Transcripts For KQED BBC World News America 20240712

Undation. An by judy and Peter Blum Kovler foundation; pursuing solutio americas neglected needs. And by contrns to this pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. In this is bbc world news america. My son matters. Those are the words of the father of jacob lake, a man shot in the back several times in wisconsin, leading to widespread protest. Night two of the Republican Nation Convention featured three people call trump. It is the psidents party. Anger and unrest in belarus as thousando take t the streets. Who are criticizing thepeople countrys leadership. In spain cal out the military to tackle covid as the country sees its biggest surge in months. Katty elcome to world news america on pbs and around the globe. The father of jacoblake, the ma who was shot in the back by police in wisconsin, says his son is paralyzed from the waist down. Details of exactly whatne hap are still rather thin, but the anger over the incident is very real. This afternoon in kenosha, the family spoke to the press. Fare is jacob blakeer. They shot my son seven times. like he didn matter. But my son matters. He is a human being. Katty my son matters. Those emotional words came aften a secoht of protest in wisconsin where police used tear egas to dispe protesters. This pie i containsges you may find distressing. Reporter another American City after the shootinga blackne man. It was the turn of kenosha,on win, to feel the wrath of angry him and traders. People pour onto the streets to confront police, who reacted with force. Its gotten extremely intense since the curfew past. You see tear gas being fired by the police. Some of the protesters have been lobbing plastic Water Bottles toward the police. Reporter demonstrators were not deterred, and more destruction. It wasnt long before buildings vehicles were set on fire, and in buildings. Ee it like a breath of fresh air, honestly. Because we finally get to w say wve always wanted to say tohem. Ive been stopped and harassed by the police many times in my hometown. Just because i look like someone that im not. I dont want to feel that way. For weeks and weeks, months and months, as long as we get the justice that we need for jacob. Reporter jacob blake, seen here Walking Around his car, followed by two offics. When he opens the door, he is shot several times at close range. His children were in the vehicle at the time. That lit that men literally just grabbed him by his shirt. Hewith the kids inack screaming. We arencouraging people to protest peacefully, not to be just truck to prove intt we justice, and we want proper justice. Reporter but the protesters did not heed that plea. It was clear to see the destruction of buildings and millions of dollars of damage to private businesses. I t is definiterorism to me. Its intimidation with the political aim. Reporter but some of these people say its the only way to get their voices heard. He buts other ways. Reporter its likely to protest will d to be introduced, but he is behind in the polls, so not an easy task. With me as michael steele, Senior Advisor to the lincoln project, and used to be chairman of the Republican National committee. Thank you so much for joining me today. Michael od it is so to see you and to be with you again. How is it going . Katty its all going well. I want to know what you think of the Republican National convention so far. Michael it is going as well as could be expected, i guess. Ili say that le bit tongueincheek, but in one sense, given the nature of how the politicalca lan has changed because of covid19, both parties have really had to grapple with putting together the show. Democrats did a very good job last week. The republicans now actually found a way tord hew more to its traditional approach to the convention. They did a nod to the democrats onhe rollcall of the states, but not really,he becausedid it traditionally but did a littleideo at thend. The problem is the narrative. What is the narrative coming out this week . Momentum toward the big day when the president gives his acceptance speech of the nonation to the party and the country, but donald trump has decided to inser himself every day in someway, sometimes many ways, in the process. As we have already seen with his commts about erdogan, creates a narrative that is not part of what the campaign or the party wants to talk about. Katty you ran the Republican National committee from 20092011. You lead the party to victory in the house of representatives. Do you recognize your party today . Michael no, i dont, and thats been part of my own psonal journey in all of this, is watching sort of the value set, fundamentally, particularly in the economic space, where weve always been, as you know, republicans were the first to start screaming file if the deficit was one dollar over zero or the debt was increase but now, the Government Republican business seems to be the order of the day. I dont cognize these folks on some of the family value issues that they t supposedly wa uphold. Particularly when your consi the titular head of the party. So there are number of issues and ways this new emerging party , and i wont even call it the Republican Partylfis setting it i think we saw last night, it is definitively trump. Katty michael, what happens to the republican if trump wins, and what happens to the Republican Party if he loses . Michael i think the same thing happens, its just a matter of degree in intensity. If he loses, there will beng clearly a li up to take the mantle, if you will, to get ready for 2024. So there will be a Battle Royale within the party over the direction, focus, and legacy of the Republican Party. There will be all the trumpers the president , and then thereth will be folks like me, who will try to reclaim the legacy of eisenhower and reagan and bush and other stalwarts of the party like john mccain, and sort of woo the party back to its iginal moorings. If he wins, and at that point, you can pretty much stick a fork in it, because it will be wholly and completely trump, whatever is left of the reagan identity or ideal will be shredded and theres no way you would be able to p then you will probably look at either a realignment in some way, or this sort of period wherly its not reure what it is. Katty but we will get you back on to talk about it more. Michael steele, thanks for joining the program and do come back before the esction. Letake a look overseas now, because spain is having its worst week of Coronavirus Infection since the pandemic peak back in march. The government is deploying the militaryp to h trace infected people. The Prime Minister announced toy he will give local officials more authority in deciding how to act. For me we speak to guy who is in madrid for us. Thanks very much fo joining us. How bad is it in spain at theme . Guy it is the Prime Minister said today that the situation was wrying. He admitted that. And the latest figures from the last one for our show that 2400 new infections were registered. We have seen figures higher than that in the ily rate. What we have seen over the last fewks wreally since the National Lockdown was lifted at the end of june, is a steady increase in the number o infections has gone up and up. It hasnt been unifo across the country, in the same weather have been certain areas of the country that of been worse, for example in the northeast, catalonia, there has been a problem there. And more recently, where im madrid and the surrounding region, its becoming a problem here as well. But it is ahe concern, and has been talk of this bng a second wave of coronavirus. Kay was this the inevitable result of loosening up in the summer time in order to get those touristseconomic pesos or euros that spn so desperately needed . Y certainly the Tourism Industry is extremely important for spain. It makes up nearly 15 of the econy, and there was a tremendous amount of pressure on the government throughout june for it to lif the lockdown and open up the country to tourism and in particula to international tourists. So there was that pressure there. The governmentid that. Clearly the early part of the tourism season was wiped out. The hope was that in july and august we could see something li a more or less normal tourism season, despite all the problems that there would be. Been the case. That really hasnt we havent seen anything like a normal tourist season. For example, we had the issue of quarantine introduced from people traveling from spain back to the u. K. British travelers are the biggest sing market for the anish Tourism Industry. Other countries are advisinei citizens against traveling to spain or to parts of it. So allf that has been a massive problem. I think without a doubt,he lifting of those restrictions back in june has led to this situation, although what we are seeing now is mo younger people catching the virus. Then the average age of those getting the virus in spain has dropped substantially over the last months. Katty guy there in madrid, thank you for joiningh us. Is sfamiliar story, you loosen the restrictions, you get more case infections, in spain as here in the united states, it is more young pple that are contracting and spreading the sease as well. Very tricky for everyone to deal with. On to belarus for two prominent opposition activist have been jailed for 10 days charges of auorizing unauthorized organizi unauthorized rallies. Is defying calls to step down and has launched a criminal investigation against the here iour correspondent steve rosenberg. Steve protestant belarus are being called a national awakening. But this is a personal tragedy. An antigovernmen protester disappeared. For days, there was no word. Then his body was found in the woods nearby hanging from a tree. Thesere the last known images of nikita, holding the opposition red and white flag. The death is still being suspect the security forces. S s ts murder. They killed him. He would notarm himself. I think they try to break him, k and thenled him. Steve it was outrage and Police Brutality that spark these protests. And the belief that president lukashenko had rigged the election. Minsk, even a downpour cant dampen the resolve for another rally. People are taking to the streets everya day witnse of fear. It is because despite the protests in the public pressure, Alexander Lukashenko is still in power, trying to fight back. Steve one by one, opposition figures are being called in for questioning. Today it was theurn of a former minister. There was support for him on t street, but the opposition coordination council, which is a member, is under pressure. To its members were jailed today for 10 days. For us to be active, the line between society and the government is blurred. Steve but to the mourners at nikitas funeral, this was not a day for thinking about politicians orro pst. It was a day to remember a loved one. Steverg rosen bbc, belarus. Katty elsewhere aroundthe world, in western india, rescue have fou a fouryearold boy alive in the wreckage of a fivestory buildinghat collapsed on monday. Two people have died in more than 60 rescue. Some people are still missing. The indonesian island ofbali said i not open to tourism mounting corona car of coronavirus cases. The plans have been scrapped by authorities there. Youre watching bbc world news america. Still to come, how safe is returning to the office . Y will look at the risks and the challenges tce. In south korea, schools in the capital being closed as a precaution against outbreaks of covid19. The countries track and trace system has kept infections low, but officials worry that cases may be rising. Reporter one of the most stark warnings has come from the center for disease control. It is home to 25 million people. Thats why theyve ohoered all the s to go back oine in this area, apart from thirdyear high schoo about to sit for their University Exams youlaeed to be inrooms. Face masks in schotry towearing prevent the spread and are urging employees to work from home. And they a considering even stricter social distancing rules,hich would be near lockdown. Remember, south korea has never gone into lockdown. Its testing, tracking, and tracing measures have managed to keep them katty we are glad to rert that in t midst of this difficult time, there is some good news today from africa. Its actually on the medical front. An independent commission has clared the continent free of the poliovirus. The breakthrough comes more than 15 years after Health Care Workers 50 years afterrk emg on the Worlds Largest campaign. She is a polio survivor he is a polio survivor. He said life has been a challenge, but he hasnt allowed being a victim of polio to preventim h from proving what his people and do. He didnt haveinhe polio vaccion as a child, but now is the president of t National Polio Survivors Association hes vowedhelp make sure future generations wont have to go through what he did. Is important for y, and your family. Today he plays para soccer, agame he invented for polio survivors. Many people rejected the polio maxon. Polio vaccine. Ucthey seewe struggled to get tre andwe how mucave devoted our time to help families. Its a higy infectious virus that mainly affects children uer the age of five. It can cause muscle weakness but can also leave some victims with iralysis. Ther no cure, but there are vaccinations. Getting people vaccinated has been a hely difficult challenge, and sepicion over vaccine has made the work of Health Care Workers difficult. In 2013, nine female Health Care Workers wereru shot ars circulated that the vaccine was a western plot. But a push to bring together religious leaders, government and community workersug b support. We know that many have me the ultimate sacrifice and lost their lives to bring the vaccine to children. They are recognized for their bravery and commitment. Since 1996, more than 9 billion oral vaccinations have been provided across africa, with more and more countries being declared free from polio. Nigeria is the last country in africa to be declared free. It struggle to declare africa free of it has taken decades. There were fears the hlth care system would be redirected to fight covid, but despite the pandemic, africa remained on track, and todayhis. Katty we all needed some of that good news. As countries open up for coronavirus, millions across ter world are wog whether to return to their offices. Some people want to and some dont. Either way, the polling does suggest that a lot of us are nervous. E scientists sayy have reason to be because we know that the virus lingers in the air in indoor spaces. Reporter the government wants people back at work in our citys interest but we now the w thainside building, it is possible for the coronavirus to be carried through e air. It was found in the ventilation system of this hospital in oregon, though its not clear if it was still infectious. The virus spread in an office block in south korea to more than 90 people, all working on the same floor. And in a restaurant in china, it was passed from one infected person to nine others as air was recirculated around the room. There had been fresh air to dilute the virus, it would have ma a difference. The bger the building, tik morey it will have sealed windows and a ventilation system with a network of ducks to keep the air moving. Despite through central units, usually on theoo and building managers can choose how ch they allowed to recirculate and how much fresh air to bring in and add to the mix that is sent back to the rms. Reporter so in really large offices and other buildings that rely on ventilation systems, specialist engineers have come up with some recommendations. The flow of fresh air. Increase there is evidence that this really does make a dice. Also to minimize the recirculation of aircially from one room to another, and avoid stuffy air stuffy areas where the air isnmoving. Thas a sign the ventilation isnt working and the chances of infection are increased. Air is filtered in the system, which shouldp, hnd give Early Warning if someone has brought the virus into building. At the university of oregon, the recoend filters on each floor thif could quickly revea infections are spreading and help target efforts to deal with them. So bore we seeffice worrs return in greater numbers, the advice for every building manager is to think not just about social dtancing, and hand hygiene and also the air, ving and what it could be carrying. Katty i confess as i hear that report im looking anxiously at the ves in this studio. Theres plenty to be afraid of, the pandemic, of course, but also economic uncertainty. So why not look up to someone who is fearless . In this case, the looking up can be quite literal. The youngest person to solo pilot a hot air balloon, the eightyearold, you heard that right, set his heart was beating fast as he rose up into the sky. He added that he had been practicing on a computer with his father, which kind of makes you wonder, did dad mind his son hovering over the earth at the age of eight . I would be terrified and im not doe i would let my child that. Congratulations to jt. Nice for watching bbc world news narrator Financial Services firm, raymond james. The freeman foundation. By judy and Peter Blum Kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for americas neglected needs. And by contributions to this pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. Nat height of the conflict. Ted tto vietnam he became a single parent of two young children. We moved a lot. We slept in rest areas. We slept in our car. I didnt realize that we were actually homeless. It makes your world really small. If we happened to stay in a motel that happened to have a tv, it was really special. We loved nova. Especially when it would be about space. We would talk for hours about the universe. Watching nova, i felt g, like, my mind was big, my ideas were big. The trajectory of my life changed. I could see a world outside of our poverty and i felt like things were going to get better. Pbs opened up a world i didnt know existed. Captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc woodruff good evening, im judy woodruff. On the newshour tonight, the Convention Continues the first lady and the secretary of state headline the r. N. C. Toas the party paints a dire picture of a potential biden presidency. Then, outrage protesters clash with Law Enforcement amid justice in wiscons oregon. And, tiktok pushes back. After a threatened ban, the social media giant sues the u. S. Government. The companys head ority tells us the app is not a tional security threat. Were not a platform to go to for political commentary. D if any commentary on t platform that is protected by law, within e regions that we