PBS News Hour

JUDY WOODRUFF

Good evening. I'm Judy Woodruff. On the "NewsHour"

tonight

tensions rising. Clashes turn deadly, as Israel conducts airstrikes in Gaza and Palestinian militants fire rockets following weeks of tension in Jerusalem.

Then

getting the vaccine. We discuss the nationwide rollout of shots with the Republican governor of a state with one of the lowest inoculation rates in the country. And beating the virus. Australia's success in stamping out COVID offers lessons for other countries yearning for a return to normal life. All that and more on tonight's "PBS NewsHour." (BREAK)

JUDY WOODRUFF

Dozens of rockets launched from Gaza streaked over Israel tonight, with heavy Israeli airstrikes in return, as violence spiraled between Israelis and Palestinians. In a speech this evening, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that militants in Gaza will pay a heavy price. Since last night, 28 people have been killed in Gaza. And, in Israel, three people were killed today. John Yang reports on the day's developments

JOHN YANG

Tonight, a barrage of rockets fired from Gaza into Israel lit up the sky, as the latest cycle of violence between Israel and the Palestinians escalates. Some were intercepted by Israel's air defense system called Iron Dome. Tel Aviv residents ran for shelter as air raid siren sounded through the city. The militant Palestinian group Hamas said the rockets were in response to an earlier Israeli airstrike on a Gaza residential building. Among the dead in another Israeli airstrike this morning, an 11-year-old boy. ABDAL HAMEED HAMAD,

Uncle of Boy Killed (through translator)

Why did they kill him? They kill and there is no one to make them answer for it. The whole world is watching. It doesn't matter if they kill a child or a woman. There is no one to hold them accountable for it.

JOHN YANG

Across the Gaza Strip, others gathered at morgues to search for their loved ones. Israeli rocket fire into Gaza began last night as families broke their fast for the holy month of Ramadan. Israel says it was responding to earlier rockets fired toward Jerusalem from the militant group Hamas. REFAT AL MASRI,

Gaza Resident (through translator)

We were just sitting outside the house waiting to break our fast. Children 8 eight months were killed. Mohammad, who was getting married in five days, was killed. Girls between the ages of 7 to 9 years old died How is this the children's fault? We were just sitting outside the house waiting for the call to prayer.

JOHN YANG

Israeli airstrikes killed more than 25 people, including nine children. The Israeli government says it's targeting Hamas members. Nearby, in the Israeli city of Ashkelon, people huddled near their homes as air raid sirens blared warning of Palestinian rocket attacks. Hamas shot more than 250 rockets toward Israel in the last 24 hours. The group says it initially fired rockets to defend Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque, one of Islam's holiest sites. Today, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue the campaign. BENJAMIN NETANYAHU,

Israeli Prime Minister

We are at the height of a campaign. Since yesterday, the Israeli Defense Forces executed hundreds of attacks on Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Gaza. At the conclusion of a situational assessment, it was decided that both the might of the attacks and the frequency of the attacks will be increased. Hamas will be getting blows it didn't expect.

JOHN YANG

This latest round of violence has been fueled by claims over Jerusalem. Tensions are high in the city because of the potential eviction of six Palestinian families from their Jerusalem homes. Last weekend, Israeli forces injured more than 900 Palestinians in East Jerusalem and more than 200 in the West Bank, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society. Today, the United Nations voiced concern over the escalating violence. RUPERT COLVILLE, Spokesman,

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

Certainly, what we are seeing is extremely worrying, and certainly, when you see the treatment to some of the protesters and even people who weren't protesting, people who were simply praying or people who were having their iftar, who've been subjected to violence or completely unprovoked responses by the security forces.

JOHN YANG

After meeting his Jordanian counterpart today, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel should stop. TONY BLINKEN,

U.S. Secretary of State

Needless to say, we are very focused on the situation in Israel, West Bank, Gaza, very deeply concerned about the rocket attacks that we are seeing now that need to stop, and need to stop immediately. It's imperative that all sides take steps to de-escalate and calm the situation. And, again, I am deeply concerned about the rocket attacks. And, even as all side takes the steps to de-escalate, Israel, of course, has a right to defend its people and its territory.

JOHN YANG

In Bethlehem overnight, protesters threw stones at Israeli police, as Israeli soldiers fired back with tear gas. Across multiple cities in the West Bank and Israel, Palestinians rallied in support of Jerusalem. This evening, the unrest shows no signs of waning, with millions of civilians on both sides caught in between. For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm John Yang.

In the day's other news

U.S. public health leaders pushed to shore up further the number of COVID-19 vaccinations. Infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci told a U.S. Senate hearing that maintaining the pace of vaccinations is key to relaxing restrictions. DR. ANTHONY FAUCI,

Chief Medical Adviser to President Biden

I feel confident that, if we continue to vaccinate people at the rate that we're doing, that we will very soon have a situation where we will have so few infections in this country, we will begin to return to normality that all of us desire so much.

JUDY WOODRUFF

Meanwhile, the White House announced a deal with Uber and Lyft to give free rides to and from inoculation sites until July 4. Undocumented college students will now have access to COVID relief and reversing a Trump era ban. Today's announcement includes so-called dreamers brought to the U.S. as children. At the same time, the number of migrant children in federal custody more than doubled in the past two months. The Associated Press reports 21,000 kids are now being held at more than 200 sites. Federal and state officials moved today to head off East Coast fuel shortages, as the Colonial Pipeline shutdown continues. A cyberattack closed the line last Friday, and more than 1,000 gas stations in the Southeast have now run dry. In Washington, U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm blamed panic buying. JENNIFER GRANHOLM,

U.S. Energy Secretary

Much as there was no cause for, say, hoarding toilet paper at the beginning of the pandemic, there should be no cause for hoarding gasoline, especially in light of the fact that the pipeline should be substantially operational by the end of this week.

JUDY WOODRUFF

We will take a closer look at this story later in the program. A Russian-speaking ransomware gang is threatening to release confidential data from Washington, D.C.'s police force. The gang says the city has offered them only a small payment. The data includes identities of informants and police disciplinary files. A federal judge in Dallas has rejected the National Rifle Association's bid for bankruptcy protection. The ruling today blocks the gun rights group from reorganizing itself in Texas. The NRA is now incorporated in New York, where a state lawsuit seeks to dissolve it for financial abuses. The man accused of fatally shooting eight people, mostly of Asian descent, at massage businesses around Atlanta was indicted today on murder charges. Robert Aaron Long will also face counts of hate crimes and a possible death penalty. Also in Georgia, three men accused of chasing down and killing Ahmaud Arbery last year pled not guilty to federal hate crimes charges. They're already accused of murder. In Russia, a gunman attacked a school today, killing seven students, a teacher and another employee. It happened in the city of Kazan, east of Moscow, in the Tatarstan Republic. At least 21 people were wounded, most of them children. The regional governor said that the 19-year-old suspect was arrested. GOV. RUSTAM MINNIKHANOV, Tatarstan Republic,

Russia (through translator)

First of all, it's a huge disaster. We lost seven children, eighth grade students. Obviously, any help required will be provided to the school and to the families. This is a huge tragedy today for the whole republic, for our country.

JUDY WOODRUFF

This was the deadliest school shooting in Russia since a college student killed 20 people in Crimea in 2018. There's word that President Biden will nominate former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel to be ambassador to Japan. The "NewsHour" confirmed it today. An announcement is expected later this month. The president announced today that one million Americans have signed up for health insurance under Obamacare during a special enrollment period. He reopened the online marketplace in February for six months. New enrollees also receive larger subsidies than before. In economic news, U.S. employers posted a record 8.1 million job openings in March. That's the most in 20 years. But inflation worries weighed on Wall Street today. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 473 points to close at 34269. The Nasdaq fell 12 points. The S&P 500 slipped 36. And horse trainer Bob Baffert now says a skin ointment may have caused his Kentucky Derby winner to fail a drug test. Medina Spirit could be stripped of the victory over trace amounts of a banned steroid. However, today, he was installed as the early favorite in Saturday's Preakness, subject to additional testing. Still to come on the "NewsHour": we discuss vaccinations with the Republican governor of a state with one of the lowest rates in the country; the ransomware attack on a major fuel pipeline causes a surge in fuel prices; the Senate begins deliberation on a critical and contentious voting rights bill; and much more. Today, President Biden met with a bipartisan group of governors to discuss vaccination efforts, as the administration aims to vaccinate a majority of American adults by July the 4th. Governor Spencer Cox, Republican of Utah, attended today's meeting. Governor Cox, thank you very much for joining us. We do see that your state of Utah is near the bottom of the list when it comes to proportion of the population that has been vaccinated. We're interested to know why that is. And what are people telling you about why they don't have the vaccine?

GOV. SPENCER COX (R-UT)

Well, sure, Judy. Unfortunately, that is just not good reporting. It's -- you know that all Utahans are not eligible for the vaccine, and all Americans aren't eligible for the vaccine. Utah is the youngest state in the nation. And so that's why, because people under the age of 16 can't get the vaccine yet. That's why we're at the lowest. But that's -- you should be looking at the eligible population. And when it comes to eligible population, we're actually doing very well. We're close to 70 percent -- or - excuse me -- close to 60 percent of our adult population has -- that is eligible has already received the first dose of the vaccine. And so Utah is doing very well. We have been top 10 almost the entire time through vaccinations of the number of vaccines assigned to the state that have actually been administered. That's the one that counts, because those vaccines are assigned proportionally to the state based on adults and those that are eligible to receive the vaccine.

JUDY WOODRUFF

And what are people saying in your state? You said you have had survey teams out talking to people to understand what their thinking is. What are people saying about why they're not getting it?

GOV. SPENCER COX

Just like every state, we're hearing lots of different things. I mean, we tend to lump everyone into the vaccine hesitancy. And that's not true. We have many different groups. We have the vaccine ecstatic, the vaccine excited, the people who couldn't wait to get their vaccine. And then, of course, we have those that won't get the vaccine, just don't believe in it. But there's a whole bunch of people who are just -- who are vaccine curious or vaccine busy. They have got a lot going on in their lives. And it tends to be the younger population, and for good reason. What we do know about this virus is that it impacts people more the older they are. So, for example, our rates of those over the age of 65 who have received the first dose or fully vaccinated are above the national average. People who are elderly have really, really wanted this. For younger people who weren't as impacted, they're a little more hesitant, when it's convenient. Their work hours don't align within when vaccine clinics have been open. And so what we're focusing on now is getting those vaccines out to people where they live, taking away any excuses, making it abundantly available, so that people can just walk in at any time when they're off from work, and especially reaching out to younger people. The announcement today that Uber and Lyft will give free rides to anybody to a vaccine clinic, that's going to help with a younger generation who maybe has some transportation issues. And, again, we're just trying to make it more convenient to get those people in the middle who've just been busy and not gotten around to it, but have said they're willing to get it when it's their turn.

JUDY WOODRUFF

Do you know what percentage of the eligible population is saying, I just don't want the vaccine ever? We know that, a few weeks ago, you had a -- what, a giant -- an image of a giant syringe that was set on fire, some people who feel strongly about it.

GOV. SPENCER COX

Sure. And that's true across the nation. But it's not a huge amount, I mean 10 to 15 percent, somewhere in there of people who just refuse to get the vaccine. But what we know is -- and, again, the president, his goal is to get to 70 percent by the Fourth of July. We think that's a very reasonable goal.

JUDY WOODRUFF

Governor, I want to ask you about a different subject. And that is your budget and a budget surplus, because we know that thanks to, I guess, the federal government's Rescue Plan last year, this year, Utah is one of the states that has received more money than you had planned to spend. Is that a good thing, or not?

GOV. SPENCER COX

Well, it's a good thing, in that we have managed our way through this pandemic in such a way that we do have these record surpluses. And so, again, Utah has the lowest unemployment rate in the nation at 2.9 percent. We're one of only two states that have seen positive job growth over the past year. So, our economy has done very well. So I think that's good news. It's bad news, in that I do think that there is -- that we're -- we are spending too much federal money. We have never seen this type of spending before. And we're definitely worried about the consequences, some of which we're starting to see already.

JUDY WOODRUFF

Well, speaking of federal money, we know the Congress is now debating infrastructure as part of one of President Biden's proposals. I'm sure you have talked to folks in Washington about it. At this point, are you somewhere in between? The administration is proposing $2.3 trillion for that package. Republicans are proposing a much pared -- a more pared-down version of that at about $500 billion. Are you -- where are you? Which one are you closer to?

GOV. SPENCER COX

Well, certainly closer to the $500 to $800 billion mark. Look, infrastructure is the one thing that isn't that controversial, that both Republicans and Democrats, by the way, for many, many years, and many, many administrations, have agreed on, going back to the Bush administration, the Obama administration, the Trump administration. We kept hearing about this bipartisan opportunity for infrastructure, roads and bridges. The report card that came out a couple weeks ago, the good news is, Utah was the best state in the nation under that report card for these types of infrastructure. The bad news is that our grade was a C-plus. That's how bad the infrastructure has gotten over time in our country. And so I do think that there is bipartisan agreement on water projects, bridges and roads. But when you start to expand beyond that, that's where we lose that bipartisanship.

JUDY WOODRUFF

I want to ask you also finally, Governor, about your party, the Republican Party. As you know, there's a vote in Congress tomorrow among House Republicans over ousting the conference chair, Wyoming's Congresswoman Liz Cheney, and replacing her with a New York congresswoman, Elise Stefanik. It has to do with Congresswoman Cheney criticizing President Trump and disagreeing with him and saying -- former President Trump -- and saying the election was won by Joe Biden, there was not fraud in the election. Is it the right thing for the -- your party to be punishing its leadership for a statement such as what Liz Cheney has made?

GOV. SPENCER COX

Well, there's no question that we have seen some fairly large divides in the Republican Party. And it's something that I'm very sad about, that I hate to see. We're trying to do things different in Utah. We're trying to show a better way. As I'm sure you saw, there was a -- there was some people that were upset with the Senator Romney for similar reasons. There was a censure vote that was taken. That censure vote failed. And we like to say that there's room in the party in Utah for both Senator Mitt Romney and Senator Mike Lee. and I think that's important for the future of the party. If we divide ourselves, then the opportunities for future success -- and, by the way, we lose future voters and future generations of voters. And so we're working hard in my administration - - in my administration to show that there's a better way and trying to bring Republicans together and enlarge the tent, instead of making it smaller.

JUDY WOODRUFF

And you're right. The censure vote against Senator Romney failed. But there was significant booing of him. You even had some boos directed at you at that state Republican gathering. Is the message that Republicans either line up behind President Trump or not, though? Is that -- I guess my question is, is that a good message for the party's future?

GOV. SPENCER COX

Well, I guess -- I guess we will see. I have been wrong about the party's future in the past. I was wrong in 2016. And so I don't know. I don't think it's healthy for a party that divides itself that way. And so the future remains to be written, but we're certainly hoping we can grow the party, at least here in our state of Utah.

JUDY WOODRUFF

We will leave it there. Governor Spencer Cox of Utah, thank you very much. We appreciate it.

GOV. SPENCER COX

It's great to be with you. Thank you.

JUDY WOODRUFF

The Biden administration says that it is trying to help mitigate the impact of fuel shortages and supply issues after a cyberattack disrupted the Colonial Pipeline. The pipeline, which supplies to 45 percent of the Southeast, is still shut down five days later. We're going to look at this story in two parts tonight, the impact on gasoline and questions about who's behind it. Amna Nawaz begins with a look at concerns over supply, demand and prices.

AMNA NAWAZ

Judy, a number of gas stations in the South are running out of fuel as drivers rush out to fill up their tanks. Videos of long lines and reports of shortages are popping up in states served by the Colonial Pipeline, and prices at the pump are rising a bit as well. Officials, including Governor Kay Ivey of Alabama, are urging consumers to only buy what they need. To understand more about what's happening, we turn to Tom Kloza, head of energy analysis at the Oil Price Information Service. Tom Kloza, welcome to the "NewsHour." Let's start with this Colonial Pipeline. Just to set the table, what is the significance of this one pipeline when it comes to fuel supply here in the U.S.? TOM KLOZA,

Oil Price Information Service

Well, it is the biggest fuel pipeline, by far, in North America. And it moves product probably about 45 percent of the population essentially from Texas all the way up to New Jersey, and including Tennessee with a spur line. So, it is the major artery to supply gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel.

AMNA NAWAZ

So let's get to some of these videos and the reports that people have been seeing, shortages and outages in a number of Southern states, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia, where just today the governor declared a state of emergency. What is going on here? Are there actual fuel shortages, or is it panic buying?

TOM KLOZA

I would say it is mostly panic buying. And I hesitate to use the word shortage, because, usually, that is like yelling fire in a crowded theater. It is a scramble. But there is plenty of gasoline and there's plenty of oil in North America and in the United States. And we have got extra refining capacity, and we're going to be able to import fuel. But this is kind of the coalescing of social media and the fear of missing out on gasoline. They say we're going to run out. And you're seeing that behavior. And the crowd is not making necessarily a wise decision.

AMNA NAWAZ

Well, Tom, you say there's no real shortage. But, at the same time some states have said, we have had a slight 4 or 5 or 6 percent decrease in supply. So what should we understand about that?

TOM KLOZA

Well, we operate on very much a just-in-time inventory situation throughout the country. But there were about 26 or 27 days' supply before Colonial shut down. It is vital. It's a vital artery. But the panic buying, in the sense that, oh, it's not going to be around or my station is going to run out, have really, really catalyzed what would have been an annoyance or an inconvenience into sort of a crisis in some places.

AMNA NAWAZ

At the same time, a lot of folks are seeing some federal leaders stepping up and paying attention to this. We saw the energy secretary today, the homeland security secretary address this from the White House podium. The EPA issued a fuel waiver, that state of emergency I mentioned from the Virginia governor. That sometimes makes people worry more. And they think maybe this is going to be a bigger problem, a prolonged shutdown. What would you say to those folks?

TOM KLOZA

I would say government has acted fairly responsibly so far. And I think this is going to clear up if the pipeline gets going by the weekend, as they have indicated. The question is the term they expect to be significantly restored by the weekend. Well, is that by Sunday? Is it by Friday? And restoration, is that 80 percent, 50 or 60 percent? So that uncertainty is -- has hurt.

AMNA NAWAZ

Tom, what about the impact on gas prices? What are we seeing there?

TOM KLOZA

You know, this is not much of a gasoline pricing event. On Sunday night, the markets opened up about 6 cents higher in gasoline futures, but they have moved sideways since then. And when you mentioned state -- states of emergency, it becomes very difficult to raise gasoline prices when you have a state of emergency in various areas. You have to prove that your wholesale price has gone up.

AMNA NAWAZ

Tom, very briefly, if you had a message for consumers out there who see the videos of long lines, are worried that they may not get the fuel they need, what would you say?

TOM KLOZA

Well, I have already failed in this message. I wanted to be the gasoline whisperer and tell people to stay calm, be patient. But it was a little bit like telling people to do that when they thought there were going to be toilet paper shortages last winter. And people have this fear, and they see the crowd behavior. And they say, well, if everybody else is buying it, I better buy some for me. And that has really, really snowballed in the last 48 hours or so.

AMNA NAWAZ

We hope that people will listen today. That is Tom Kloza of the Oil Price Information Service joining us tonight. Thanks for your time.

TOM KLOZA

Thank you.

JUDY WOODRUFF

This one ransomware attack showed the vulnerability of key parts of America's critical infrastructure, and how hostile actors can exploit those weaknesses. William Brangham looks at what role, if any, the Russian government might have played in this hack and what else might be on the horizon.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM

While this cyberattack was claimed by the Russian hacking group known as DarkSide, the Biden administration yesterday strongly hinted that the Russian government, perhaps through its notorious spy agency, the GRU, might've also been involved. Michael Weiss is an investigative reporter who's writing a book about the GRU. And, Michael Weiss, great to have you back on the "NewsHour." So, with regards to this ransomware attack, the Biden administration, as I mentioned, strongly implied that the Russian government must have known about this in some way. What is your sense about that? MICHAEL WEISS, Editor at Large,

The Daily Beast

Well, according to the cybersecurity experts I queried, they believe this was a criminal apparatus, but there is an asterisk when you say something like that with respect to Russia. It is true that the FSB -- that is the domestic security agency of the Russian government - has often outsourced its hacking operations to various criminal rogue elements, not only in the Russian Federation territory itself, but in other countries. They have created this environment, this permissive environment, which has allowed these cyber-operators to proliferate. I find it very hard to believe that Russia's counterintelligence or their intelligence services haven't figured out who the actors were. And if they had given them a kind of by your leave, as it were, to go after targets in the West, but to do so with this veil of plausible deniability, that wouldn't surprise me in the least at all. The one thing I will say, though, about attributing this to the GRU is that the GRU tends not to outsource, unlike their sister service the FSB. They have their own very proactive cyber-operations capability, dispatching actual operatives physically to countries they look to hack in close access operations. They did famously won in The Hague in 2018 to try and penetrate the OPCW, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, which was compiling evidence to determine the Skripal assassination was indeed a Russian state assassination attempt, among other things.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM

So -- and, according to Politico, the Biden administration now seems to believe that the GRU was somehow involved in these directed energy attacks against U.S. officials in Cuba, Europe, even perhaps here in Washington, D.C. Does that seem, again, from your reporting, likely that they were involved in those attacks?

MICHAEL WEISS

Yes, I mean, one of the victims of this directed energy attack is Marc Polymeropoulos. He was the former head of European operations at CIA. And he was hit with this thing in Moscow. It's very unlikely they didn't know that he was an American intelligence officer when he was stationed there under diplomatic cover or whatever. The GRU exists for one purpose, and one purpose only, to prepare Russia for war with the West. So, if you're using any kind of kinetic, or I guess, in this case, electronic or microwave technology to attack American servicemen or American spies under cover in foreign postings, it only stands to reason that it would be the GRU that was wielding these devices.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM

So, you touched on some of these other instances where it does seem pretty clear that GRU fingerprints all over them. What is your broader sense? You touched on this as well, though. What does the GRU, and, through it, the Russian government want with all of these actions? What's the goal here?

MICHAEL WEISS

Well, I mean, fundamentally, undermine Western interests, try and divide Western countries between and amongst each other, particularly within the European Union and NATO. The most high-profile, headline operations that have been disclosed in the last month have occurred in the Czech Republic and Bulgaria, and these are old operations, one seven-year-old ammunitions depot blown up by GRU operatives, including, by the way, the two assassins who tried to murder Skripal just a few years later. Using the same cover identities, they smuggled themselves into the Czech Republic. And another series of operations in Bulgaria, where they had attempted to poison with Novichok an Bulgarian arms dealer by the name of Emilian Gebrev. I have interviewed him for my book, and he recounted in agonizing detail the ordeal he had to suffer. These guys exist to do two things, undermine Western governments through kinetic, frankly, terroristic activities -- I mean, setting things alight, blowing things up on NATO soil is -- meets the definition of state terrorism - - and murder. These guys are mean. They are very, very hyperactive. And here's the scary part. We only know a quarter, at most, probably less, a fraction, really, of what they have got up to, based on their travel plans, their itinerary, right? So, by no means is this -- this is only the tip of the iceberg.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM

All right, Michael Weiss, editor at large at The Daily Beast, always good to have you. Thank you.

MICHAEL WEISS

My pleasure.

JUDY WOODRUFF

It is a crucial moment for one of the most closely watched bills working its way through the U.S. Congress. The For the People Act is Democrats' voting rights and campaign reform measure. Already passed by the House, today, it met a critical and high-powered Senate committee test. Lisa Desjardins reports.

LISA DESJARDINS

Usually uneventful...

SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MN)

I call this meeting to order.

LISA DESJARDINS

... today, the Senate Rules Committee was the hub of the highest-stakes political fight over voting itself and whether to expand voting access in all 50 states with more early voting, absentees and mail voting, or to restrict those ideas out of concern for fraud. Democrats are pushing a bill, the For the People Act, to rewrite many aspects of elections, this as 11 states have passed new laws of varying degrees that tighten ballot scrutiny and decrease voting access, some shortening timelines for early or absentee voting, some stepping up voter I.D. requirements. A 12th state, Texas, is debating a new voting law this week. Democrats see oppression.

SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR

These bills that are moving in state capitols across America are not empty threats. They are real efforts to stop people from voting.

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY)

Don't tell us these laws are about voter fraud. You are more likely in America to be struck by lightning than commit voter fraud.

LISA DESJARDINS

Rare testimony from Democratic Senate Leader Chuck Schumer, followed by equally rare committee rebuttal by Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell.

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY)

This legislation would let Washington Democrats dictate the terms of their own reelection races by rewriting all 50 states' election law. Let's call it what it is. Put aside the flowery language. This is a partisan effort to take over how you do, how you conduct elections in our country.

LISA DESJARDINS

A clear picture that both parties see this as a fight over power and who determines it. House Democrats passed the For the People Act and sent it to the Senate in March. It requires two weeks of early voting in all states. It also tackles campaign law, requiring far more donor disclosure, and opens up public financing of campaigns. Republicans particularly dislike that it allows for absentee ballot collection, which they call harvesting, in all states, but that was not the only sharp topic.

SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX)

I believe it is the intent of this bill to register to vote millions of illegal aliens for the purpose of diluting the vote of American citizens.

LISA DESJARDINS

Senator Ted Cruz raised a claim echoed in conservative media, that the bill is itself an attempt at voter fraud. Democrats pushed back forcefully, but simply, by asking for evidence.

SEN. JEFF MERKLEY (D-OR)

Do you have any studies you want to present for the record that document extensive mistakes being made?

SEN. JON OSSOFF (D-GA)

I'd like to again offer you the opportunity, in good faith, Senator Cruz, to present any evidence for the record to this committee that in any of these states where this policy exists, there's any widespread registration or voting by people who should not be eligible to vote.

LISA DESJARDINS

But there was also real civil engagement, like over the Federal Election Commission, split evenly between the parties now. Democrats say it is paralyzed.

SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR

Right, now we have a dysfunctional Federal Election Commission. Everyone knows that.

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL

You're assuming that because, frequently, the FEC differs, that, somehow, it's dysfunctional.

LISA DESJARDINS

Or even over the big topic here, the reality or not of voter fraud.

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL

In my state in 2014, we had three people convicted of vote buying and fraudulent use of absentee ballots, since 2010, 16 convicted of vote buying. I just want to make the point that, when we are talking about fraud, it is not the fact that this is a nonexistent problem.

SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR

To respond to that, we know how exceedingly rare this fraud is. And I do not think that that excuse of fraud should be used to make it hard for everyone else to vote.

JUDY WOODRUFF

And Lisa joins me now. So, Lisa, this hearing has been going on since this morning, going on all day. Tell us where this measure stands in the committee and in the Senate overall.

LISA DESJARDINS

Our team has been watching this closely, and I have been talking to my sources in and out of the committee room. Here is the situation with this very important debate happening. With this bill, Judy, Democrats have two problems. One is Republicans. So far, there is not a single Republican expressing even any warmth to what they see in this bill so far. The other problem is a single Democrat; 49 Senate Democrats can signed on to this bill. The one who has not, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, a name we talk about a lot on this show. Now, Manchin has not said he is against the bill. Democrats do need him to sign on, though, in order for this to move forward, because here is what is going on. Usually, in the committee process, committees can move bills that the majority favors Democrats. But here's a strange situation. Senate Rules Committee is -- has nine members who are Republican and nine who are Democrats. We expect within minutes, when the final vote is taken today by this committee, that this vote will be a tie, 9-9. And, therefore, the bill technically won't be able to move forward. Democrats will have to move around that and move it to the floor using special rules that they issued during this 50/50 Senate. But, to do that, they need every Democratic senator to get on board. So we're seeing negotiations behind the scenes with Joe Manchin, who has some concerns about what this means for states. And, in fact, Democrats now in the Senate are changing this bill to give states more flexibility. Rural states have different needs than states with less -- fewer rural areas. So I think we're going to see this bill change a little bit, a lot of negotiations with Manchin and others. Democrats still would like to get some Republicans on board. Republicans like some aspects of this bill, but not many. And Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leader, Judy, has said he will have a vote on this bill this year. So, even if he doesn't have the votes, we will see where everyone on the Senate stands on this important issue. We don't know when yet. We know he'd like to do it before September. We will see.

JUDY WOODRUFF

No question about it, important bill, so many people watching this. Lisa, it has enormous consequences. And if there are changes in the Senate, of course, then it has to go back to the House, but -- so, still a lot to be determined. Lisa Desjardins watching it all day long for us and into the night. Thank you, Lisa. Australia is one of the most successful countries in the world at keeping COVID in check. It combined strict lockdowns with consistent messages from scientists and politicians. While the daily average number of COVID cases in the U.S. over the last week was 39,000, Australia's was 13, not thousand, just 13, despite low vaccination rates. Here is Nick Schifrin.

NICK SCHIFRIN

On a recent evening in Melbourne, drinks with friends provide the taste of freedom. ANNA BAILEY,

Student

Sometimes, you kind of forget that there's a pandemic still going on. Many of us are leading normal lives.

NICK SCHIFRIN

Graduate student Anna Bailey and people across Melbourne are enjoying the normality of zero, zero local transmission of COVID-19 in the city and the surrounding state of Victoria and, across the country, almost zero community transmission. Everywhere they go, they check in electronically for contact tracing and to keep the city safe.

ANNA BAILEY

Theater is back in person. So I have gone to, like, a couple of plays, which has been really good. Pubs and galleries and all that life is starting to come back to life. And that's that's so nice to see. DR. SHARON LEWIN,

University of Melbourne

God, it felt good to be in live performance and sort of a normal life.

NICK SCHIFRIN

Sharon Lewin is head of the University of Melbourne's Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, the first lab outside of China to grow the COVID-19 virus. She's also a music fan, and recently attended the Adelaide Festival, with more than 160,000 fans.

DR. SHARON LEWIN

There were thousands of people on the street at night, eating, going out, completely COVID-safe.

NICK SCHIFRIN

Today, COVID-safe means Melbourne's key commuter hub, Flinders Street Station, is buzzing and full of passengers. Australia kept COVID in check, thanks to consistent messaging across Australia's federal and state governments and across political parties. Lewin has met with Prime Minister Morrison from the Liberal Party, and helped advise Victoria state's top officials from the Labor Party.

DR. SHARON LEWIN

I actually really credit political leadership. Our premier, which is equivalent to your governors, came out in front of a press conference every single day for 111 days straight and just continued to reinforce the same message.

NICK SCHIFRIN

Victoria State Premier Daniel Andrews last June. DANIEL ANDREWS, Premier of Victoria,

Australia

We have always followed the advice of our public health experts

NICK SCHIFRIN

And this February.

DANIEL ANDREWS

All of our experts advise us this is what must be done, and that it will be effective.

NICK SCHIFRIN

The consistent messaging, backed up by science, strengthened public support for the government's health measures. In March 2020, Australia closed its international borders. Much of the country was under some form of lockdown for about two months. When Melbourne reopened in June, it became the epicenter of Australia's second wave. In response, the state imposed one of the world's strictest and longest lockdowns, 111 days. For most of that time,

people were only allowed out of the house between 5

00 a.m.

and 8

00 p.m. for caregiving, essential work, exercise for one hour, and one person per household could shop for food or medical supplies. Mask-wearing was mandatory. Violators faced heavy fines.

ANNA BAILEY

The police could ask you for paperwork for proof of, like, where you were living. It was so restricted and heavily controlled. And, at times, it was really scary. Like, you would be out for a walk, and even though you are doing nothing wrong, if you would see a policeman, you kind of have, like, this fear that jumps into you.

DR. SHARON LEWIN

The government held fast. It was this sort of relentless fronting up and leadership confidence in the science, and essentially not budging. DUY HUYNH, CEO,

Ba'get

During lockdown, the city was just a standstill. There was tumbleweeds on Flinders Street Station. It was quiet.

NICK SCHIFRIN

Duy Huynh is the CEO of the Melbourne Vietnamese street food franchise Ba'get.

DUY HUYNH

From 1,000 transactions a day, we went to 20 transactions a day. It really pushed us to the brink of, what are our financial reserves? Can we afford to keep this going?

NICK SCHIFRIN

Ba'get is a family business. And the sandwiches he helps make are family recipes. His parents are Vietnamese refugees who arrived in Australia when he was 5 years old in 1980.

DUY HUYNH

It comes from that sort of -- that time when my grandma was just trying to live a subsistence life. And from that, we wanted to take those recipes and that food in that form to a broader audience. And that's our impetus for creating Ba'get.

NICK SCHIFRIN

To try and save local businesses, the federal government created the JobKeeper program to subsidize employees' salaries. Ba'get held on for a while, but eventually had to close three of four locations. This is the only one left. But Huynh says the economic heartache was worth it.

DUY HUYNH

Despite the fact that it's been quite difficult, I really -- I do support lockdowns. And I support the -- I support the science. Whatever short-term financial consequences there are, that's sort of a better outcome to me than to say, hey, it's acceptable that a whole bunch of people die.

NICK SCHIFRIN

The government's response has its critics. It banned even Australian citizens from returning home from India. That's been labeled extreme. Government-run hotel quarantine facilities came under fire after several staff got sick and caused outbreaks. And some groups were left out from federal assistance. Bailey didn't receive the federal help accessible to Australian citizens because she's a British-Canadian student. At the start of the pandemic, she lost her hotel catering job. She received weekly food aid from a nonprofit set up to help temporary visa holders like her.

ANNA BAILEY

Anyone who was kind of like on a study visa or a working holiday visa, they became vulnerable, but they weren't vulnerable at the beginning of this. It's the groups like people seeking asylum and refugees that already had absolutely nothing. They were left with less than nothing.

NICK SCHIFRIN

Some indigenous Australians say they were left out of the initial government response. TEELA REID,

Lawyer

It was different because we really didn't know what the messaging was from governments or what they -- we needed to do in the community.

NICK SCHIFRIN

Teela Reid is an indigenous lawyer based in Sydney. When COVID-19 arrived, she helped her family in the small rural town Gilgandra take matters into their own hands.

TEELA REID

I created a Facebook page, which was the Gilgandra Lockdown page, and it meant inviting my family and friends and the local community in to deliver key messages, like don't go near your auntie or don't go near your grandparents or don't go near your uncle. It was about delivering a consistent message that meant, keep our elders safe.

NICK SCHIFRIN

Her Facebook page and other indigenous-led community health initiatives helped protect Australia's 790,000 indigenous people. No indigenous person has died from COVID-19.

TEELA REID

Our communities needed to respond really rapidly because of the risk of essentially wiping out our people. Messaging traveled with authority when it came from our own communities.

NICK SCHIFRIN

Over time, Australia has continued its aggressive approach. State governments are willing to shut their own borders and impose new restrictions at even the smallest of outbreaks, like the one caused by a bachelorette party recently in the beach town Byron Bay.

DR. SHARON LEWIN

One person had been infected at the next table to where they had had their dinner. One community transmission in Byron, Bluesfest canceled, lots of the restaurants closed, mandatory mask-wearing, which we saw everywhere.

NICK SCHIFRIN

One person does not seem all that threatening sitting here in the United States, where we still have tens of thousands of people getting infected every day.

DR. SHARON LEWIN

In a country that has effectively eliminated COVID, to stop it spreading, you have to act early and aggressively. So, it's a combination, strong political leadership, science informing policy, closing our borders, community engagement and empowerment, really. And here we are.

NICK SCHIFRIN

Most Australians are still awaiting a vaccine. But even without one, Anna Bailey and her friends can celebrate her new job and raise a glass to freedom. For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Nick Schifrin.

JUDY WOODRUFF

Finally tonight, a pianist who found a way to bring her music to the world and music education to her remote island home. Jeffrey Brown tells the story of her unusual journey and her new album, as part of our ongoing arts and culture series, Canvas.

JEFFREY BROWN

Called Rapa Nui in the Polynesian language, Easter Island sits in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean, more than 2,000 miles off the coast of Chile. It's home to about 7,000 residents and some of the world's most stunning scenery, including about 1,000 giant statues known as moai. It's also home to 38 year-old Mahani Teave. Teave recorded this version of Chopin's Scherzo No. 1 in B Minor for her debut album, "Rapa Nui Odyssey." And in March, the album climbed to the top of Billboard's classical charts, a remarkable development for a woman who grew up on one of the most remote spots on the globe. MAHANI TEAVE,

Musician

As a child, I never felt isolated. In fact, in the beginning, I thought this was the whole planet.

JEFFREY BROWN

But she told me from near her home on Rapa Nui there was a big problem.

MAHANI TEAVE

It was difficult to have dreams of some kind and want to pursue some artistic talent, for example, and not have the possibilities. Like, people would come for a year and teach something, ballet or theater or something else. And then they would leave.

JEFFREY BROWN

Pianos were almost nonexistent on the island. Teave's introduction came from a visiting teacher. She fell in love with the sound, and her talent was soon recognized, but then another barrier. To really advance she'd have to leave her island home. A Chilean music conservatory came first, then top-flight training in Cleveland, followed by Berlin. By her 20s, Teave had earned a spot on the international concert stage and was on the cusp of a promising career.

MAHANI TEAVE

I never imagined myself going - - performing every other day in a different place. That was never my goal. My goal always was -- when I was with these amazing teachers, was to find the maximum beauty I could find in these pieces.

JEFFREY BROWN

But nearly 10 years ago, she walked away and returned home to create something she never had growing up, a music school on Easter Island. Did you feel a -- almost a responsibility, like you're the only one who could do this?

MAHANI TEAVE

Everybody who's here loves being here, and everybody who's far away dreams of someday coming back and will someday come back. And I felt that nobody else would understand maybe or would be able to do this, because I had been the one that had had the chance to study the music. I had had the chance to go abroad and be with amazing teachers and listen to incredible musicians. I felt in a way then it's just what I had to do.

JEFFREY BROWN

We first met Teave in 2018 at the school she helped create called the Toki School of Music. We were on the island as part of our reporting on the rise of plastic pollution around the globe. The school represents another of her concerns, for the environment. It was partially constructed out of thousands of cans and bottles and other waste left behind from the more than 100,000 tourists who normally visit the island every year. There's also been an influx of garbage steadily washing ashore in recent years.

MAHANI TEAVE

All the currents in the Pacific come to this vortex in which Rapa Nui is in the middle. So, we receive the garbage from China, from New Zealand, from Chile, from the United States, from everywhere. So, at least, in Toki, we feel that, if we can contribute to offering solutions to the different problems that we're facing as a civilization, then maybe we can inspire other places as well.

JEFFREY BROWN

More than 100 students train at the school, receiving lessons in both classical and traditional Rapa Nui music.

MAHANI TEAVE

Here on the island, we have a very, very strong identity. And that's what's beautiful of the island. And in our school, we want to preserve that as well, that our children learn as much as they can of our culture.

JEFFREY BROWN

I will never forget visiting your school, and even just how hard it was for you -- you wanted to play for us, but how hard it was for you to find an instrument you felt was good enough for our cameras, right?

MAHANI TEAVE

Oh, Jeff, you have no idea the difficulties we have faced. I mean, somehow, our goal was, the music has to continue and we found a way to make it continue.

JEFFREY BROWN

That includes during the pandemic, which has hurt Rapa Nui's economy through the loss of tourism. By chance, though, this became the moment Teave reintroduced herself to the outside world. On a visit to the island three years ago, Seattle-based arts patron David Fulton heard Teave play and convinced her to come to the U.S. to record. Now the album is out. In addition, a new documentary on Amazon tells the story of her life and home. It's called "Song of Rapa Nui."

MAHANI TEAVE

Here on the island, there's an artistic blood in everybody. It just -- I mean, everybody somehow sings and dances and carves and -- or plays an instrument. And there's nothing more natural and more true to the human being than art and music.

JEFFREY BROWN

All of it adding new wonder and beauty to one of the world's most remarkable places. For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Jeffrey Brown.

JUDY WOODRUFF

Such beautiful music and such a beautiful place. And that's the "NewsHour" for tonight. I'm Judy Woodruff. Join us online and again here tomorrow evening. For all of us at the "PBS NewsHour," thank you, please stay safe, and we'll see you soon.