"Singer Bonnie Raitt discusses her new album and enduring career" PBS NewsHour 6/18/2022
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SUMMARY: Music legend and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Bonnie Raitt is out with her twenty-first album called "Just Like That."[link] It's her first new release in more than six years, and has landed at No. 1 on six different Billboard charts since its release. Geoff Bennett sat down with Raitt to discuss her dynamic 50-year career and what she's learned about herself along the way.
"Capehart and Gerson on the Jan. 6 hearings, gun legislation, the importance of Juneteenth" PBS NewsHour 6/17/2022
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SUMMARY: Washington Post associate editor Jonathan Capehart and Washington Post opinion columnist Michael Gerson join Amna Nawaz to discuss the week in politics, including new revelations after the third public hearing on the Jan. 6 Capitol attack and a framework for gun regulations is beginning to splinter as senators try to turn broad agreements into law.
Amna Nawaz (NewsHour): As new revelations are reverberating across the political landscape after the third public hearing on the January 6 Capitol attack, meanwhile, a framework for new gun regulations is beginning to splinter, as senators try to turn their broad agreement into a detailed plan.
That brings us to the analysis of Capehart and Gerson. That is Jonathan Capehart, associate editor for The Washington Post, and his colleague at The Post opinion columnist Michael Gerson. David Brooks is away.
Welcome to you both. Nice to see you.
Jonathan Capehart, Washington Post: Hi, Amna.
Michael Gerson, Washington Post: Thank you.
Jonathan Capehart: Great to see you.
Amna Nawaz: So let's start with those talks in the Senate.
A bipartisan group of senators, we know, have been close. They say they have a framework when it comes to gun violence prevention. Those are led by Chris Murphy of Connecticut, of course, John Cornyn of Texas.
But, just yesterday, just yesterday, John Cornyn walked out of those talks saying this as he walked out. He said: "It's fish or cut bait. I don't know what they," meaning Democrats, "have in mind. But I'm through talking."
So, Jonathan, could the talks fall apart once again?
Jonathan Capehart: Yes. Yes, they can.
How many weeks have I sat here on Friday saying I'm happy they're talking, it's great that they're talking, but I will believe it when I see it, when we get — when we go from talks to press conference to passage of the bill to signing?
The fact that Senator Cornyn has walked away from the table is the least surprising thing. The announcement of the framework on Sunday was really hopeful. And, in fact, there were a lot of things on there that Democrats thought, wow, we didn't think that they — we could get this as part of the framework.
But the fact that Senator Cornyn is saying he's done talking and it's time to fish or cut bait, well, what's the issue? I mean, does he have a problem with the boyfriend loophole, which is what a lot of the reporting is? Well, what's your proposal?
We have to keep in mind that it's not like Democrats haven't compromised. If Democrats put forth all the stuff they wanted, an assault weapons ban would be in it. So many other things would be in the framework. But Democrats have made it clear, we need to do something. The fact that Senator Cornyn is walking away from the table, quite sadly, more of the same.
Amna Nawaz: So, Michael, this — Jonathan's right. The reporting is that it's this boyfriend — closing the boyfriend loophole, keeping guns away from abusive partners, that's the sticking point for Republicans and John Cornyn.
There's a lot of stuff in here. There's funding for school safety and mental health, background checks for states to pass and bolster red flag laws. So what does Cornyn walking away do?
Michael Gerson: Well, I agree with Jonathan. This is an incremental bill. That's the way it was designed.
And, in fact, what's in there, my fear is that it would not do enough to kind of address these issues, and then you would still have some difficult problems.
But it does matter that Mitch McConnell has at least provisionally endorsed an approach like this. And that gives kind of permission to a group of senators, I think, who are in more purple states, and some of them running for reelection, that they may want to have something to say about, a problem, a huge moral problem.
We need to remember the context here, which is just the murder of children.
Amna Nawaz: Right.
Michael Gerson: And I think that Cornyn looks bad, because he's ignoring essentially the moral imperatives of our moment.
Amna Nawaz: But Cornyn also got booed, we should say.
Today, he was speaking at a Republican convention in Texas. He brought this up, that this deal is in the works, and he got booed. What does that tell you?
Michael Gerson: Well, this was a pretty hardcore audience, I assume, of Texas Republicans.
But it's — there is some risk in any deal. My concern, though, is that we were — we were moving towards a deal on criminal justice reform, for example, and it fell apart. And I'm afraid that may happen in this case, although I think there are some — not yet.
Amna Nawaz: All right, I want to move on to the January 6 Committee hearings, of course, because it was another big week with two more hearings, public hearings, on the books. They now have three hearings behind them, three more, we believe, to go.
Each of you actually shared with us moments that stood out to you. And there was a lot of information in those hearings. I want to play for you those moments and get you to react.
Jonathan, you remembered this moment from former federal appellate Judge Michael Luttig. He'd been advising Vice President Mike Pence that Pence couldn't do what Trump wanted him to do, which was throw out the election results.
Here's just part of what Luttig said.
J. Michael Luttig, Former Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge: I would have laid my body across the road before I would have let the Vice President overturn the 2020 election on the basis of that historical precedent.
Amna Nawaz: That is Judge Michael Luttig. I apologized. I mispronounced his name.
Why did that moment stand out to you?
Jonathan Capehart: Judge Luttig is a giant. He is a giant among conservative lawyers.
His reputation is sort of — I'm trying to think of the liberal equivalent. You don't get more senior and more revered than that. The fact that he said he would have thrown himself in the — in Vice President Pence's way to stop him from doing that was pretty incredible.
But the other thing he says that we did not show was that he had a warning, that Donald Trump and the folks who follow him present a quote, clear and present danger to our American democracy. This is no liberal Democrat who's talking. This is no just rank-and-file Democrat talking.
This is a tried-and-true, dyed-in-the-wool conservative jurist who is saying — ringing the alarm about this scheme that Eastman had come up with that they were trying to get Vice President Pence to go along with, and who is also saying, they're not done. This scheme is not done.
January 6 — and he didn't say this part, but I'm saying this part. January 6 was a rehearsal for what we could see in 2024.
Amna Nawaz: Michael, I found it interesting. Most of the folks who testified, most of the people we heard from more Republicans.
And you recalled this one moment that stood out to you where we heard from chief counsel to the vice president Greg Jacob. We learned a lot about what Mike Pence was doing on January 6, how he was down in a secure location continuing to work, even as rioters outside were chanting, "Hang Mike Pence."
Here's a moment in which Greg Jacob was talking about what happened then.
Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA): Does it surprise you to see how close the mob was to the evacuation route that you took? Forty feet is a distance from me to you, roughly.
Greg Jacob, Former Counsel to Vice President Mike Pence: I could hear the din of the rioters in the building while we moved. But I don't think I was aware that they were as close as that.
Rep. Pete Aguilar: Make no mistake about the fact that the vice president's life was in danger.
Amna Nawaz: Why did that moment stick with you?
Michael Gerson: Because it's something we shouldn't get used to.
I mean, we had a moment with a mob intent on harm, fed and pushed by the sitting President of the United States against his most loyal lieutenant, and it was a near-run thing. This could have been the murder of the Vice President. I mean, how would that — how would American politics have responded to such a thing?
And one thing that came out in the hearing is that, during this, as it was happening, President Trump was tweeting pressure tweets attacking the Vice President for lacking courage, as this was happening. And that indicates to me a reckless regard for not just his political future, but his life.
This is a President — I think we learned again, but it's the most dramatic example. This is not just a corrupt politician. This is an evil man, an amoral man. And that, I think, is important as we come around to the next election, where he's the Republican front-runner. That is a dire situation for the republic.
Amna Nawaz: Jonathan, there was another moment that stood out to me, when we heard from communications between Trump's lawyer John Eastman sending messages — he's the one who's recommending sort of a plan for how to do this, to overturn the election results.
And the committee basically shared that he e-mailed, saying: "I have decided I should be on the pardon list, if that is still in the works."
What was your reaction when you heard that?
Jonathan Capehart: Well, I mean, my mouth was agape.
You only ask for a pardon if you know or feel that you have done something wrong. I would never ask for a pardon, right? Why?
Amna Nawaz: You can say that…
(CROSSTALK)
Jonathan Capehart: What have I done?
But Eastman knew. He knew. The committee showed that he knew from the beginning that what he was proposing was — this is public television. I almost went there — was not right, was not right.
And so he pushed it, pushed it, pushed it. And then, after January 6, he sees what happened and then says: I want to have — give me a pardon?
It's…
Amna Nawaz: We still have — we still have three more hearings to go, I should say. And there's already been so much evidence laid out by the committee.
But, Michael, do you see — do you see a world in which they end the hearings, they wrap all this up, and there's no action from the Department of Justice? Is that a possibility?
Michael Gerson: It's a definite possibility, although the Department of Justice made some noise this week, essentially, saying, we'd like those transcripts, the ones that you have of these witnesses, because there is a parallel investigation going on with the committee and the Justice Department, and they have started stepping on another's feet a little bit.
But that does show that the DOJ is looking closely at what's happening in these hearings, which I regard as a good sign. There's going to be tremendous pressure on Garland to do this. But I think it's going to be a very tough choice for them, because it would set a precedent of pursuing criminal charges against former presidents that we have never really had before.
We will see.
Amna Nawaz: Do you also think Mike Pence should testify? We haven't heard from him.
Michael Gerson: I would have loved to have heard him about all this.
Amna Nawaz: Yes.
Michael Gerson: And — but he has tried to get as far away from his actions, his own actions, as he possibly could, because he still sees a path to the presidency that doesn't exist.
Amna Nawaz: We will see. Three more hearings, as I say, to go.
Before we let you go, Jonathan, I do want to get your thoughts on this, because ahead this weekend, Sunday is Juneteenth.
Jonathan Capehart: Right.
Amna Nawaz: It is just the second time in our country's history we are marking this day as a federal holiday.
And I just wanted to ask, as the country notes this day, as we mark it together, how are you reflecting on what it means this year?
Jonathan Capehart: Well, I'm reflecting on the fact that there are school districts and states that would make it difficult to even teach what Juneteenth is about, simply because some parents offended that the word slavery is used, that people were enslaved and worked for free and were tortured and all sorts of other things in the creation and the building of this country.
We just saw in Buffalo African-Americans targeted by someone who was a believer in the Great Replacement conspiracy. Juneteenth gives us an opportunity to talk about this nation's foundational wound that we still refuse to talk about, that we still refuse to confront.
And so we're in a moment in this country where Juneteenth, if a lot of these folks get their way, very well just might be a marker on the calendar with no explanation about what it means and why it's important that we commemorate that holiday.
Amna Nawaz: Let's hope we don't waste that opportunity.
Thank you for that.
Jonathan Capehart. Michael Gerson, thank you so much for being here. Good to see you.
Jonathan Capehart: Thanks, Amna.
"What European Union membership would mean for war-torn Ukraine" PBS NewsHour 6/17/2022
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SUMMARY: The European Union's executive arm on Friday recommended putting Ukraine on a path to membership. This comes as the U.S. and Europe pledged earlier this week to support Ukraine militarily. Jeremy Shapiro, research director of the European Council on Foreign Relations who was on the State Department's policy planning staff during the Obama administration, joins John Yang to discuss.
"Record heat wave in the U.S. raises public health concerns" PBS NewsHour 6/17/2022
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SUMMARY: More than 100 million Americans this week were under some sort of heat advisory, and were warned to stay indoors if possible. From Texas to California, a massive heat wave has set record temperatures, raising concerns about how hot is too hot. W. Larry Kenney, a professor of physiology and kinesiology at Penn State, joins William Brangham for more on how extreme temperatures impact the body.
"How the Golden State Warriors and Stephen Curry built a dynasty" PBS NewsHour 6/17/2022
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SUMMARY: After a two-year absence from the playoffs the Golden State Warriors are back on top of the NBA. With their fourth title in the last eight years, they are staking a new claim on the reach and influence of their dynasty. They were led once again by Step Curry, widely considered the best pure shooter ever seen in the league. NBA writer Michael Lee of The Washington Post joins Amna Nawaz to discuss.
"theocracy (noun)" government or political rule by priests or clergy as representatives of God - Merriam-Webster Unabridged
"How anti-abortion activists laid the groundwork for rollback of Roe v Wade" PBS NewsHour 6/16/2022
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SUMMARY: Last month, a leaked draft opinion showed that the Supreme Court may soon overturn Roe v Wade, the landmark 1973 case that provided a right to abortion across the country. That decision is not yet final, but as special correspondent Cat Wise reports, the work by abortion-rights opponents to arrive at this moment has been decades in the making.
"‘Outrage and heartbreak’ after murder of journalist, Indigenous activist in the Amazon" PBS NewsHour 6/16/2022
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SUMMARY: The desperate search for an Indigenous rights advocate and renowned journalist in a remote area of the Amazon in Brazil has apparently come to a grim conclusion. Bruno Pereira and Dom Phillips disappeared 10 days ago, and now there are murder suspects in custody. Stephanie Sy reports, and speaks to journalist Andrew Downie to discuss.
"Coastal Louisiana struggles with housing crisis after Hurricane Ida" PBS NewsHour 6/15/2022
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SUMMARY: The Atlantic hurricane season started June 1, but people in southeast Louisiana are still recovering after being hit last year by one of the strongest hurricanes ever to make landfall in the state. Communities correspondent Roby Chavez went back to visit the rural, coastal areas where Hurricane Ida’s 150 mile-per-hour winds left behind a housing crisis.
The UK made the wrong choice.
"UK tries to press ahead with controversial plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda" PBS NewsHour 6/15/2022
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SUMMARY: In the United Kingdom, the Conservative Party is facing criticism for its new migration deal with Rwanda. As part of a new resettlement scheme, migrants who arrive illegally on British shores would be flown 4,000 miles away to Rwanda for resettling. Zoe Gardner of the Joint Council for Welfare of Immigrants, an organization among those representing deportees, joins Amna Nawaz to discuss.
"How a sculptor transformed his life’s work after accident" PBS NewsHour 6/14/2022
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SUMMARY: What happens to an artist when one of the very tools he uses -- his hands -- are changed in an instant? Jeffrey Brown visited a sculptor in New York's Hudson Valley, who has had to pivot on how he does his art and the art itself. The story is part of our coverage of the intersection of medicine and arts, and our ongoing arts and culture series, "CANVAS."
IMHO: It's ye old 'I might like it' syndrome.
"Why far-right groups are increasingly targeting the LGBTQ community" PBS NewsHour 6/14/2022
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SUMMARY: There have been several recent incidents where far-right, white supremacist groups have targeted LGBTQ people, including last weekend at a pride event in Idaho and a during a drag story hour at a library in California. J.M. Berger, a writer and researcher who focuses on extremist ideologies and has written four books on the topic, joins William Brangham to discuss.
"Secretary of State Blinken on the war in Ukraine, Biden’s trip to Saudi Arabia and China’s aggression" PBS NewsHour 6/14/2022
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SUMMARY: The challenges for U.S. foreign policy at this fraught moment in history are many, from Russia's invasion of Ukraine and energy production and human rights in the Middle East to competition with China and Iran's nuclear program. All of those issues are being tackled by America's top diplomat at the State Department. Secretary of State Antony Blinken joins Judy Woodruff to discuss in more detail.
"Broadway honors its best at the 75th Tony Awards" PBS NewsHour 6/13/2022
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SUMMARY: Broadway attempted to stage a big comeback during Sunday’s 75th annual Tony Award, with some very familiar works being honored as well as innovations showcasing inclusion. Nicole Ellis has a look for our arts and culture series, "CANVAS."
Do not expect the GOP to allow ANY menaingful action on Gun Control, they are a paid and brain-washed subsiduary of the NRA. #StandAgainstNRA
"Congress moves forward on gun safety legislation with a focus on mental health" PBS NewsHour 6/13/2022
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SUMMARY: After weeks of mounting pressure to see action on guns, lawmakers on Capitol Hill have come to an agreement on a framework for gun legislation. NewsHour's political correspondent Lisa Desjardins has the details.
"‘Teachers are not okay’ after school shootings" PBS NewsHour 6/14/2022
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SUMMARY: Teachers from around the country told our team of producers they have long been frustrated with the larger public response to shootings and school safety and many have been particularly angry about the way this has long played out in Washington [DC] and state capitals. Tragically, the shooting in Uvalde reinforced and exacerbated many of these concerns. Here's what some of them had to say.
"What the nation’s largest teachers union thinks about gun violence in schools" PBS NewsHour 6/14/2022
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SUMMARY: If Congress approves a bipartisan agreement on guns and school safety, it would provide new resources to try and prevent shootings like the massacre in Uvalde. That would likely mean new money for mental health care, violence prevention and training for educators. But many educators want to see more action. Becky Pringle, National Education Association president, joins Stephanie Sy to discuss.
"Testimony of Trump aides sheds light on former president’s false voter fraud claims" PBS NewsHour 6/13/2022
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SUMMARY: For nearly a year, the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol has worked mostly behind closed doors, gathering more than 140,000 documents and talking to more than 1,000 witnesses. On Monday, the committee shared new details from some of former President Trump's inner circle about the spread of the false narrative that the 2020 election was stolen. Amna Nawaz reports.
"What stands out from Day 2 of Jan. 6 committee hearings" PBS NewsHour 6/13/2022
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SUMMARY: With the second day of Jan. 6 committee hearings complete, we get two perspectives on the day's events. Ben Ginsberg one of Monday's witnesses and a longtime Republican elections attorney who has worked with the RNC and multiple presidential campaigns, and Cynthia Miller-Idriss who runs American University's Polarization and Extremism Research Innovation Lab, join Judy Woodruff to discuss.
"Jan. 6 committee examines how Trump pressured Pence to overturn the 2020 election" PBS NewsHour 6/16/2022
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SUMMARY: The Jan. 6 committee held its third public hearing Thursday afternoon. The focus was on the role of former Vice President Mike Pence during the counting of the Electoral College votes, and public and private efforts led by former President Trump and his allies to pressure Pence to throw out the results. NewsHour's Lisa Desjardins and Laura Barrón-López join Judy Woodruff to discuss.
"Rep. Adam Schiff on Trump’s role in the Capitol insurrection, Ginni Thomas testimony" PBS NewsHour 6/16/2022
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SUMMARY: The select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol on Thursday spelled out how former President Trump repeatedly pushed Vice President Mike Pence to overturn the 2020 election. Rep. Adam Schiff of California, who is one of seven Democrats on the committee investigating the insurrection, joins Judy Woodruff to discuss.
"What we learned on Day 3 of the Jan. 6 committee hearings" PBS NewsHour 6/16/2022
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SUMMARY: The Jan. 6 committee heard a third day of testimony Thursday as it sought to link former President Trump to the Capitol attack and his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. Garrett Graff author of "Watergate: A New History," and Ned Foley who directs Ohio State University's election law program, join Judy Woodruff to discuss.
"Markets plunge amid fears of sharply higher interest rates" PBS NewsHour 6/13/2022
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SUMMARY: Wall Street has gone into meltdown mode over inflation fears and the possibility that higher interest rates are imminent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, NASDAQ and the S&P 500 all fell significantly. It is now officially a bear market, down more than 20 percent from its January high. Julia Coronado, MacroPolicy Perspectives president and former Fed economist, joins Judy Woodruff to discuss.
"Federal Reserve implements highest interest rate hike in decades to combat inflation" PBS NewsHour 6/15/2022
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SUMMARY: The Federal Reserve on Wednesday ramped up its efforts to fight inflation with a notable interest rate hike. Officials voted to raise rates by three-quarters of a point, a jump higher than expected just a week ago. Fed chair Jerome Powell acknowledged the ongoing rate hikes might slow growth later this year, as the Fed projected unemployment would rise to 4 percent by 2024. Paul Solman reports.
