Skip to main content

tv   PBS News Hour  PBS  May 16, 2024 6:00pm-7:01pm PDT

6:00 pm
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. xfinity internet. made for streaming. ♪ good evening. ♪ geoff: on the the former trump advisor cohen
6:01 pm
in the trial tonight. >> the promises that the world leaders made in recent decades, these promises are left at the. entrance >> and a three-year-old with a rare medical disorder stuck in gaza and the american families working to evacuate her for treatment. ♪ >> major funding for the "pbs newshour" has been provided by -- >> a partner rediscovers her grandmothers artistry and creates a trust. a raymond james financial advisor gets to know you and your passions in the way that you enrich your community. life. well planned. >> certified financial
6:02 pm
professionals are proud to support "pbs newshour." more information at let's make a plan.org. >> a proud supporter of public television. the world awaits. a world of flavor, diverse destinations. , and immersive experiences. the world of leisure. and british style. all with cuinar's white star service. ♪ >> carnegie corporation of new york, working to reduce political polarization for philanthropic support for education, democracy, and peace. more information at carnegie.org. and with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions.
6:03 pm
♪ this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> welcome to the news r. former president one-time lawyer michael cohen spent his third day on the stand. >> he's the key witness in the case against his former boss and he faced hours of scrutiny over them misstatements he has made. william bregman was in court today enjoins us now. mr. trump's legal team had michael cohen on the stand the entire day.
6:04 pm
what were they trying to accomplish with their time with him? trump's lead lawyer in a circuitous and zigzagging line of questions, try to keep the - -keep up the attack they started which was to elicit testimony that proves their point that michael cohen cannot be trusted, and he is a fundamentally untruthful, dishonest and an unscrupulous witness on this case. and he whether multiple examples in the past where michael cohen was talking to congress or talking to federal agents. or testifying in other courts of law. and he raised his hand to say, i swear to tell the truth and he did not. we heard multiple scrutinize example of that. he also elicited some testimony of other dubious practices like surreptitiously recording other people's phone calls. he also tried to poke holes in cohen's earlier testimony where he testified to very specific
6:05 pm
recollections of phone calls that happened six or seven or eight years ago. he elicited testimony saying, michael cohen, you get dozens of phone calls a day, thousands over the course of the year, how is it possible that you could remember the details of a phone call from seven years ago? he when at him quite a bit on those points. the whole point is that you if you undercut michael cohen you undercut the fundamentals of this case because he is a when it was directly says that trump orchestrated and was central to this scheme to cover up the hush-money payments and the falsification of these business records. >> how did michael cohen respond to the scrutiny? >> a lot of times he admitted to these lies, simply because he has no other option. sometimes he went to prison for them. other times there is just clear evidence that he said one thing one day and another thing the very next day. but there were some other keys -- cases where he pushed back on
6:06 pm
this, like there was a lot of talk today about whether or not he had specifically asked for a pardon from then president trump. in specific -- and sometimes cohen would try to parse word games and have a semantic debate over what, whether it was, he meant something in the past tense or the present tense. but on the whole, cohen was a pretty firm, soft-spoken study witness today. >> it is interesting because there were some questions whether or not mr. trump's defense team can provoke michael cohen into losing into lashing out. sounds like that did not happen. >> that is exactly right. we were clearly sometimes where todd blanche tried to do that. he several times raised his voice today and said, that was a lie! wasn't it? and cohen for the most part, did not take the bait. there were other times where he brought up testimony about some very personal and humiliating times and michael cohen's life, like when he was frustrated
6:07 pm
about not getting a job in the white house and there were text back, dad, it even then, michael cohen did not give up the ghost in this case. there was one interesting case -- example that happen today. it is hard to know how much this jury knows about who michael cohen really is, this famously profane, belligerent lawyer. and todd blanche played a clip of one of michael net--michael cohen's podcasted in that clip you hear michael cohen screaming, saying you had better believe that i want trump to go to jail. he was this incredible jerry moment -- jarrying moment, for the first time the jury heard what michael cohen had been characterized as but not shown
6:08 pm
himself to be that understand so far. >> william, thank you. >> thanks, geoff. ♪ >> i'm stephanie sy with the newshour west. here are the latest headlines. the u.s. military finished work on a floating pier off the gaza strip today. officials say at least 500 tons of food will begin arriving on shore in the coming days. the aid is vital to helping the hundreds of thousands of gazans who are at risk of famine. meanwhile, south africa is asking the top u.n. court to impose emergency measures at israel to stop its military operation in rafah. south africa has accused israel of genocide and says the war is at a new and horrific state. -- stage. >> the key point today is that israel's declarative of wiping
6:09 pm
gaza from the map is about to be realized. further, evidence of appalling crimes and atrocities is literally been destroyed and bulldozed. >> in response, israel's foreign ministry said that south africa was presenting biased and false claims and called on the international court of justice to reject the appeal. her ein the u.s., the house of representatives passed a measure this afternoon that seeks to force the transfer of bombs to israel. the bill passed by a vote of 224-187. republicans drafted the legislation as a challenge to president biden's plan to withhold the shipment of 3500 bombs that was meant to discourage israel from further military action in rafa. the bill is unlikely to pass the senate and the white house has said it would veto any such measure. in slovakia, authorities confirmed today that the man charged with shooting populist prime minister fico acted alone. they say the suspect seen in the
6:10 pm
cap had previously participated in antigovernment protests and became radicalized after the last election. slovakia's interior minister described him as a lone wolf. >> i want to affirm that today the police are working with only one version of the attack, that the perpetrator is currently charged with a premeditated crime of attempted murder and we are working with only one version. that it was a politically motivated act. >> the hospital treating fico says he's in very serious but stable condition. the prime minister is considered a divisive figure in slovakia, and abroad. because of his pro-russian and anti-american positions. the supreme court rejected a conservative led attempt to weaken the consumer financial protection bureau today. the justices ruled 7-2 that the way the cfpb does not fight -- is funded does not violate the constitution. the bureau gets his money from
6:11 pm
the federal reserve rather than the congressional budget process. writing the majority opinion, clarence thomas said the system fits with the appropriations practice. texas greg abbott has pardoned a former u.s. army sergeant who had been convicted of fatally shooting a protester during a black lives matter demonstration 2020. the announcement came minutes after texas parole officials announced they were recommending a pardon for daniel perry. he was sentenced to 25 years in prison for the death of garrett foster. the justice department began the formal process today to reclassify a marijuana as a less dangerous drug. the biden administration wants to move cannabis from being a scheduled a-one drug, alongside heroin and lsd to schedule three, which includes ketamine and some anabolic steroids. the president called it an important move toward reversing long-standing inequities. the plan is subject to a 60 day
6:12 pm
public comment period and a possible judicial review. it also does not legalize marijuana. senator bob menendez announced today that his wife nadine has breast cancer and will require a mastectomy. the announcement comes during the first week of the new jersey democrats bribery trial in new york. his wife was also charged in the case but her trial was postponed. they have been charged with accepting bribes in exchange for using his position to help foreign governments. both have plead not guilty to all charges. the leaders of china and russia reaffirmed their no limits partnership in beijing today. in tiananmen square, president xi jinping rolled out the red carpet for vladimir putin. at the start of their two day summit. china is one of russia's closest allies as both nations face deepening tensions with the west. >> russia and china are truly united by the common goals of national development and
6:13 pm
ensuring joint prosperity on the principles of mutual respect, good neighborlyness and mutual benefit. >> the leaders signed a joint statement ushering in what they call the new era of partnership that includes shared opposition to the united states. on a range of security issues. putin also thank his host for his proposals on ending the war in ukraine. kyiv have rejected those suggestions. xi's stance follows the kremlin line. many survivors of last year's maui wildfire have ongoing respiratory issues according to a new university of hawaii study. up to 74 percent of surveyed participants reported difficulty breathing and poor respiratory health. almost half showed signs of compromised lung function. the report also pointed to a shortage of preliminary health specialists on maui to care for the growing number of patients. still to come, a look at the lasting legacy of brown versus
6:14 pm
board of education. 70 years after the landmark supreme court decision. law makers grill to the chair of the fbi see after report finds employees were harassed and mistreated at the agency. and an emergency room doctor discusses his new book on treating trauma and violence. ♪ >> this is the "pbs newshour" from weta studios in washington and in the west from the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. >> president biden today used executive privilege to deny house republicans access to audio recordings from his interview with special counsel robert hurt. the october 20 23 interview centered on the president's handling of classified documents. the report described the president as a sympathetic well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory. house republicans, including representatives of jim jordan and james comer requested the audio and planned to hold
6:15 pm
merrick garland -- garland and contempt of congress for failing to provide a. earlier today garland address the matter. >> there have been a series of unprecedented and frankly unfounded attacks on the justice department. this request, this effort to use contempt as a method of obtaining our sensitive law enforcement files is just the most recent. >> following it all is carrie johnson who joins us now. house republicans already have transcripts of the interviews provided by the white house. what is their argument for why they need the actual audio, and why was that request denied? >> jim jordan of the house judiciary committee signaled he does not trust the white house in this transcript. he wants to see what biden said and hear what biden said for himself and he said more about the president's state of mind and his memory issues could become more clear if he is able to hear the audio. the justice department and the white house seem to be signaling
6:16 pm
they made extraordinary combinations. they have given written transcripts. they've given house republicans correspondence between the justice department and his private lawyers and a couple of classified documents as well. and they are trying a line that enough is enough and that house republicans do not need to hear these audio tapes. >> president biden had insisted that he had mischaracterized the interviews. but now they will not release the audio. doesn't that put the white house in a difficult position? >> i think the white house may be making a calculation that it is better to receive criticism on that point than to try to release the audio, which is the white house counsel said could be sliced and diced and chopped up as part of campaign ads before the november election. >> what about this move, to hold attorney general merrick garland in contempt of congress for not providing that audio. >> the white house is asserted
6:17 pm
executive privilege but the house judiciary committee went along party line this afternoon and voted to hold merrick garland, the attorney general, in contempt. we expect a similar vote overnight by the house oversight committee. and that whole issue has to get on the house floor. the full house. would have to vote, a majority of the full house would have to vote in order to hold merrick garland in contempt. but now that the white house has asserted executive privilege, merrick garland basically has a legal shield, a legal defense, and so he could not be prosecuted for this anyway. >> house republicans efforts to impeach the president have installed. their intent -- their attempt to impeach the homeland security set failed, do they have their sights set on merrick garland? >> he casts this move as yet another in unfounded attacks of the justice department. federal agents and prosecutors, republican attempts to defund the special counsel jack smith, who secured two indictments
6:18 pm
against former president donald trump. that merrick garland says is wrong and he will defend the institution and the people who work there. >> that is carrie johnson joining us tonight. thank you so much. >> thank you. >> the u.n. warns that the humanitarian crisis in gaza is growing more acute. in southern gaza, a quarter of the population faces catastrophic levels of food insecurity. in northern gaza, one in three children are severely malnourished. nick schifrin speaks to the u.n. top humanitarian official about gaza and sudan and what he calls one of the worst years for humanitarian crises. >> the u.n. says every single one of gaza's 2.2 million residents need food assistance and the threat of famine is looming. one of the leading officials dealing with this crisis is the
6:19 pm
under secretary general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief corner, martin griffith who will be stepping down soon after a 50 year career on humanitarian and concept work. thanks so much. welcome back to the newshour. the executive director of the world food program, cindy mccain said that northern gaza is in "full-blown famine." do you agree. >> i would agree with her in substance, in the sense that there is a very, very, as you know, stringent technical process independent of the u.n. to identify when famine exists, but we know from gaza, we know from elsewhere, that don't wait for the declaration, the official declaration to know that people are dying of hunger. kids are dying of malnutrition. >> today the u.s. military announced that a floating pier design to deliver humanitarian aid to gaza has been attached to
6:20 pm
gaza. they have hundreds of tons of aid ready for delivery. thousands more tons in the pipeline. how much of an impact could this thing have? >> it is very helpful. we have always said that any way to get more aid in should be welcomed. we've also set, as you know, that land access routes tend to be more efficient and to scale. we in the world food program are ready and prepared to help distribute that aid coming in off the floating pier in the days to come. >> there are also security concerns about the pier. u.n. officials who have been working to prepare it had to take cover when the area came under fire. how serious from your perspective are the security concerns for the u.n., for the world food program? >> i think they are very serious. for the moment, the risk level is when we can go with on the basis that no aid is coming in and other areas. so we are looking at being able
6:21 pm
to fulfill our task of distribution internally and hoping that we can get the right people to help us to get aid to the world food program. >> who are those right people? >> well, i think we are talking about tractors andun. staff. we are in the final staff of making sure that we have -- in the operation that we are happy in terms of accountability. as well as risk levels for anybody who is going to be there. >> there have been occasions where hamas has diverted or stolen the aid. >> where that happened we negotiated to get it back. in all cases, that has exceeded peer and we need to get all deliveries is safely delivered. aid is going through in the north. 54 trucks got in there yesterday. recently opened. most welcome, by the way, on the whole, that aid is going to the needs which are very excessive in the north.
6:22 pm
getting aid to the south is incredibly difficult because both are the main crossing point. are more difficult to get through. >> since the israeli military launched in rafah, specifically at the border crossing, that border has been close. israel blames egypt for blocking aid. egypt blames israel. operation for destabilizing the board of. why do you think not enough aid is getting through that border? >> because it is closed. and the other border crossing is also a place of great difficulty to get any trucks in. added to that, of course is without the fuel inside it doesn't matter. you cannot move the trucks. our -- there are stocks of food -- they are more or less finish paid we know that there are no more -- there are 600,000 that have moved in the last couple weeks.
6:23 pm
we know that medical supplies may have three weeks. we know that food in the market is about to run out. there is no good news about what is happening in rafah. >> the israeli government has remained concerned about hamas infiltration and the military this week said the drone footage shows armed men standing next to u.n. vehicles at a u.n. compound in rafah. how does this happen? >> i think -- they have reacted to that report and is looking into the factual basis, when this happened, when did this happen, where, how did it happen if it did? until we have got the facts i am not going to comment. >> after israeli missiles killed seven world kitchen workers, israel said it would improve coordination with humanitarian organizations. has israel done enough to answer the concerns of the u.n. and
6:24 pm
international organization since that incident? >> i am just learning of some promises of progress on that very issue. embedding u.n. staff member from my own office, indeed, some in command to make sure that we are clearly aware of the trajectory of the -- the conflict and are able to guide our humanitarian operations accordingly. i just hope this is going to work. >> let me will be to sudan, the world's largest displacement crisis, one of the world's largest food crises. yesterday a u.n. special on vote said the sudanese people were trapped in "an infertile of brutal violence -- an inferno of brutal violence." >> yes. but will it be prevented? i don't know. 5 million people at risk of famine. i am not aware of that number ever having been at that level of risk.
6:25 pm
we need the militaries of both sides, of all sides to give us access to get our convoys through, to get our aid through. the people. it is the trajectory of the war and the commanders on the ground who are not giving us the access that we need. >> finally, if i may take a moment to step back. we have not even talked about afghanistan, ukraine, yemen. i wonder, how you look at this year and this moment after, as i said at the top, nearly 50 year career focused on humanitarian aid. >> i do think it is as bad as it has ever been. i think it is a year of broken promises. the promises that the world's leaders made, these recent decades, these promises are left at the entrance. and parked there. but we still have across culture, across cultures and
6:26 pm
communities and across the world and i see it in my work, the depth of humanity, the organ people has no changein values. what there is a change in is a leadership that we suffer from. i'm afraid. which don't listen to these straightforward -- which all of us believe in. we all want a better future for our children. right across the world. >> undersecretary general for the humanitarian phase in emergency relief coordinator, thank you very much. >> thank you very much. appreciate it. ♪ >> among the families caught in between the israel and hamas war is this family. their two daughters, a five-year-old and a three-year-old. giulia suffers from a rare
6:27 pm
neurological disorder called aahc, that causes seizures and paralysis. only 1000 cases worldwide have been confirmed. before the war, she managed with medication but it is triggered by loud noises and changes in temperature. in a tent in a war zone, giulia is unable to sit or stand and is running out of medication. the number of families with children who have ach have really to help -- ahc have rallied to help her. simon, thank you for being here. >> thank you for having me. >> tell us how you came to know about giulia and her family, what is the connection? >> my little girl has ahc, and so does giulia. we are very close, we have a facebook page where everyone communicates because parents become expert in this disease. tend to consult each other on
6:28 pm
what is working and not working for their kids. so, i came across the family through there. >> your little girl is named annabelle. how is she doing? >> she's doing ok but she has episodes at least a few every week. so, it's nothing like what giul ia's facing but she does face some real problems with her symptoms. >> what did you think when war first started and you knew that giulia and her family would be over there? >> when i found out about it terrified everybody in the community. and knowing that it came with those type of symptoms, paralysis and seizures and painful dystonia, all of these different symptoms of the disease can be triggered by various different stimuli a and being in a war zone, where you
6:29 pm
hear all sorts of noise and are terrified at all time, we are fearing for her life and still are. >> what do you know about how she has fared over the last seven months, what have you been able to hear from her father? >> i know she is gone through a lot of painful dystonia episodes, she has been paralyzed on and off for the last six months. she has not had access to medicine, which can prevent or hold the episodes. she's been fed from a bottle because her parents cannot feed her proper food. she is in desperate situation right now. and everybody is worried about the worst, but these episodes that she is having, she cannot walk, she cannot really talk. she is, she has altered sense of consciousness at this point. and it really can affect the brain. >> have you ever seen that kind of decline in a child? >> so, unfortunately, yes, several kids in our disease die every year. it's terrifying to think of but sometimes they have these episodes that are just not stoppable.
6:30 pm
they look like they cannot focus, they cannot hear anything, and it's, it's scary to see, they are nonresponsive. often they a fully paralyzed and they going to painful postures where their muscles are contracted and they cannot get out of the contraction. it's incredibly painful, the kids scream and there is nothing you can do as a parent. that is what their family is facing right now. >> we were able to connect with him on the ground in gaza and he sent us this message. >> we're asking for help to get her out of gaza for treatment because if i stay here while the crossings are close, i will lose my daughter. and i don't want to lose her. i want her to receive treatment and to be like other children, to play and stand and to be able to walk. >> simon, you are in touch with him every day i understand for the left several weeks. what is it like for you to have that contact, to hear from him to know that your family is on the side of the world and his is
6:31 pm
there? >> it is desperate. i think on both sides, it's desperate. we're trying our best to get the family out. we have got an exit plan for them. we cannot get them across the border at this point. i know for many other families, they cannot get their folks across the border. we can have her in a high quality hospital in uae within 24 hours of the borders were open. and our plan is to get the family, as many of them as we can get, to -- medevac out to uae where we have doctors on the ground ready to support her. >> what happens if you're not able to get her out? >> we fear for the worse. we have managed to get medicines to her. now she is on five different medications. we were able to get those to her through pcrf. we've managed to get it to a safe zone outside of rafah. we are doing our best to get her across the border but those clearances are needed. >> when you say we, you're
6:32 pm
talking about you and this community of families that you have become a part of through your children. why has this become such a mission for you all? >> well, i think we all put ourselves in that situation. we know how hard it is to look after kids with ahc in the best of times. in a warm home in washington dc, they are in a war zone. it is hard for us, i can only imagine what it is like for them. and i think it is easy for families to put themselves in that situation, knowing what the kids go through. >> communication can be spotty. if you can get a message to them right now, what would you want to say? >> hold out hope. we certainly are, we are doing our very best -- across the board as a team to get you out, to get you and your family to a safe location where we can get to -- her stable. >> simon frost, thanks so much for sharing the story of giulia and her family with us. we appreciate it. >> thanks. ♪
6:33 pm
>> tomorrow marks 70 years since the landmark civil rights ruling of brown versus the board of education. when the u.s. supreme court declared that in the field of public education, the doctrine of separate but equal has no place. president biden met today with several of the original plaintiffs who brought the case to court and their families. afterward, cheryl brown henderson, one of the daughters of the lead plaintiff, all of, said they were there to celebrate how the long fight had changed education. but she was quick to say, much work remains to be done. >> we are still fighting the battle over whose children do we invest in? any time we can talk about failing underfunded public schools, there is a problem. there should be no such thing. public institutions where most of us got our education should be world-class educational institutions. >> the families also recall how the path to integration was met
6:34 pm
with intense resistance, fear and violence. that was echoed in a different ceremony in washington this past week by another pioneer, one of the so-called new orleans four, the first children to desegregate two all white schools in new orleans in 1960. >> they treated us like animals. we did not know it at the time. but that is exactly what they were doing. there wer teacherse that were encouraging them to do that to us. call us all kind of names, spit on us. anything that you can think of. that young children should not go through in school, we went through. that experience, i will never ever forget. >> from our perspective, i spoke yesterday with annette gordon reed, the carl lowe professor of history at harvard. and she was the first black student to enroll in an all white school in her hometown in
6:35 pm
texas and kevin young is director of the smithsonian national museum of african-american history. and culture. kevin and annette, welcome to the newshour. >> glad to be here. >> kevin, i'll start with you because you knew linda brown, who as a schoolgirl was at the center of this landmark case. her father oliver tried to enroll her at an all white school not too far from their home in topeka. tell us about her, her family and their decision to partner with the naacp and other plaintiffs to challenge segregation in public schools. >> it is such an important anniversary that we are marking the 70th anniversary of. and i did indeed grow up in topeka, kansas and went to the very church that linda brown played piano at and sang. she was quite a force then and i knew and was well aware of the case. they greeted me every sunday in the vestibule with reverend oliver brown, who had been at
6:36 pm
st. mark's church in topeka. and i think it was that kind of spiritual center of the case that she posed and that she still held in topeka that is powerful to me. and i think, there is a wrong road that leads to brown v board. but it still remained in topeka, something that was full of history but also was a living thing. i think it's that -- that is when i first encountered the history found throughout the museum but also that this case centers and the change in the nation, and the change in our world and to hear her singing and expressing yourself years later was so powerful. >> annette gordon reed, this is an experience that you know well. you were the first black student to integrate the conroe independent school district in texas 60 years ago. what was that experience like for you? >> very intense. this was obviously, you know, 10 years or so after brown. the school districts across the south were resisting the
6:37 pm
mandate. had come up with a freedom of choice plan and my parents decided to buck tradition because of the expectation that white parents with pick white schools and black parents would pick black students. my parents sent me to anderson elementary school. and it was tough. i have to say it, it was a tough year. i was there by myself. and it was, took a couple of years before the supreme court declared those freedom of choice plans unconstitutional and then everyone had to change schools. but being there by myself was a pretty intense thing. that thing that really saved me i think was, my parents and my family, the support i had, but my first grade teacher, mrs. daughtry was absolutely wonderful. i'm sure they may have picture to be the person who had me as a teacher. -- picked her to be the person had me as a teacher pretty handle things well. some of the kids were supportive and many were not.
6:38 pm
it was a very intense time. >> striking down segregation in public schools provided a major catalyst for the civil rights movement. which yielded all sorts of progress but racial segregation across the country in schools has actually increased dramatically since then. it is up by 64%, segregation between white and black students has increased by 54% in the 100 largest district since the late 1980's. >> in every place your mentioning, i am not sure what accounts for it. what accounts for brown is starting a process that is still ongoing, it is a process that took a long time to make it to the supreme court. and we raise up thurgood marshall and the others including the other plaintiffs involved in the case, but i also think it is important to note, as you said, that there was -- there is work left to be done. they reopen brown v board for the original purpose to desegregate to become schools when i was living in topeka.
6:39 pm
and so, that case continues to resonate in both ways that still need to be re-litigated in some ways but also to be continually enforced. >> annette, you can argue that schools remain segregated today because neighborhoods in which they are located remain segregated and that education policy is linked to housing. >> oh, absolutely. that's it. we, we fund schools through property taxes and so -- where you live determines the schools that you go to. and so, as long as you have a pattern of segregation in housing, you will have segregated schools. so that is been a big driver. so there are a lot of moving parts to all of this. brown was important as a symbolic matter, and actually things did change to some degree, but it's largely this -- it's symbolic word of starting people on the road
6:40 pm
to questioning things that had been a group take it for granted for many years, but certainly housing patterns determine a lot about the composition of schools. >> kevin, what more needs to be done to fulfill the ultimate promise of brown? >> well, i think we have to continue to be vigilant in terms of how people can access education. just as a start. i grew up in public schools pee before going to college. and to me, that was really important to have that education, both of my parents credited education is the thing that got them beyond, they grew up in the segregated south, louisiana, to be specific. and they each were the first among their family members to go to college, and they went all the way. my father ended up becoming a physician and my mother got her phd in chemistry. and from there i think they really saw, and they went to hbcu's, by the way, when historically black colleges was the only place they could attend. i think it was really important to them to maintain both hbcu's
6:41 pm
important excellence, they raise and generate the most of our professionals in the african-american community and continue to support them but also to support education generally and provide something is something that everyone can access, but then also aspire to. >> same question. what work remains in your view? >> well, to get people to recommit to public institutions. not just k-12, but public higher education as well. there has been a disinvestment in those areas. and the more you do that, the more problematic they become, it is a vicious cycle that continues. and so, i think we have to realize that the nation schools should be and have been in the past and certainly k-12 and the university system have been very very important to creating the country, making the country that it is and we should go back to the idea that we should invest in all of our children, not just our own children. but all children deserve a
6:42 pm
chance. >> thank you very much for your insights. we appreciate it. >> glad to be here. >> thank you. >> more than 100 million american households have money protected by the federal deposit insurance corporation or fdic. the agency's chairman, martin gruenberg is now facing calls to resign. and as laura lopez reports, his resignation could change the fdic's plans for regulating banks. >> that's right. this all comes after a recent audit and major news investigation found serious problems with the fdic's replace culture including pervasive sexual harassment, bullying and disk termination on the basis of gender, race and sexuality for decades. martin gruenberg has spent the
6:43 pm
last two days trying to convince lawmakers on capitol hill that he should keep his job. but that did not stop the bipartisan wave of anger and reprimands. >> the level of intimidation that is embedded in the culture after a decade of your leadership you can't just u nravel or unscramble that egg. you have heard me say this to you directly. you -- you should resign. your boys do not have confidence in you. >> we are joined by an investigative reporter who broke the wall street journal. thanks so much for joining the newshour. you published a story in november of 2023 after speaking with more than 100 fdic employees including 20 women, who quit their jobs because of the toxic culture at the agency. can you give us a sense of what those women shared with you? >> yeah, it was really a pretty
6:44 pm
astounding period of talking to these women over many months. what i heard was these horrifying descriptions of harassment they faced from their supervisors, which ranged from supervisors talking about going to strip clubs in front of them, supervisors talking about how women needed to sleep with people to get ahead at the fdic. the way that they spoke to women, talking about their appearances and making comments about their eligibility to be dated. it was just a lot of pretty horrifying stuff, but what really stood out to me in my reporting was how was some of the structural elements. the way that the fbi say works with bank examiners as it hires people directly out of college. you are sending, young women out into the middle of the country to conduct these bank exams. they are going out to visit the banks, often with mostly or all-male teams.
6:45 pm
their teams are often much older than them. you can see how a situation like that is going to be right for that sort of conduct. and i think the fact that there was not much, there was not much in place to guard against that really showed. >> that reporting led to the fbi see hiring an outside law firm to conduct a review. it corroborated your initial report, but did we learn anything more about the scope of these problems? >> i think it was really striking was just how many people the law firm heard from. as you said, i spoke to more than 100 people. the law firm heard from more than 500 people. and that was particularly notable for me because so many of the people had told me that they had a lot of reservations about going to the law firm. that there was a lot of concern that there could be retaliation if they share their stories with the law firm. so the fact that they got that many people even with those fears is pretty amazing. and i think with what the report
6:46 pm
showed is how widespread these issues were. i did not really know going in whether the report with mostly confirm examples i had found or whether there would be a lot more there, and there were a lot of examples of harassment and discrimination beyond what i collected which were really horrifying to read. >> when president biden first took office, he told staffers that he would "fire them on the spot if he ever found out they treated anyone with disrespect or if they bullied anyone." this report details that the chairman as recently as last year losing his temper in ways that employees felt were " offensive and inappropriate." democrats grilled him these past two days, but very few of them have actually called on him to resign. why? >> yeah, it has been pretty interesting to watch the reaction. on a think there is a pretty clear reason why which is if you were to be ousted, it would leave the republican vice
6:47 pm
chairman in charge of the fdic it would mean that the board of the fdic would be deadlocked. biden's regulatory agenda and the things that greenberg was trying to pass would not happen, would likely not happen if greenberg were pushed out. and so, i think in a lot of republicans, made this point today, that that it is a political checklist by democrats and not coming after him harder. you did see a lot of democrats on the house side be pretty harsh in their criticism. there were at least two house democrats who now seem to be indicating that they would support him resigning and a couple others who said they had serious doubts. but i think i'm a senate side, you saw democrats to take a much more measured approach in the hearing. >> gruenberg apologized saying he will change the culture, that he would take an anger management course. what reaction are you hearing, and do you think that he has done enough to save his job? >> it looks for now like his job is safe. there may be other shoes to
6:48 pm
drop, the house is investigating, i've been speaking to fdic employees, the inspector general is investigating. more could come out on this, but absent additional political pressure from democrats, i am not sure what would force him out of his job. but i think, you know, the way he will navigate his employees going forward is going to be interesting to watch because i think a lot of them are incredibly appalled by the report, have been pretty angry for some time now, and skeptical that the agency is going to take steps that will really change this culture. and i think what you are talking about very entrenched problems, that are not necessarily or at all all attributable to one person. but i think changing a culture like that from the inside out can be difficult. >> thank you for your time. >> thanks for having me.
6:49 pm
>> i do book offers a firsthand look at the root causes and potential solutions to a critical issue plaguing communities across the country -- violent crime. emergency room physician dr. rob gore share stories of what he has witnessed an experience working in cities such as new york, atlanta and chicago and overseas in places like kenya and haiti. he created a successful violence prevention program to keep young people from acts of violence before they have -- reach the e.r. i spoke to him about "treating violence." welcome to the new czar. -- welcome to the new czar. your decision to become a doctor serving those in need was influenced by your own childhood, by your own experiences. with violent crime, and you write about being beaten and robbed as a 10-year-old. how did that searing moment
6:50 pm
set you on that journey? >> i was coming home from school, and these two guys jumped me. somebody grab me from behind and another guy bunch me. and they dug in my pockets and stole my bus pass, and my teller. i did not have any money. but it was terrifying and i left that space going home thinking this is never going to happen again and i want to make sure that nobody takes advantage of me. so waste -- i started carrying razor blades, from the age of 10 and 11 up to the age of 18 to school. i carried screwdrivers. i never carried a gun, but my goal was to make sure that i was going to be protected at all times. it's something that growing up as a black male in an urban setting and growing up in a place where you might be considered prey, especially if you are nerdy, kind of skinny and not an imposing figure, that is the person i want to take
6:51 pm
advantage of. and if you have been on the receiving end, you want to make sure this never happens to you again. >> what is gained by viewing violent crime, this epidemic of violent crime is a public health imperative? >> violence is a type of trauma and trauma is any sort of injury that comes about as a result of some sort of force. the violence itself is so different because this is, it is intended to harm, to kill, to injure. and it is not like some sort of accidental process. and when there is, when somebody inflicts a level of injury that that was deliberate, it becomes, it is almost a personal attack. and the stress that comes from receiving that trauma, the stress that occurs in many of the community's i have worked in, the recurrent trauma, the recurrent violence this experience creates a level of stress that i would not wish on anybody. when you're constantly stressed, and these are some of the things we've seen overseas, when you are constantly, under constant duress and stress can come in many different forms but when you do not have the ability to
6:52 pm
process that and you do not have safety nets in place, that allow you to have access to recovery, you do not do well. us looking at violence through a public health lens is really something that we are hoping to really change the scope of. and to help keep people a lot. i started doing violence prevention work almost as a way to ensure that i stayed around. homicide is the number one cause of death for black men ages 15 to 34, number two cause of death for let next men -- latin-x. when i started the work i was in that age bracket. but i still see my people my age coming in traumatized receiving deliberate injuries because somebody deemed their life less important than their own. >> when it comes to intervention, what works, what how do you had off violence? >> how do you head violence before it happens? some people experience violence
6:53 pm
often they do not realize it is a problem. they think that this is something that occurs in your community. the first thing is recognizing that the trauma that is taking place is not a normal act, it is not a normal behavior. and figuring out what are the symptoms you are experiencing? if you express anxiety, depression if you have pre-existing bipolar disorder, every subsequent trauma triggers that and makes it even worse. then the next thing is to create systems, and this is more of the long term, create systems that help strengthen other supportive factors that can enhance your overall well-being. making sure the people have access to proper education, access to food, access to things that will allow them to thrive so they can do really well. not just exist and not just live. >> how have you dealt with accumulative stress of being on the front lines? >> that is a great question peer the book itself was really helpful for me because as an emergency physician, you see a lot of trauma, you are in a stressful environment, the er
6:54 pm
exist to deal with people in a distressed state. and we are not always taught to process what we have seen. we are taught to compartmentalize, to tuck it a way, so you can take care of the emergency and when you get time reflect on it but there is not a designated process to do that. now i think people are starting to learn the language about trauma informed care. and trauma, and overall trauma and wellness practices, but it is not something we are taught. so writing the book itself was a way to reflect on a lot of the stories and things that i have lived, things that i've seen and people i have treated as a way to kind of connect dots and come up with a template i can share with other people who may work in very similar spaces. >> dr. rob gore " treating violence, an emergency room doctor takes on the deadly american epidemic.." thanks for your time. >> thank you so much.
6:55 pm
>> and that is the newshour for tonight. >> on behalf of the entire newshour team, thank you for joining us. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by -- ♪ ♪ >> moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that can access. -- that connects us. ♪ >> the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. and friends of the newshour, including leonard and normal -- and the judy and peter bloome
6:56 pm
kolver foundation. cfp professionals are committed to acting in their clients best interest. more information at let's make a plan.org. the ford foundation, working with visionaries on the front lines of social change worldwide. and with the ongoing support of these institutions. and friends of the newshour. this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and b cy contributions from viewers like you. thank you. >> this is "pbs newshour" west from weta studios in washington
6:57 pm
and from our bureau at the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy.] ♪
6:58 pm
6:59 pm
7:00 pm
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. xfinity internet. made for streaming. ♪♪ -"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, and we look back through time to see how history influences the way we eat today.