Transcripts For KQED PBS 20240703

United states and it history, dianne feinstein, passes away at the age of 90. She accomplished a result of that was good for the country. She did not think she had all the answers. Several major retailers close stores due to shoplifting. Questions remain over whether the concerns are overblown. Major funding has been provided by the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions and friends. Consumer cellular, how may i help you . This is a pocket dial. I thought i would let you know that with consumer cellular, you get nationwide coverage with no contract. That is kind of our thing. Have a nice day. You do not need vision to do most things in life. I am legally blind and i am responsible for the user interface. Data visualization. If i can see it and understated it quickly, anyone can. It is exciting to be part of a team driving technology forward. I think that is the most rewarding thing. The knight foundation, fostering informed and engaged communities. And with the ongoing support of these individuals and in tuitions institutions. And friends of the newshour. This program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. Welcome. Two major stories from capitol hill tonight. Congress has lost one of its longestserving members, california senator dianne feinstein. A look back at her life and career. But first, a government funding plan has imploded, leaving the country on the cusp of a shutdown. We are tracking the Political Drama and the probable realworld consequences. The temporary funding bill failed earlier today. House republicans just finished a meeting. Where do we stand right now . Right now this storm on the horizon, they failed to pass the temporary spending bill. It failed by quite a lot of tes. 21 republicans jumped ship. Kevin mccarthy has been talking to republican seeing if they can come up with some kind of alternate plan. They have not. He said he would reject the bipartisan plan moving through the senate. Would you sit here and asked me question why dont i surrender and just go with the senate and ignore the problem . Is that the question you would ask . I pledged in taking this job to change washington. Here is why we played that soundbite. He is trying to say that he is standing up for more spending cuts, a tighter fiscal plan. Is the message she is putting out there. We know republicans do not have a plan. Much less one that can get the democratic support needed in the senate. We do not expect any more votes tonight. They are waiting to see what Kevin Mccarthy does next. With the shutdown imminent, lets talk about what it would mean. This is where we are at. We dont like to scare viewers unnecessarily. But lets talk about it. A Government Shutdown is set to begin on sunday. Most federal agencies would feel this shutdown. Essential workers would stay on the job. All others would be furloughed. That puts pay at risk for some 6 million federal workers and contractors. There are some agencies and programs that will continue. Social security and medicare are automatically funded. You will continue to get those benefits. There could be things like if you want to apply for Social Security now, that could be put on hold. Each agency will be affected differently. It will take time. Some paychecks are being given out today. That means in a couple of weeks there could be a missing paycheck if we are still shutdown at that way. We are looking intos into specifics. What would a shutdown mean for them . We are talking about the most vulnerable. Low income mothers and small children. About 7 million americans, women and children, use that program. Shutdowns vary. Each state funds its a little bit differently. Some could lose their benefits as soon we when they go to buy milk and formula, the money might not be there. People could be affected. That is one of the problems of the shutdown. It is confusing and it creates a lot of difficulty. I know you have been looking into another program called meals on wheels. How would that be affected . We spoke to some of the people who are recipients. Here are their concerns. All of that stuff. We get about 20 a month for fresh fruit and vegetables. We use everything. If we lose those benefits, we will beat less fresh food. A serious situation. It is similar for meals on wheels. 2. 2 million seniors around the country use that program. About a third of it is federally funded. Because the money is so important, it could impact the meals. Depending on the situation in each locality. We talked to some people. Heres what they had to say. It will be catastrophic. That really reduces the number. We will pay as a country. Older adults will pay with their health. That deadline is midnight on saturday. We are waiting for Kevin Mccarthy to decide what he wants the house to do. We expect some kind of vote tomorrow in the house that we dont know what to pass over there. The senate is expected to vote on something there. Discussions on whether that includes Border Security or not. There seems to be a lot of confusion. I dont see a way out of the shutdown of the moment. He said he will not be paid if the shutdown hits. Thank you. And now to the other mage news major news. Dianne feinstein died in her home in washington dc last night. Hours earlier she cast her final vote on the senate floor. Raising her hand in favor of a shortterm spending bill to avoid the shutdown. I want to thank everybody up here. She was the oldest sitting senator. Dianne feinstein was elected to the chamber to represent california back in 1992. She was breaking gender barriers long before coming to capitol hill. She became the first female mayor of San Francisco after a double assassination at city hall in 1978. She let the city out of a particularly turbulent time after the mayor and supervisor were gunned down by a fellow politician. They have both been shot and killed. Her calm and compassion help guide the Gay Community through the aids epidemic that ravaged the city in the 1980s. In 1992, she won her seat in the u. S. Senate, along with barbara boxer. They were the first women to represent california in the upper chamber. It was hailed as the year of the woman after a new wave of women were elected. She became a passionate advocate for a wide range of issue, from reproductive rights to gun control. We have seen it at universities, elementary schools, and now seen them used against firstgraders. The time has come to step up and ban these weapons. Some of her greatest achievements came early in her career. And assault weapons man she champion that bill clinton signed into law in 1994. She also gained a reputation for reaching across the aisle to find compromise with republicans rated sometimes drawing scrutiny from liberals in her own party. She was the first woman to serve as the ranking democrat on the judiciary committee. She would oversee a string of Supreme Court nominations. Including the one for brett kavanaugh. This behavior revealed a hostility and belligerence that is unbecoming of someone seeking to be elevated to the united states. Work Supreme Court. She was also the first woman to head the intelligence committee. They conducted a five year investigation into cia interrogation techniques during the bush administration. Even if one were to set aside even the moral arguments, we need a determination of the records. It did not produce vital, unavailable intelligence. In her final years, she became more visibly frail and can, triggering calls for her resignation. Today, President Biden, who served with her in the senate, reflected of her passing. She was a historic figure. A trail blazer for women and a great rent. She made her market everything from National Security to the environment. To protecting civil liberties. Chuck schumer echoed those sentiments. We are comforted in knowing how many mountains she moved. America is a better place because of dianne feinstein. Keeping with senate tradition, her desk was draped with a black cloth and adorned with flowers. She was 90 years old. We turn to someone who knew her well. They were elected to congress on the same day. My condolences on the loss of your friend. There was a private meeting hours before she passed. Tell us about it . How lucky was i that it occurred to me about a day ago that mr. And i wanted to go see her. I arranged to go yesterday afternoon. We sat in her study for an hour. Her little beloved dog was in her lap. She was still in the arena. She knew what she could do for california. Especially appropriations for california. We were talking about votes and her instinct to try to come up with some idea of how to bring the country together. What could be needed more hours before our government might be shutdown customer i was blown away by how beautiful she looked and how much she was in the future. I hugged and kissed her goodbye and her housekeeper took that amazing photo. I expected to see my friend soon. I was shocked as i think the whole country is by the loss of her. Her career was one of many firsts. She was a trail blazer for women in politics. But also in terms of promoting progressive policies. She was behind the first congressional action on global warming. She extended the violence against women act. She authored an assault weapon ban. With ucs or impact . She was fearless. I do not know anyone more fearless than she was on behalf of things she cared about. You could not budge her . The assault weapons man ban is a great example. Even senator joe biden at the time was much more hesitant push ahead with that and she was. She got it done with help in the committee. It passed the senate. I voted for it as a house member in my first term. A very risky vote. In 1994, the democrats lost the majority. Newt gingrich came to power. I was reelected by only 811 votes after a ninemonth ordeal. There was an investigion by the house. Looking back on that, her leadership got me on the team. I think i wouldve supported it anyway. But i never have thought about not following her lead. She was a marvel. Questions about her health and her mental capacity in many ways shadowed her final years in office. Why did she ultimately refused to resign and even of a growing pressure from democrats . I fully understand that. Please show again the photograph of her yesterday standing next to me. She was frail but she was still in the fight. Her view was she was elected by the citizens of california to her fourth term. She was there to be the most advocate for california. And to fight for other things that were important for the country, which she did. Even yesterday she was talking about things she wanted to do in the future. Why should she resign . Was she perfect . No. She would admit that. But her cognitive faculties were there and adequate for the fight for the present and the future. It was her call. This has been pointed out by nancy pelosi. These things were said about a woman that were never set about men in the senate. Who are much more frail than her. I was struck by the fact that both President Biden and Mitch Mcconnell in separate statements said they cherished their friendship with her. We are in this moment where bipartisanship is in short supply. What did she model for other lawmakers . She modeled the fact that she would work with anyone to accomplish a result that was good for the country. She did not think she had all the answers. She thought she would bring her best self enjoys had an excellent staff that would help provide her with material. She was well informed. She would listen and lead. She did it with everybody. I cannot think of anyone in the senate who did not have a fond thought for her. She was a pioneer and a strong leader. Lisa murkowski was another. Patty murray was a beautiful things about her on the senate floor. She did her job every day. She cared about her country. Nancy pelosi has been all over this. Her daughter was an extraordinary support for diane and her last days. I dont know anybody who did not value and learn from associated with her. You mentioned senator collins. So much for your time. United auto workers strike expanded to more plants in the midwest. Union members walked off the job today to join picket lines. The president made the announcement in a video address. Stand up and go on strike. Im calling on you to stand up and go out on strike. Our courageous members of these plants are the next wave of reinforcements in our fight for contracts. The union did not expand the strike to any additional plants. The company made a new effort for pay raises and other issues. Suicide bombers in pakistan killed at least 57 people today. A religious celebration in the southwest was targeted, killing 52 people. The others died in the northwest when a mosque was attacked. Some 500 people had gathered. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. The world court called for also by jean azerbaijan to withdraw troops. There was no site that they would comply. The exodus of Ethnic Armenians neared 100,000. U. N. And red cross Officials Say they are struggling to keep up. They have gone very fast. There is worried that migration to the u. S. Has hit record levels. Data from panama shows 400,000 people made the trip to the jungle region through the end of september. That is almost double the total number of crossings for last year. Officials say children and babies account for nearly half the total. It is six months since a journalist has been jailed in russia, with no end in sight. He is charged with espionage. He has denied it the state Department Says he is being wrong detained wrongfully detained. Mark milley formally ended his tenure today with a strongly worded defense of democracy. He had a rocky relationship with president trump. The president and Vice President joined a farewell tribute in virginia. The general offered this rebuke of mr. Trump. We dont take an oath to an individual. We take an oath to the constitution. The ideas of america that we are willing to die to protect. Air force general Charles Brown will succeed him as the chair of the joint chiefs. Police in las vegas say they have finally scored a breakthrough in the driveby killing of tupac sugar. Shukar. Investigators say the suspect wrote a memoir they gave them evidence. A texas jury has awarded nearly 2. 5 million to an for military victims of toxic burn pits. He was forced to resign as a state trooper. He said he needed accommodation because of lung damage caused by exposure to burn pits in iraq. He founded a group to help other veterans exposed to toxic chemicals. The Supreme Court announced it will consider whether state laws regulating social media platforms violates the counts to jim. They were enacted in texas and florida. The industry argues the laws make it harder to curb extremism and hate speech on wall street, stocks limped into the weekend. The Dow Jones Industrial average lost nearly 159 points. The nasdaq rose 18 points. The s p 500 gave up 11. Still to come, the weeks political headlines. An actor opens a permanent showcase dedicated to chicano art. This is the pbs newshour, from weta studios in washington and from the Walter Cronkite school of journalism at Arizona State university. Target announced that it is planning to close several stores, citing retail theft and organized retail crime. As rising concerns and questions. The retail giant said it would close nine stores in four states next month, including new york, San Francisco, portland, and seattle. They were doing so out of the concern for safety for workers and customers. This discussion that decision comes as other retailers say theft has become a significant problem for their bottom lines. Retailers are locking up more merchandise. There is a notable rise and organized theft. Others point to a disturbing number of smash and grab robberies, including looting in philadelphia early this week. The National Retail Federation Said inventory loss cost retailers about 112 billion. Some industry observers say those figures are not clear. A former walgreens executive acknowledged during an Earnings Call that maybe we cried too much last year when it came to characterizing that theft and stores. These incidents are angering Business Owners and alarming residence residents. It is terribly upsetting. We might have to move out of the city. Those robberies started on tuesday after an earlier protest where charges were dropped after an officer who shot and killed a man during a traffic stop. Philadelphia police say the lootings were not connected to the protest. But some residents took issue, saying anger over the police could not be discounted. Lets stay deeper into this. She covers the Retail Industry for cnbc. Thank you for being with us. You have these major retailers deciding to close stores. Is retail theft getting worse according to the data . The problem is theres really no good data out there. It is a difficult thing to measure. They are not going to break it down by retail crime. The National Retail federation and some of the larger trade associations conduct an annual survey on shrink, which is lost inventory. They just came out with their survey. It is not really conclusive. Shrink overall increased. But what they do is apply the rate of lost inventory to total retail sales. As total retail sales probe, so does that number. So doesnt really tell you much. Are they using theft as a reason to coverup underperformance or mismanagement . But we have learned is that the retailers that are talking about shrink and lost inventory and things like that, they like to blame retail crime. But what my reporting is found as it can often be internal issues that lead these high numbers. Things like employee theft is part of it. Also having poor inventory management. Not knowing where all of your stuff is along the supply chain. Things get lost. Retailers are under a lot of pressure from a host of places. Consumers are not spending as much on suppression area. They are facing pressure from all of these places and they are more likely to talk about the impact. There is no denying the uptake of brazen smash and grab staffs thefts. Power Companies Responding how are Companies Responding . We are all seen the videos. But these are isolated incidents. When you see these on the news every day, you must feel like every retail store is under attack. But the shrink percentage shows how much inventory is being lost as a percentage of sales. It came out of 1. 57 . Every couple he has to plan for loss inventory. It is the cost of doing business. They planned for up to 2. 5 . 1. 57 is considered a healthy loss inventory rate. For brett 3 , we will be having another conversation. They are using economic muscle and owens to pass legislation to lawmakers to get legislation passed of finish line for stricter penalties. Adding to the problem, you have the decriminalization of low law level offenses in some states that is created an opportunity for criminals to exploit the system. There are ways to resell that. How retailers responding . It is easier than ever to retail stolen goods. That is absolutely an issue. To make it easier for Law Enforcement to track down these people who are selling goods, that has already gotten past the finish line. The next one they are looking toward is combating organized retail crime. That touches on the idea of the number that you have to reach for to be a felony offense. You have repeat offenders who will steal small amounts of goods overtime. Those are all misdemeanor defenses. There will not really be strict penalties on that. They are working to get these as offenses. They want to change it to be on an aggregate basis. If used deal 100 here and another there within a 12 month. , you will get charged with a felony. Thank you for helping us make sense of all of this. We appreciate you. Thanks for having me. It has been a hectic week in washington as the country barrels toward a Government Shutdown. We turns the analysis of our guests. Lets start with the shutdown. We are hurtling toward another Government Shutdown. Republicans cannot agree amongst themselves. Could this have been avoided . No. It is not republicans arguing among themselves. It is House Republicans arguing among themselves. It was fascinating to see that clip of the speaker saying do you want me to surrender to the senate . Yes, please. Synod, there is a bipartisan effort at a continuing resolution with republicans and democrats coming together. To put pressure on the speaker to take yes for an answer and keep the government open. This speaker has been in the thrall of the mag minoritya m aga minority. In the last boat they just did, 21 republicans voted it down. We are going to a shutdown that was inevitable. How long will that last . What is speaker mccarthys strategy here . I have trouble seeing how this ends. It seems to be an impossibility. This could go on a long time. I would not sate is inevitable. But to find a fork in the road that led us to the spot, i go back to the 1990s and the gingrich. Newt gingrich. You have the beginning of departing from reality. They actually had a plan. They wanted to cut spending. These guys today have no plan. They are not going to touch taxes or entitlements. It is all makebelieve. It is a lesson that once you start pretending to other people, you end up lying to yourself. I think they firmly believe they are doing something constructive. Theyre just not serious. They have taken flight from reality. We touched on a few of the potential impacts. We talk about shutdowns like it is a political problem but it hits home and peoples communities and lives. Private banks have come out with an estimate to say we could see reduced growth. How are we looking at the potential impact of this . People think of National Parks being closed. I saw bicycle fencing going up around the lincoln memorial. There is a private Facebook Group. It was started by a friend of mine during the 2019 Government Shutdown. The longest Government Shutdown history. It was federal worker is bringing their resources together for information about where to get food, assistance. Some people offering help. Most people looking for help. That Facebook Group now has more than 30,000 members. They have been gaining hundreds of new members a day. Folks like to rip washington. These are real people who live paychecktopaycheck. A lot of those federal workers will get back pay. But a lot of the more contractors who will not get repaid. Economists seem to believe that the economy is Strong Enough right now that a shortterm shutdown will not do much lasting damage. The longer it goes on, the more potential damage it could like. When you look at the stat today, it is different from years past. There are a number of different headwinds. Give the autoworkers still on strike. Give the restarting of federal student loan payments. Our republicans worry that this could critically hurt the economy . They are generally divided on this. It is a mystery mean that we cannot find a strategy or. Gas prices are also shooting up. That really does begin to sound like a lot. There is the psychological effect on how businesses feel comfortable with consumer confidence. We are at that moment. People have been predicting a recession. We have been fortunate enough to avoid it. But we could slip into it. People are really vulnerable. They need support. There is the overarching matter of public trust. The Republican Party used be the party that was the business party. They knew how to run things. That seems like light years away. One of the things that is bound to so distrust is stopping your work in the middle of nothing. Those are psychological things that will cause more people to be even more contemptuous. Of government there three weeks events this week i want you to get a take on. We had the top seven republican candidates participating in the second debate. It did not include donald trump, who held a rally in michigan instead. House republicans held their first public hearing for the impeachment inquiry into President Biden. No new evidence was provided linking them to any impeachable defense. There is a gif i love to use for moments like these. It is a dumpster on fire. That is literally what the Republican Party is. On the other side you have the chairman of the House Oversight Committee Meeting with a sham impeachment inquiry where their own witnesses said there is no evidence here. A debate that i tuned into and turned away from because i did not understand what anyone was saying because they were all talking over each other. What i did here was offensive on so many levels. The leading candidate by 43 points in the most recent poll has four indictments and 91 counts against him. The Republican Party is either aimless when it comes to government or is going down the road to autocracy when it comes to the pez president ial level. That breaks my heart. This country has been run on a twoparty system that requires two strong parties. Now there is only one. I agree with that. It is totally working for them. One of the symptomatic moments this week, the club for growth is a freemarket republican conservative outfit that has been spending millions of dollars to run ads against donald trump. Their own internal document was leaked. They found those ads are doing nothing. Some of them help donald trump. This is his party. More than ever before. He is politically stronger than he has ever been before. We have to think seriously about why is what they are doing working . It should not be. It is not fighting some magic figure who can take on donald trump. It is his party and it is working. That is a scary thing frankly. I wanted to ask each of you view ones assay something brief on the passing of dianne feinstein. An icon in politics and the senate. I learned from the obituaries today what a rough childhood she had. Even up to age 45, her political career looked to be over. But she had resilience. She was very tough person. She was very direct. I really came into my consciousness in 1992 when she was elected. The year of the woman. Part of that vanguard of women in the senate. She was in pivotal moments in our history. The Clarence Thomas hearings. The investigation into torture. She was tough as nails. An excellent senator. Somebody who was a moral rock and a conscience. And she was a centrist. Really willing to talk and compromise. We lost a giant in american government. So many have followed in her footsteps. Our thoughts are with her family and loved ones. Thank you. For many people, cheech marin is a household name. Best known as part of the countercultural duo cheech and chong. He is also an avid collector of chicano art. We visited his museum. On a recent hot september evening in riverside, california, a majority latino city an hour east of los angeles, many families and individuals headed indoors. It was art that brought them. The Cheech Marin Center for chicano art and culture is part of the riverside art museum. Thanks to a partnership between the city, the museum, and cheech marin, it is home to thousands of works of art from two con artists. Chicano artists. I see children, grandchildren, great ran children greatgrandchildren. There were not big collectors out there for chicano art. It was an unknown quantity. What did you see . I saw a reflection of culture in american setting. That was chicano. It is the coolest start out there. I can smoke anything. He gained fame in the 1970s duo. He was a regular on tv and films. He was born in South Central los angeles to mexicanamerican parents. From an early age, he took an interest in art. Every saturday i would go to the library look at all the art books. Picasso. That is michelangelo. By the time, i knew a lot about art. But you are not seeing chicano art. No, you were barely seeing chicanos. I knew what the counterculture was. It was always defined from the outside. So he brought the art inside, over decades amassing a collection of more than 700 pieces from a variety of artists, including wellknown los angeles painters. And younger mixed media artists. He carried an exhibition that went to major museums. It would prove to be groundbreaking. I could see the reaction. People had never seen this before. They never even noticed it. That all changed. Was there a sense from you and maybe the artists of why did this take too long . Sure. Of course. Some artists went through their entire career and never got recognized. It was frustrating for me. To be turned away. Judith hernandez knows that feeling all too well. She grew up in los angeles and was a member of the movement of the 19 six days and night in 70s. What we did is art. But it was not considered art. So we made our own galleries. Our own exhibitions. The work was eventually collected by institutions like the smithsonian. She said progress has been slow. Women i talk to these days, it has not changed a lot. It is during still maledominated. Early next year, she is finally having her first major retrospective. It is happening at the cheech. Hers will be the first of its kind at the new museum. Having exhibition of this size is remarkable. I have not had many. I dont know what i will feel like the day that it opens. I have never seen that much of my own work in one place. It is very humbling. It is what the artistic director of the museum calls filling the education and exhibition gap. A lot of artists who are major artists in the movement who have not had solo shows. Much less a major retrospective. One goal is to feature those exhibitions and have a space where we can do the regularly. It is not just major artists who are focused on. Upon entering the museum, the most first pieces you see are part of a Community Gallery featuring local and younger artists. Coming out of the movement and engaging communities. It is important for us as an institution to replicate some of the museum models. Engage them. Bring them in. She stresses that chicano art has evolved over the years. That is splay in the upstairs gallery. In a traveling exhibition. Contemporary artists explore the brown body in a large amount of forms and styles. Art tells us our history. Especially for us who are not written into the history books. It is important for someone to understand that art plays that role. There are still many gaps to fill. This museum, did it feel necessary to you in some way . I think it felt inevitable. How did you feel when it opened personally when you stood here for the first time . I felt very proud. What is the word . It is like watching your kids go off to college. They may come back, they may not. In the big club of the art world. Exactly. I hope im here long. Now people know what chicano art is. I have seen a couple of things. I would like to see more. That is phenomenal. I want to visit it time i think in california. Dont forget to watch washington week. Discussing more about the Government Shutdown. Tomorrow, after recordbreaking heat, we look at why certain cities like austin are hotter than others. Had a great weekend. Thank you for joining us. Major funding has been provided by moving our economy for 160 years, bnsf, the engine that connects us. And with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. The Walton Family foundation, working for solutions to protect water during Climate Change so people and nature can thrive together. The hewlett foundation. Advancing ideas and supporting institutions to support a better world. And with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. And friends of the newshour. This program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting of her contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. You are watching the Government Shutdown is nearly upon us again. The bill is not passed. The house of representatives paralyzed by republican hardliners fails to pass a shortterm funding bill, making the government shut dn all