepared to negotiate with the president until the last minute to avoid tariffs but they don't see a single american official willing to negotiate. amna: the ap is reporting a top department of justice official has ordered the firing of some prosecutors worked on january 6 riot or cases and a number of

fbi officials including sound that investigated the federal cases against president trump are at risk of being fired. reporter: we know the trump administration is expected to fire dozens of fbi agents according to reporting. the president was asked about it today and he said he did not -- he was not aware of the potential of these firings. he said there are bad people at the fbi and he thinks this is a good idea but it was he did not -- but he did not appear to be aware of the firings. ♪ amna: we start the other headlines with the trump administration's efforts to freeze trillions of dollars in grants and loans. a judge in rhode island sided with nearly two dozen states

that have required a temporary restraining order to pause measure which comes after a judge in washington had halted the plan only until monday. a government memo called on to agencies to freeze funding to make sure it is in line with president trump's agenda. that sent shockwaves through the states schools and organizations that rely on the funds. the memo was rescinded though the press secretary has insisted that a funding freeze is still in the works. a senior trump official traveled to venezuela to speak to the president about migrants. venezuelan state tv showed the envoy for special missions meeting with the authoritarian leader in caracas. white house officials that he urged president to take back deported migrants that have committed crimes in the u.s. and push for the release of several imprisoned americans. meetings come weeks after maduro was sworn into a third term.

the u.s. and several other western nations do not recognize his big tree. turning now to the middle east where israeli officials have confirmed the names of three hostages set to be released tomorrow by hamas. they include an american israeli, keith siegel, french israeli and another. this word has raised questions about the fate of his wife and two young sons also taken captive on october 7. hamas said they had been killed in an israeli airstrike but is raw has not verified the claim. alice tinian officials say that israel has agreed to release 90 prisoners as part of the fourth such exchange between the two sides. the u.n. says rwandan backed rebels are expanding their presence in the democratic republic of the congo. the m 23 group took a major eastern city earlier this weekend has advanced into a south province.

congolese forces repelled an attack late last night but the rebels have vowed to march to the capital. the rebel controlled goma remains without water and electricity. the city has been a humanitarian hub for many in the region that is been displaced by the conflict. >> we no longer have people to protect us. i hope m 23 has pity on us. what we are going through is not meant for children of god. amna: the u.n. also said today it is concerned about growing human rights violation stemming from the conflict. this includes reports of executions at the hands of the rebels as well as sexual violence carried out by the congolese government forces. in this country a new york doctor was indicted today for allegedly prescribing and abortion pill online to a

teenager in louisiana where the procedure is banned. a grand jury charged the doctor, margaret carpenter and her company with criminal abortion by means of abortion inducing drugs. louisiana classifies the abortion drugs as controlled dangerous substances. this appears to be the first case of criminal charges against a doctor for sending abortion pill pills to another state since roe v. wade was overturned. on wall street stocks ended lower amid concerns about president trump's tariffs. the dow jones lost more than 300 points on the day. the nasdaq dropped more than 50 and the s&p 500 also ended the week in negative territory. today marks the fifth anniversary of two moments that changed our world forever. first, brexit. amna: at 11:00 p.m. london time

on this day in 2020 big bend marked the moment when the u.k. officially left the european union. five years later the economic and cultural shift is still playing out. also today -- >> i have declared the coronavirus presents a public health emergency in the u.s. amna: it is five years since u.s. health officials declared a public health emergency. covid went on to shut down schools and offices nationwide and claim the lives of more than one .2 million americans. still to come on the news hour, david brooks and jonathan capehart where you and on the week's political headlines and musicians worked to forge better relations between the u.s. and cuba. ♪ announcer: this is the pbs news hour from the david rubenstein studio at weta in washington and

in the west from arizona state university. geoff: today bun palestinian agency said it remains operational providing humanitarian aid in gaza as well as the occupied west bank and used jerusalem despite a band that went into effect yesterday. an israeli law passed in october forbids it from operating on israeli land and for bids contact with israeli authorities. reporter: it was established after the creation of the state of israel. in the decades since it has come to provide some 6 million palestinians in gaza and the occupied territories humanitarian assistance and education. israel has argued that staff has helped to commit the hamas attack spirit u.n. has said nine staff may have been involved and were fired.

to understand its status and its future we have two views, the director of its washington, d.c. office and a retired brigadier general with the israeli defense forces and now a fellow with the washington institute for near east policy. welcome to the news hour. what is going on with unwra as there is an official ban. >> the first day of the ban, all of the facilities were open except for our field headquarters in jerusalem. we had 400 medical consultations in east jerusalem alone. school will reopen again on sunday. in gaza our international staff remains and we continue to stay and deliver we are a major part of the humanitarian assistance efforts particularly since the cease-fire. >> what should we make of that in your opinion, that there is

an official ban on this organization? >> i think it is important to understand the israeli view of unwra. to put it shortly, it is a poisoned apple. the apple part is the services that we heard, education, food and health. those are a necessity and everyone recognizes the need to do so. the poison part is connected to negative aspects of unwra, the involvement and repurpose thanks and overtake of hamas of parts of unwra operations in gaza. the involvement in terror participation in the october 7 massacre, in hostage taking. we have a hostage who said, i was held inside an unwra site.

reporter: take those arguments on -- israel says unwra has been infiltrated by hamas and we have seen things like tunnels that hamas has used. >> neither the u.n. or unwra want hamas members as part of the organization. when israel last january brought us the initial names the first thing our commission general said was -- this is a betrayal of the united nations, a betrayal of the work that we do for palestinian refugees. as a result, we moved swiftly and decisively, both us and the secretary-general. the secretary-general ordered his equivalent of an inspector general to look at this. the secretary-general commissioned an independent view of unwra's neutrality operations. when we find a tunnel under one of our facilities and they are

everywhere, what we do is we notify the israeli government of what we found, we notify the united states and the other donors. we do marsh -- demarchwe the authority and at some personal risk we inject cement into those tunnels. reporter: have the steps that unwra taken been sufficient? and the fact that the israeli government appears to continue to let them operate, does it mean they need it? >> the tactical issues of involvement or the use of u.n. sites for terror and military purposes. the second pertains to the strategic aspects. when this agency, unlike the high commissioner for refugees,

the sister agency in the u.n., is not about finding long-term solutions for the palestinian refugees, it's hereditary status given to palestinians by the fact that their ancestor were among the refugees in 1948 and 1967. no other refugee population is still around. there are some positive services which were mentioned but it comes with a problematic note of strategic issues which actually impede the peace process or the peacemaking and instead it is perpetuating the right of return as an issue and inciting the education system. reporter: is there an alternative to unwra? >> no. unwra performs a unique

function. we are a direct service provider. we run a health care network, an education system, we provide relief in social services. every unwra commissioner general wants to be the last unwra commissioner general. he is right, this was established as a temporary agency until there was a permanent solution. the member states of the u.n. across 75 years have failed to come to that permanent solution. in fact, unwra is by design built to be turned over to a palestinian institution. it is why we pay local comparative wages. we don't want to be there forever. the our role in gaza as hopefully being a bridge to whatever emerges as the governance there. reporter: all you when officials say you cannot replace unwra. >> of course you can.

these services can be provided in the west bank by the pa, in jordan by the jordanian government and in lebanon by the lebanese government. and in gaza when there is an alternative government, it will be this government. it can be alternative you when agencies like the food programs and health programs or refugee programs. the same thing. the main thing that unwra should do to make it possible to one day solve the problem is to stop perpetuating the problem by preempting more and more refugee certificates for the sons, and grandchildren of the original ones. reporter: thank you very much to you both. ♪

geoff: as syria recovers from 13 years of civil war and decades under the brutal assad regime, its people must now rebuild their nation. amna: and one facing that task is a syrian literature professor and revolutionary who the news hour met in 2012 and spoken to many times since. we spoke with him recently in the new free syria. reporter: a free syria for all of its people. in 2012 he was an idealistic young father, teacher and protester with high hopes for a free future for his country. >> we are chanting freely and our states. -- in our states. reporter: what he saw in the 12

years since left him dejected and hopeless. his hometown was nevis diet -- was devastated by russian airstrikes and hundreds of his family and colleagues were killed by airstrikes. this was once his home. he dreamed of a bright future for his children. now his community like thousands across the country lies in pieces. the earthquake two years ago took much of what the warplanes and artillery shells have not already destroyed. he still feels much death and destruction could've been avoided if he and his friends were given the help they needed in the early days of the revolution. >> nobody needs to blame them for being militants. what they saw pushes everyone to be militant. when you see that all the people around you are bombed every day and no one is trying to help. we will not deny that we got good support from western governments and western organizations but everything they they've was food, some

blankets but what we needed at that time was some kind of weaponry. if the u.s. at that time had supported us militarily, we would've prevented iran from smuggling to has bala -- hezbollhbah. reporter: he spoke multiple times as the civil war inspired sing his country had been abandoned to horror. but he says now is their chance to make amends. he fears if there is a power vacuum that russia and iran could come back to fill it. >> the west, particularly america, right now has a very good chance to start a new page with the syrian people to atone for their sins to the syrian people. they let us down in the past. i believe the assad forces are

still waiting and a lot of iranians are still in syria, by the way. right now the west must not lose this chance. reporter: after the sudden fall of the dictator who he says destroyed his country, his hope is back rejoicing amongst millions of syrians at home and abroad who now hope to return. but many like him have been left homeless and penniless by the war and his family is luckier than most. they have been living in a house that the whole extended family shares. rebuilding ob and almighty task. >> 80% of our houses have been destroyed by the russian airplanes. i cannot rebuild my house because it needs thousands of dollars and you know this is impossible nowadays because we do not have salaries. the economic cycle right now has

broken down. the economic situation needs to be reactivated. it needs to be starting new businesses, starting factories. we have a lot of young men here that are unemployed. reporter: when this rebel held person faced extension, they begged president trump for help. >> i'm begging the president to do something. reporter: he has high hopes that a trump presidency will be in favor of syria because of his firm stance against iran. >> the nuclear agreement was under the obama administration and mr. trump stopped all of that agreement. that is why we as syrians believed that if we think of who is better for syria in terms of the relationship with iran, it is definitely president trump even if we were not his friends.

at least he is an enemy of our enemy. reporter: since 2016 he has been teaching in rebel held territory. he is a literate -- he is a literature professor and hopes his future is dominated by books and not war. >> i hope we can -- i believe this is the first time that we as syrian people, and i feel like i am a human being again and am free again. all of us believe we were born just now. we have been born maybe for the first time in our life. he can speak freely. reporter: there is so much work to be done but when and if you get there, what does life look

like in a free syria? >> as revolutionaries, we don't think about ourselves but about our society. it's welfare. and that is where we start the revolution because we wanted to liberate our society. imagine after 13 years of being chased from one place to another, being displaced outside my home, and waiting for the russian planes to come and attack us, the ideas and the feelings and emotions are crowded in our heads not knowing how to feel or what to say. i cannot imagine how my future life will be. reporter: and how about for your kids? you grew up under assad. what do you want for them? >> we want them to live freely. they can say what they want. they can feel what they want.

they are not afraid now of any oppression. they are not afraid to be detained anymore. i believe the future is ahead of them. reporter: a future he never thought they would say. now, he hopes he and his countrymen can build the nation they promised. for the pbs news hour in aleppo, syria. ♪ amna: contentious confirmation hearings and confusing policy rollouts mark the second week of the trump administration. her insights we are joined by brooks and capehart. jonathan brooks -- david brooks and jonathan capehart. a lot happened this week. the week began with the introduction of this omb memo

saying some federal funds and grants had to be frozen. it was rescinded within 48 hours of being issued. mass confusion. the week is ending with confusion around president trump's tariff threats including again some of our allies. david, this is the second week of the administration, what are you taking away from the scope of the way things have been rolled out? >> we have already had incompetence. say the administration wants to defund dei, fine. if you find programs you don't like and target them, they try to get rid of them but instead they have a two-page memo to allegedly eliminate what they call $3 trillion in federal spending. this is trying to cure acne with decapitation. it created total chaos.

no one had the sense to say, what would happen next if we throughout with no clarity what is about to happen? i hope this is the pattern, they do something that hurts his standing and he pulls that back. and today with terrace -- with tariffs. gk chesterton said the civilization will decline when they forget the obvious things. this will have the effect of a financial crisis on canada and mexico. the things you want in an economy that is good get worse under terrace. you get lower wages. it is another self-destructive policy. we have seen these cases of incompetence. amna: how do you look at it? >> we are 11 days in and i'm

resisting calling this chaos or confusion because what this really is is what he ran on -- taking a wrecking ball to the government. this is what happens when you believe the government is completely woke, however they define that. you put out a memo saying we are freezing funding. we are doing these things that will hurt people. a press conference yesterday, let's zero in on that press conference at the president did talking about a tragedy in the potomac. 67 souls gone and he gives lip service -- he does a moment of silence -- and then spends the next 25 minutes saying some of the most racist things i've ever heard come out of the white house, out of the white house press briefing room in the mouth of the president of the united states scapegoating anyone who

wasn't white, christian, male, straight for problems in the country and then deflecting blame on to past presidents. this is all -- he ran this way and said he would do these things and right now, all we can do is sit back and pray a wrecking ball doesn't destroy us. amna: he continues to pull his team together and a number of his nominees had their confirmation hearings including robert f. kennedy, jr., cash patel and tulsi gabbard. there were a couple of moments i want to get your take on that seemed to reveal republican concerns about kennedy and gabbard. >> will you reassure mothers unequivocally and without qualification that the measles and hepatitis the vaccines don't cause autism? >> i'm not going into the agency

-- >> it is a yes or no question. the data is there. i don't mean to cut you off but it really is a yes or no. >> the data is there. i will do that. >> i want to make certain that in no way does russia get a pass in your mind or in your heart or in any policy recommendation you would make or not make. >> senator, i am offended by the question because my sole focus, commitment and responsibility is about our own nation. amna: the overruling data shows no link between autism and vaccines. gabbard has previously blamed -- do you think the senator still backed these nominees despite those concerns? >> what i heard was republican

senators saying to the nominees that the crazy thing you believe, you don't really believe that, do you? and in both cases the nominee said, i'm not going to say that i do believe it but i won't say i don't. i think tulsi gabbard is in a harder place. there is a broader array of republicans that are skeptical. and that is a serious committee that usually meets in private. it is not a committee usually filled with histrionic behavior. and they really do know intelligence. and parts of the intelligence efforts that she is a potential threat to. 702 --we have to look at and for terrorists. and she wants to raise the bar allowing us to use that ability. it is a serious threat to people that care about intelligence or

share about intelligence. kennedy looks to me like he will go through unless someone outside of the committee like mitch mcconnell might do something. amna: you think republican senators will vote against tulsi gabbard. >> 60-40 is pretty low. >> if one of the three could go down, kash patel for fbi, he probably might get through. tulsi gabbard, we have talked about being on the edge. robert f k junior. i remember when pete hegseth was named as donald trump's pick for defense secretary and joni ernst expressed valid concerns and expressed them clearly. he is now secretary of defense and she voted for him. amna: three republicans did vote

against him. >> and yet he is still secretary of defense. amna: the vice president broke the tie. >> i say this often, i hope i'm proven wrong that no one is going to vote against any of these people but we will see. amna: i need to ask you about the democrats. they are choosing their direction forward tomorrow. they will vote for their dnc chair. you and your colleagues hosted the form. what is your take away? >> the party has a direction. i hesitated -- they are not unclear on what they stand for. what they are struggling with is, how do they convince the american people that they are what the american people said in the election, they did not think they were.

somehow now the republican party is the party of the working class and the democrats are in league with the billionaires and the elites. what i took away from the forum is that they are more concerned about misinformation and disinformation and getting the message out and how do they catch up with the incredible infrastructure that is there on the right? one thing i noticed is that as each candidate was talking about what they wanted to do or what they thought or the direction of the party, you saw heads nodding all over the stage. there are eight people and maybe half stand a chance and maybe half of the half stand a chance but we will see. the democrats are not in trouble. >> their whole worldview has been torn apart. they are now the party of the

college on the coast. they did not think [indiscernible] they should take a year off and do some serious thinking. a lot of the categories have to be reimagined. >> they don't have a year. amna: we will come back and talk more. thank you. ♪ geoff: the future path of cuba has been in the headlines. can music be the gateway for closer relations between americans and cubans and provide relief into the economic downturn and isolation? that is the hope of a group of high musicians forging a bond with students off and on the island. jeffrey brown has the first of three reports from havana exploring the intersection of

art and democracy. ♪ reporter: on a rooftop under the stars in havana, the sound of a youthful new orleans brass band followed by those of cuban teenagers, members of a group called first line named after the famous second line musical tradition in new orleans. a battle of the bands, not really. more of joy and connections. >> every time we hear them, we learn about their music because we like learning about the culture and it helps us teach them about what we do they can learn as well. >> they are so energetic and passionate. i like people be passionate about what they do and doing what they love like i do. reporter: the connector in chief of this gathering is trombone shorty.

an international star that fuses jazz, funk and more. >> for some of these kids, music is life. when i come here, it is the same as in new orleans. they play life here. you can hear the pain and the happiness through their music. reporter: we first met him seven years ago in new orleans. to learn about how he got his nickname, he was playing in the streets of his neighborhood. and he had a commitment to his afterschool program. as a 12-year-old he had an opportunity to come to cuba as part of a cultural exchange program, formative experience. >> this place and the music have never left me. my goal was to always be able to come back because it had that much of an impact on me at that

young age, an impressionable age, it never left me. reporter: five years ago he brought student musicians from the foundation to havana to interact with students here. that has grown into an event called "getting funky in havana." a group of american music lovers basking in the chance to visit have amna and for cuban fans to have a chance to attend outdoor counselors. -- outdoor concerts. ♪ reporter: later performing at an old havana church. before joining a panel discussion that included the master himself, george clinton. >> as a songwriter you start

importing all the different cultures and tones and the way we converse with each other. reporter: while also serving as one of the leaders of the gathering, a rising cuban superstar who was seemingly everywhere performing but the young musicians, taking in a jam at a local school and even walking the runway in a fashion show. he has made his name mixing the sounds of cuban salsa and american funk. and he sees this musical exchange as crucial for young people here. >> in cuba, a country that doesn't have a lot of resources. you start to feel after so many years without connection come it is nice to see something from the outside. the kids feel like, ok, we are part of the world. and people believe in us. reporter: any highs in this

gathering had to be balanced against the reality of cuba today with a depressed economic reality. more than a million have left. official data show a stunning 10% drop in population in recent years. actual numbers are likely higher. the one-party government is still led by the errors of fidel castro whose image is still prominently displayed around havana. mass demonstrations in 2021 protesting the power and other shortages were quickly put down. there is also the continuing whipsaw of u.s. and cuban relations. i visited 10 years ago soon after president obama restored diplomatic relations and relaxed strict rules that kept most americans from visiting the islands. the streets of old havana were lined with tourists spending

much needed dollars. they are still dancing but the numbers are off. officials say just 2 million tourists visited in 2024 down from 4 million in 2019. >> there is not a lot of tourism. there is less. the problem is getting by and supporting oneself. reporter: the streets are quieter and the cruise ships are gone and even the classic cars are not doing much cruising. he has been driving for 15 years. >> when i started tourism was in the floor. reporter: since president trump reversed course on diplomatic ties and sanctions in his first term, strict travel restrictions have applied but the back-and-forth continued in recent days with biden ending cubans -- cuba's resignation --

cuba's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism only to have donald trump come in and restore it. >> the people is who suffer the political issues. reporter: this backdrop, the cultural exchange program focuses on more manageable goals including bringing new instruments to cuban students and building a music school on havana's outskirts. >> some of the instruments are beat up and they are making the best of it but i'm no stranger to that. as they continue to play and grow, every year we come back kids are phenomenal. this is definitely making a difference. reporter: new orleans student musicians led a second line parade through the crowd and players performed and danced

inside and out. ♪ a 15-year-old lives nearby with her very proud extended family. ♪ she is also a member of the band that performed for the visitors and locals alike. >> when they listen to us i want them to be like -- wow, how delightful. and they enjoy what we do to the fullest. reporter: also in the band, a 14-year-old percussionist. >> it has been my passion since i was small. i dream of the music. i dream with everything i can create. i dream of continuing with my music with other bandmates to be a great musician. reporter: that is a universal dream, of course, and this 17-year-old brought along a personal dream.

seeing the homeland of his father's family. he was also getting a taste of being a role model. >> you can tell that they love what they do. it is inspiring. if they can look up to meet like that at my age now, i can just imagine when i grow up how people will look up to me now and how i can give back to the community. reporter: that is what it is all about for this musician as well who could be found interacting with the young musicians. >> this kind of cultural exchange, what can it accomplish? >> we can all have a good time and we are but what has it accomplished in the end? >> we have been able to have a great impact on some of the kids and some of the kids that we brought here from new orleans. they won't forget this experience. we want to help these kids grow

to be professional musicians so they can come back and have an impact on the next generation to do the same thing and we can save lives through music. ♪ reporter: trombone shorty says he doesn't know what the future will bring to u.s.-cuba relations. he vows though to return as often as he can. for the pbs news hour, i'm jeffrey brown in havana, cuba. amna: terrific story. a reminder, be sure to watch washington week with the atlantic tonight with pbs. jeffrey goldberg discusses president trump's handling of the first real test of his second term. geoff: and that is a news hour for tonight. amna: on behalf of the news hour team, thank you for joining us and have a great weekend. announcer: 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 kathy and paul anderson and george smith. -- and camilla and george smith. the walter 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 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. ♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] ♪ >>

hello, everyone. welcome to "amanpour & company." here's what's coming up. authorities say there are no survivors after a mid-air collision over washington's vague national airport. then as president trump's cabinet picks their confirmation hearings, a shake-up at the