. ♪ when i'm gonna go back home >> brown: and we close with singer and actress audra mcdonald: her recenthirlwind of new career challenges, and the one place that keeps calling her back. >> i felt much better on stage. for me it's the rush of being forced to be so in the present. ♪ concentrating sloppy haired actor ♪ >> brown: that's all ahead on tonight's newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> the william and flora hewlett foundation, working to solve social and environmental problems at home and around the world. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> ifill: it's considered one of the most important pieces of civil rights legislation ever passed. but by 5-4, the u.s. supreme court today took the teeth out of a law enacted nearly 50 years ago. newshour correspondent kwame holman begins our cover