geoff: i'm gev bennett. amna: and i'm amna nawaz. a potential major escalation of a regional conflict.

geoff: we speak to a pentagon into havana syndrome. amna: michigan's governor gretchen whitmer on protecting reproductive rights. >> we know that abortion rights and reproductive rights are a in threat across the country as we have the potential of a second trump term. >> major funding for the pbs "newshour" has been provided by -- the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. and friends of the "newshour," including leonard and the judy and peter cove lar foundation. >> actually, you don't need vision to do most things in

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hewlett. org. >> and support of these individuals and institutions. this program was made responsible for the program for public broadcasting and contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. geoff: welcome to the "newshour." there is escalation of tension in the middle east beginning in damascus syria. amna: war planes attacked the consulate and killed some of iran's senior revolutionary

guard corps and there are reports of additional attacks on ships in the red sea. we have been following all of this. let's begin with damascus. >> an official with knowledge of the operations tells me that israel attacked inside damascus killing three senior islamic revolutionary guard corps commanders. that is him there. that is the most significant strike since the u.s. killed keudz forces. you can see suleimani. and it shows in this photo. he was extremely important to iran's efforts in syria and lebanon and that is suleimani's successor. iran-backed hezbollah who backed financing in syria and lebanon and shipments of weapons into

syria. annette: also killed was his deputy. you see him there. and essentially what happened there is the decapitation of r. i. g.c. leadership. it was the location. they are inside iran's consulate in damascus. that is the first time that iranian sovereign territory inside syria has been struck apparentlily israel. the official with knowledge of the operation told me that that was not a diplomatic building but a significant strike against iran's long-time efforts in the country. amna: has there been any kind of response yet? >> as you suggested at the top, there has been confirmation by israel of an attack in southern israel in iraq on a naval base there believed an israeli official tells me from yemen,

houthis in yemen and tracking report of a houthi attack on international ships off the coast of yemen and first time in a few days and attack on the u.s. base in syria that hasn't been attacked since february. amna: u.s. officials met about the operation in gaza. >> israeli prime minister senior national security aids met have iter virtually to talk about this operation in rafah. u.s. doesn't want a major operation in rafah where the residents of gaza have fled. and israel says there is no way to win the war without defeating those battalions. but what the u.s. wants is a much more targeted operation both sides saying they have the same objective that the u.s. expressed concerns and israeli

side agreed to take those concerns. amna: thank you very much. geoff: for the last decade, american diplomatic law enforcement have suffered grievous and life-altering injuries. no guns, bombs or rockets were involved. many say they were attacked by sound, a debilitating wave of sound that left them with physical ailments grouped under the government designation of a health in the event. you may know it by havana sin dome. "60 minutes" assigned blame to a foreign adversary of the u.s., russia. for perspective, let's bring in retired lieutenant colonel. he ran an investigation of

defense intelligence agency about the source of the havana syndrome and he is head of an organization that takes care of survivors and their families and works to pursue those responsible for the attack. thank you for being with us. you have said that you are confident that russia is behind these attacks. what informs that confidence? >> i just went off of a large body of open source reporting. go to the insider. they put out a great piece. there is a lot of arrows pointing to moscow right now and i suggest you talk to some of the survivors because they will give you insight into the backgrounds and what they were doing and working on and points a clear picture to the lay person about who is responsible for this. geoff: you ran the military investigation into havana syndrome and told 60 minutes that the bar was set high.

what was the bar of proof and what was the motivation behind elevating in your view? >> i can't go into specifics based on classification levels. what i can tell you from my perspective, things that -- requirements from higher levels of the government seem to change quickly and you have to contact those officials still inside the government to figure out why they were changing certain requirements for the intelligence community. but i can tell you this problem isn't going to get better with time and need to address it head on and when you start taking care of the survivors and their families. about time to take action and that time is now. geoff: you retired from the army to start a company that helps the havana syndrome survivors. i imagine every case is different. how are they fairing? >> they are not doing well and see the recent n. i. h. reports

or intelligence community that gaslights them and tell them that their problems don't exist. we have been there before. this happened with the moscow signal. this has happened with ptsd and agent orange. we need to start taking care of people that signed up to protect america and america's values and their interests abroad. if we don't, america's eyes will be blinded. geoff: we reached out to the officer of the director of national intelligence for a response in regards to this reporting by "60 minutes" and they gave us reports. most intelligence community elements concluded that it is unlikely that a foreign adversary is for the a.h. i. and there are different degrees of confidence associated with that. at the same time, we are going to be vigilant and looking for

information that undercuts those sawlingses. what is your answer? >> watch the "60 minutes" episode. it pains a clear picture to most americans and it also lists some clear evidence that has been uncovered with open source reporting. geoff: do you believe the federal government is covering this up? >> i won't get into discussions of coverups and conspiracies. but hundreds of families have been impacted and this is also affecting our national security. it needs to be addressed. geoff: one of the survivors who spoke to "60 minutes" identified as carrie, she referred to this attack as being ■the resultof next generation weaponry and said that she and the other survivors are test subjects. and yet as i understand it, the federal government has not been

able to replicate whatever this weapon is. can you help us understand more about that. >> i believe what the survivor was referring to is directed energy weapon and i imagine after this "60 minutes" episode and recent insider reporting, there is going to be an avalanche of foia requests to uncover what the government knows and what country are using these technology. but go to google and see what comes up. there are plenty of examples of president putin pinning on medals and various awards to russian scientists in the field. look at the comments he made in september about fielding more directed energy weapons and the national security advisor in moscow what he said in the article in september of 2023 about how moscow has successfully removed hundreds of u.s. intelligence officers from

the field in the past decade. i would like to know about that. geoff: that is retired army lieutenant colonel. that's for -- thanks for your time. >> thank you. take care. amna: israeli forces withdrew from gaza's largest hospital after a two-week battle that left the area in ruins. more than 20 patients died of the the israelis denied that claim and said they killed hamas fighters. mangled building spread across the hospital complex and surrounding blocks. palestinian patients said israeli forces allowed them limited supplies amid the strike. >> they let in a very small amount of food. there were 150 patients and

medical staff members. not sufficient at all. no treatment, no medicine and bombing for 24 hours that caused immense destruction to the hospital. amna: israeli material said hamas fighters barricaded themselves inside the hospital and launched mortar rounds. ships carrying food and supplies arrived off of northern gaza. organized by the united arab emirates and spanish charity tore the one million palestinians on the brink of famine. in israel antigovernment protestors lingered. hundreds slept in tents. they demanded a hostage deal with hamas and early elections insisting that prime minister netanyahu must go. >> if good leaders or a new coalition is not taking over. we are doomed.

we can't imagine him not being replaced because he is driving us to the abyss. amna: also today, ultraorthodox israeli jews protested the end of their military exemption. the issue could divide netanyahu's coalition. turkey's political opposition is celebrating sweeping wins in sunday's local elections. the center left people's republican party scored victories in more conservative proper vincees the gains inspire hope for change especially as the country grapples with economic turmoil. >> to be honest, we woke up to a good day. i believe the results will be beneficial for our country. we live on the same land. i am sure everyone will do whatever we can for our

happiness and piece. amna: florida supreme court upheld the ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy and could pave the way to enact a stricter ban after six weeks. at the same time, the high court today allowed a referendum on abortion rights to go before voters in november. california is drying out from destructive downpours over easter weekend. in big sura big chunk of high 1 collapsed. police began escorting people. the storm will dump more rain and snow as it moves east this week. most fast food workers in california will earn $20 an hour after the state's new minimum wage law took effect. they have 500,000 fast food workers and many are adults supporting families in a state with a high cost of living.

the law applies to fast-food chains with more than 50 locations nationwide. the annual easter egg roll brought out 40,000 people despite a delay for thunder and lightning. children in raincoats and boots set to rolling hard-boiled eggs across the milan. the tradition goes back to 1878. on wall street, strong manufacturing data undercut hopes for interest rates. the dough closed at 31, 956, nasdaq rows 17 points. and the last known survivor of the you uss battle ship he was a navy quarter master when the japanese attacked pearl harbor. the arizona exploded and sank.

he flew 200 combat missions and survived being shot down. he was 102 years old. still to come, tamara, keith and amy brick down the latest political headlines and government new trish programs vary across the united states. and rhode island uses design and accessories creating art that you can carry. >> this is the pbs "newshour" from weta news story in washington and from the west from the walter cronkite school of journalism. geoff: the u.s. coast guard opened up a temporary channel in baltimore. over the weekend, one of the largest floating cranes on the east coast arrived to the site capable of lifting up to 1,000 tons. before it can start removing steel and concrete, officials

have difficult work by removing a section of the steel bridge that is over the cargo ship. how large the undertaking is. >> we are talking about a situation that a portion of the bridge underneath the water has been described as chaotic wreckage. every time someone goes in the water, they are taking a risk. every time we move a piece of the structure, the situation could become even more dangerous. we have to move fast, but we cannot be careless. geoff: president biden is expected to underscore the government's commitment when he visits on friday. one of the key people charged lieutenant general scott spellman. thanks for coming in. >> on behalf of all the men and women of the united states army,

certainly the men and women of the army corps of engineers our thoughts are with those loved once and we will help the governor which is to return loved ones to their families. geoff: how are you and your team approaching the task of reopening that main channel. walk us through the process. >> president biden called me shortly after the bridge collapsed and want us to know army corps of engineers mission was to open that channel. and we are going about this in three steps. the channel is 700 feet wide by 50 feet deep and a large section of steel trusts. we have to get the truss out of the channel, concrete and reenforcing bar, any other wreckage off the floor. when these ships like the dali

come into the port, they are drafting 48 1/2 feet. that is only 12 to 18 irches of -- inches of clearance. second step, we'll work with the coast guard. we have to move the dali on the lip of that navigation channel. we have to refloat that vessel and get it to a safe portion of the harbor and we'll restore two-way trachg and we have to get the concrete, asphalt and remaining structure off of the river bottom. geoff: the stretch of bridge that remains across the ship, that is 4,000 tons? that's correct. we are going through the math on each one of those numbers for that particular portion of the structure. if you imagine those beams like a rubber band. when we go to cut that rubber band of that steel, it will

respond in the same manner and instead of snapping like a rubber band, think of thousands of tons of force. we want to know how it will behave before that steel worker is up next to that beam to make that cut. we are doing math around tables and teams are placing gauges on all of those steel members so we understand the forces. as soon as we cut one member, all those forces redistribute and we have to's-engineer and re-analyze. geoff: this incident is unparalleled, but are there any previous army corps projects? >> back in twemp, the corps was involved with the recovery of the i-35 collapse in minneapolis over the mississippi river and we have gone back and looked back at lessons learned and things to take forward to this mission. more recently, our ongoing of the maui wildfires, when we

started off on that effort, we didn't know if the casualties had been found. we still have four workers missing and have to take care and diligence into our planning. geoff: you have all of the resources and equipment that you need? >> we have everything we need to accomplish this mission. geoff: our best to you and your team there. >> thank you. amna: since roe versus weighed was overturned, in michigan, voters enshrined abortion rights in the state's constitution in 2022 and the governor has pushed for several reproductive rights' measures and signed into law

protecting i. v.f. welcome back to the "newshour." amna: today's bill takes a big step. it lifts a ban on compensated that has been in place in michigan since 1988 and there are i. v. pf f. protections you signed into law. are i. v.f. treatments under threat in michigan? >> we know that reproductive rights are in threat all across the country and we have the potential of a second trump term it was important for us to be clear, i. v.f. is something we protect here in michigan and wanted michigan to get on the right side of the law when it came to letting people. we were the only state in the whole nation that criminalized this way of creating a family. in michigan, we want michigan

women and their families to decide when and if they bear a child and what way they go about creating a family. amna: the february alabama court ruling that put it back in the spotlight. it was republican lawmakers who took steps to protect i. v.f. former president trump have come out and said they support i. v.f. are you saying you don't believe them? >> let me tell you what happened here in michigan. we put this measure before the michigan legislature and only two republicans voted for it. that is an important message when you have the standard bearer for the republican party who has changed his possible on abortion many times. we cannot trust where they are at on any of these reproductive,

creating a family through i. v.f. or making decisions about your own body or access to a contraception. one thing i would add, we know that this extension could be applied to things like embryonic stem cell research. the race for cures like alzheimer's or juvenile diabetes could be impacted by this republican policy looks like. the fact of the matter is we have to secure these rights and want to be clear here in michigan, we protect these rights. amna: you believe this is a key issue in mobilizing democrats and independents. maybe president biden should speak about reproductive rights and say the word abortion more frequently than does. he has changed the language in the state of the union. if this is such a key issue for

democrats, does his reluctance to say that word hurt him politically? >> president biden is on the right side. he has undertaken every effort to protect a woman's choice. and worked through d.h.s. and policies in branches of government to enher this right is protected and has vowed that he is given a second term he will utilize every appointment for woman's ability is secure and safe. i have ever confidence in president biden and every one of us should be skeptical of possible trump second term and our rights and foundation of democracy. amna: the actions you have taken are mobilizing democrats and independents in the past. you think that mobilization is enough to overcome the

weaknesses that president biden hasisplayed so far with a lot of people voting uncommitted. >> we are going to have close elections and not a surprise to any of us in michigan that this race will be close probably up to election day. i will tell you during my re-election, there were polls and people were writing my owe bit area, i won by 11 points. president biden has done the same whether putting resources to ensure to rebuild our infrastructure and making sure that people are respected and protected under the law. this president has delivered on those fundamentals and talking about that story through election day. in michigan, elections are always close. amna: 100,000 people were protesting as president biden's

stance on gaza. one of the co-chairs of the campaign, where would you point those protestors to say, we heard you. >> recognizing that we are all human beings and how plant and these innocent people that are losing their lives is a real pain and that's something that i understand ta which will continue to work with with a variety of communities. also try to build bridges and make sure we focus on all the different things that are at stake in this upcoming election. amna: you seen as a leader in the democratic party. there was a recent column about michelle goldberg, there are many reasons that people fant as size whitmer replacing biden and see her as a likely presidential prospect. she says she isn't interested but few seem to believe her. how much of that speculation is

fueled by what we know by low enthusiasm for the democratic candidate in president biden and how does that change before november? >> i did read the article in talking with people in michigan, these are hardworking people. people want to know that their government is better and working as hard if not more than they are. everyone wants a fair shot and that's what the biden administration has always been about and president biden has been about. as co-chair i am proud of the work he has been able to do and proud to stand by his side as he goes for re-election. these are unique times. another high stakes election and everyone is exhausted but we have to roll up our sleeves. it's not just for us today but for generations of americans to come.

amna: thank you, governor. good to speak with you. geoff: house speaker mike johnson says a vote on ukraine aid will come next week. it's time for a check-in with our monday's political team. amy and tamara. we just heard governor whitmer talk about the act supporting i. v.f. and we have seen reproductive rights as a major driver in this election season but this is additional action by democrats on issues beyond abortion. amy, what kind of impact does it have on a swing state like michigan? >> the challenge right now that

the biden team has politically is people who turned out for him in 2020, many of whom were inspired not so much by joe biden but voting against donald trump are just not as engaged as trump supporters are. if the biden campaign can give these voters, especially younger voters, a reason to show up and believe this election is important, even if they are not excited about him. in michigan, for example, there was a big uncommitted vote i'm going to talk about, with the governor. there is rett since for these voters to show up and vote affirmatively for biden. putting issues on the ballot like nevada and arizona, or making sure this is part of the conversation, it could help to motivate some of those voters to show up, even if they are not

particularly excited about biden. this is an issue that does give them an incentive to go to the polls. geoff: is this enough to bring out democrats and independents that democrats can preserve that blue law and we learned that abortion rights will be on the ballot in florida in november. >> this bill is like a technical correction. several of the items are technical kreks and not seven months from now, wow, democrats in our state passed this thing. we are so happy and we are going to vote for joe biden. that isn't the spillover effect i would expect to see. however as the discussion about reproductive rights happens all over the country, as the state of florida is likely seeing in a more restrictive ban at the same time that there is now going to be a ballot measure on the ballot, this is going to be a

conversation that is going to be very live all over the country and the biden campaign is going to make sure that democratic voters know what is going on all over the country. in terms of florida, the biden campaign six months ago, eight months ago, a year ago would say we are going to compete in florida. they do not mention florida. the fartherrest they go is looking to compete. florida was always a stretch. i don't know adding a ballot measure is going to be enough to overcome real organizational challenges that democrats have had on the ground in florida for a generation. geoff: speaker mike johnson is raising expectations for a vote on ukraine funding even at the risk of johnson potentially losing his speakership since marjorie taylor green has called for a floor vote on his

leadership. here's johnson said to fox on an view. marjorie is a friend and frustrate about the last appropriations bill. so am i. these are not the perfect pieces of legislation that you and i and marjorie would draft. with the smallest margin in u.s. history, sometimes we get legislation we don't like. and democrats know when we don't stand together, then they have a better negotiation position. geoff: is that enough to nullify his right flank? >> i don't know that some of these folks are. the point is not about policy, this is really about the ability for many of these members just to show they can do it. and johnson doesn't have any margin. there is a one-seat margin. a call to vacate the chair if it

comes to the floor with a one-seat margin, that is courting disaster, one, this is not likely but possibility that actually a democrat wins the speakership. but more than that, if we thought that the mccarthy vote was drawn out or getting johnson into that job was drawn out, just imagine how difficult this is going to be with one seat. what johnson seems to be doing is mol filing conservatives, maybe we will put additional aspects into this legislation that deal with liquefied natural gas and make it more of a loan. let's use assets, russian assets we have taken in this country and use those to pay for it. we know at the end of the day,

he is going to need democrats. this bill does not make it without democrats. without it is mollifying them or not. geoff: you mentioned important innovation. house republicans have blocked president biden's request tore additional ukraine aid for six months. how do you see this coming together? >> it's not clear yet how it will come together. johnson is -- he has taken on this remarkably pragmatic tone laying out the challenges that exist in divided government when you have a very narrow margin and not the kind of thing he would have said when he wasn't in leadership. but now he is in leadership. and he avoided a government shutdown and avoided a couple of other cliffs by innovating. really not changing the

underlying numbers or changing the thing they agreed to but by changing a deadline or rebranding funding the government. and that appears to be potentially what he is doing again. but as amy says, in the ent, he would be very lucky if a majority of republicans supported ukraine funding or a broader national security supplemental. he would be very lucky if majority of republicans would support it. he needs democrats. geoff: let's talk about the 2024 race. president biden, his campaign released a digital ad which is making a direct appeal to nikki haley supporters. are there enough republicans in the middle who are winnable by president biden or are they just

democrats? >> when you look at the group of people that voted for haley in the primaries. they fall into three categories. never ever going to vote for trump and there's the group i would like somebody other than donald trump but i'll probably vote for him. and i was trying to figure out how big that group that voted for donald trump in 2020 and don't want to vote for him again. the key for the biden campaign isn't necessarily they win them over but if the voters show up and skip the top of the ticket, vote third party or maybe not go to the polls at all, that's a vote for biden because that's a vote trump got last time. geoff: how does the biden campaign see it? >> nikki haley got 25% of the vote. not all of them.

the boyden campaign is aiming for addition rather than subtraction or keeping things where they are. trump has in his rhetoric publicly said, if you wanted nikki haley, if you are not magga, you are not me. the biden campaign is targeting that ad to areas where haley gt a lot of votes. noo. amna: the program snap formerly known as food stamps is one of the nation's largest welfare system helping to feed 40 million he low income americans. what ta assistance looks like varies greatly. we have this report, "america

safety net." >> for single mother betsy cruz, every trip to the store is a tightrope walk. >> evidence to calculate because when i get to that register, i don't need any surprises because if it comes over then the amount i have, i have to ask them to put it back. >> that amount is usually $56 a month, the total benefit she and her 21-year-old son receive from snap. is it enough to support and cover your food costs? >> no, it's not. you come out with three or four bags and that's it. that's it for the month. >> to bridge the gap, cruz gets help from food banks like this one near her home in gilbert, south carolina. but she can't rely on this help. >> most of the stuff you get at

food banks are starchy items and my son is a diabetesic, but we have to use it. >> this struggle is new for cruz. worked steady job as a meat inspector for nearly three decades and forced to retire early after her son struggles with developmental disbuilt. >> it's i don't want to work, it's i can't. >> you have no choice? >> i have no choice. i am a mother first and it has been 21 years of it. he has to come first. >> the cruz family is not unique. about 90% of snap recipients live in households with older adults, children or with a disability. a family two of south carolina must make less than $25,000 700 a year. in 2022, 12% of the state's

population were on snap. that reflects the national picture. >> we must distribute more food to the needy. >> food stamps started in 1964 as a key part of president johnson's war on poverty aimed at feeding low-income americans. it's become a target for conservative lawmakers who argue the country can't afford a welfare program that costs more than $1 billion annually. in last year's debt ceiling agreement republicans negotiated an age from 49 to 54 and states have experimented with more stringent snap requirements. for nearly a decade, republican legislators have passed laws restricting who qualifies for food assistance from

implementing higher work requirements and forcing people to apply for child support. kansas is one of the states. >> i think it is an absolutely good policy. >> comments on the minutes. >> republican representative is the chair of the kansas house committee on welfare reform. >> we have to find that parent and make her they are doing that duty and the mother has the resources they need to run a stable life. >> it seems like a very drastic move just to feed my family. >> in 2017 six months into her pregnancy, see sell yeah's partner abandoned her and her two daughters and you are ex left her with crippling debt. >> there were a lot of financial

responsibilities that were left on my shoulders and it was very difficult to recover from that financially. >> after giving birth, she decided to apply for snap and realized that to enroll she would be required to apply for child support. >> it was an -- a moment of pause because i knew that my intention was not to rely on assistance longer than i absolutely needed. >> for douglas, that met opening a case against her newborn son's absent father and establish a child support order in court. a daunting prospect. >> i felt if it applied it would create an unhealthy environment for my son and older daughters. >> douglas chose to go without. >> it's heartbreaking when your child comes to you, mom i'm hungry and only thing you have to feed them is a peanut butter

and jelly sandwich. >> parents can apply for exemptions from the rule if it creates a dangerous situation for them. >> if there is good cause for exemptions, exemptions are granted. >> exemption requires official evidence like a police report or witness statement. >> this doesn't affect the noncustodial parent, this is affecting the mom and the kids. >> karen is a policy adviser for harvest harvesters. she supports efforts to repeal the requirement. >> child support services has many levers to get child couldn't support. they can garnish wages. bringing food assistance in as a weapon is what we have a problem with. >> she sees the effect of these kinds of requirements up close at the food pan tries.

>> the ct effect people are no longer on these programs or can't access these programs. >> when asked about some criticism of the state's restrictions on food assistance, the chairman said the policies are about about creating a life of self-sustainability. >> it is important to understand the spirit of these programs. what are they for? it's not to keep people on food welfare but to help them. >> kansas ranks third from the bottom in access to snap according to the u.s. department of agriculture and experts say three in 10 would would otherwise be eligible do not receive it largely because of state policies. kansas' state food stamp reforms have been held up as a model by right-wing groups and a dozen states have made changes based on the ones in kansas.

>> they go to state legislatures where they have a receptive audience. >> the director of snap strategies, a progressive think tank. >> we have seen indications that folks are losing benefits without positive outcomes. >> with this year's election, snap may soon be on the line. former trump proposed cuts to food assistance and nodded again to welfare restrictions on the campaign trail. >> there is a lot you can do in terms of entitlementments and in terms of the theft and bad management. >> further restrictions, they worry, would hurt america's poorest. >> the research has shown that those time limits don't work and the only income is less snap participation and hopefully get

past of taking away food assistance from these folks in order to get them back into work. >> back in south carolina, betsy cruz is glad she can access the benefits but still a struggle. >> yesterday, i was digging through pi purse to find two pennys. >> what does that feel like. >> it's not describable. i feel like trash. but -- i'm nothing to this country. >> for the pbs "newshour". amna: find more of our coverage of america's safety net online org/newshour.

geoff: one artist has taken handbags. pamela of rhode island weekly reports, he decided to put them in his hands. part of our arts and culture series. [sewing machine] >> if someone told me i would be making piers -- purses. i'm lisk the dream. >> the dream is being a designer of handbags, colorful and made by hand in his work shop and sold in hundreds of boutiques. the purses are clutched by martha stewart, sarah jessica parker. not only do they star on the red carpet, they fly down the runway.

they are a fusion of art and access other. >> in terms of art, it's interactive, it's modular. i think it speaks in an interesing way. >> and interesting twist carries stetson into the world of access others. he studied studio art and philosophy at brown university and started out creating these digital hybrid paintings. >> computer generated paintings we called it new media and i call it digital art. these are colorful abstract pieces. >> he admits he was unsuccessful and pivoted. his plan b translated to in the bag. >> i worked in a shoe store and i had gift to buy shoes and handbags. so i connected the dots.

>> how did you land on purses as the frame of your artwork? >> i packaged it. a handbag gave me more license to be fun than i ever fell felt i had permission to do with a piece hanging on the wall. almost instantly, pi made them tongue and cheek and funny. >> funny as notoriously tasteful. they feature doughnuts, animal crackers, sushi and rhode island's famous new york system wieners. >> it is iconic rhode island comfort food and translated it into a bag. >> when you carry one of his designer handbags it starts a conversation and might make a friend whether one of his doggie bag or popular cocktails.

>> it's a point on your outfit. it does not get the silent treatment. when you carry one of my eases, it gets acknowledged. >> they sell between $150 and $300 support a number of charitable causes. the lays collar of late supreme court justice ruth bader ginsburg. >> when she passed, this was shown on "law and order." sales for this piece went heywire and we done ate the proceeds to the aclu. >> alligator handbag supporting preservation. stetson said making each purse takes 50 steps and three days. he creates an image and prints and laminates the canvass.

while the process begins with high-techno vacation, the rest is old world craftsmanship. his signature bags are slim envelope styles. people say i can't get anything in this bag. >> it's a going out bag. if i made a larger bag, i would have to leave the state. i have to make small bags. >> what do you want people to see? >> i want people to know i made this with love and a sense of joy and i know it's going to make an outing that much more fun. it comes from my hands, i sign each piece. i want people to feel they have a real connection, where it came from. and it is farm to table version of personal access others. >> access other -- access other

that will light up the room. >> do not carry one of my pieces if you only want to chill. >> i'm pamela watts in palm beaching -- pawtucket, rhode island. geoff: that's the "newshour" for tonight. amna: on behalf of the entire "newshour" team, thanks for joining us. >> major funding for the "newshour" has been provided by -- >> on an american crews line's journey on the columbia and snake river visitors trace the route by lewis and clark. american crews lines fleet travel through american landscapes to historic landmarks where you can experience local

customs and food. american crews lines, proud sponsor of pbs "newshour." >> certified financial planner professionals, they are committed to act in their clients' best interest. more information at let's make a plan. org. kendeda fund doing meaningful through leaders and investors. supported by john d. and catherine mask arthur foundation. more information. and with the ongoing support of these institutions. this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs

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wow, you get to watch all your favorite stuff. it's to die for. now you won't miss a thing. this is the way. the xfinity 10g network. made for streaming. ♪ hello, everyone. and welcome to "amanpour & co." here's what's coming up. one year in captivity. as american journalist evan gershkovich remains behind bars in russia, i speak to his friends who are campaigning tirelessly for his release. then,