PBS News Hour - Full Show - April 28, 2026 - PBS News Hour full episode

Episode Date: April 28, 2026

Tuesday on the News Hour, former FBI Director James Comey is indicted again, this time over a social media post that the Trump administration says crossed a line. The cost of oil rises to its highest level since the start of the war with Iran as the Strait of Hormuz remains closed. Plus, King Charles delivers a message of unity and peace to Congress during a time of tense relations with the U.S. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Good evening. I'm Amna Nawaz. And I'm Jeff Bennett. On the news hour tonight, former FBI director James Comey, is indicted again, this time over a social media post that Trump administration says crossed a line. The cost of oil rises to its highest level since the start of the war with Iran as the Strait of Hormuz remains closed. And King Charles delivers a message of unity and peace to Congress during a time of tense relations with the U.S. Whatever our differences, whatever disagreements we may have, we stand united in our commitment to uphold democracy. Welcome to the News Hour. Former FBI director James Comey has once again been indicted by the Department of Justice. It's the second time the Trump administration has attempted to prosecute him.

The indictment is connected to a post. Comey shared last year on social media of shells spelling out the numbers 86-47. The Justice Department argues that post is a death threat. While this case is unique and this indictment stands out because of the name of the defendant, his alleged conduct is the same kind of conduct that we will never tolerate and that we will always investigate and regularly prosecute. 86 when used as slang generally means to get rid of something and Mr. Trump is the 47th president. The DOJ previously tried to indict Comey last year accusing him of lying to Congress.

That case was dismissed by a federal judge last year on procedural grounds. For more on today's announcement, we're joined now by our justice correspondent Ali Rogan. So, Ali, what is James Comey accused of specifically in this indictment? This grand jury accuses Comey of two felony accounts of threatening the president's life, which come with a maximum prison sentence of 10 years. There was also a warrant issued for his arrest, and just a few minutes ago, Comey issued a response via video. Well, they're back. This time about a picture of seashells on a North Carolina beach a year ago.

And this won't be the end of it. But nothing has changed with me. I'm still innocent. I'm still not afraid. And I still believe in the independent federal judiciary. So let's go. And as to those allegations, Comey said at the time that he was not aware the phrase 86 carried violent connotations and he subsequently took the post down. As he says, this happened a year ago, so why now? Attorney General Todd Blanche said that this investigation has been ongoing for the past year, and this is just how the timing worked out. It is worth noting, however, that the president has expressed frustration with the pace of efforts to prosecute his political adversaries, and it's one of the reasons why Attorney General

Pam Bondi is reported to have lost her job. And since becoming acting Attorney General, Todd Blanche has taken several Big steps in putting the focus back on President Trump's perceived political enemies, including former CIA director John Brennan and former President Joe Biden. Based on your reporting, Allie, how difficult will it be for the DOJ to make this case against Comey? Prosecutors are going to have a high bar to clear that Comey knowingly threatened the president. The Supreme Court made that high bar explicit in a 23 opinion where they said that a person must have a subjective understanding that their statement could be interpreted as threatening.

Otherwise, that speech is protected under the First Amendment. And as I just said, Comey said at the time that he was unaware that the phrase 86 had violent connotations. Could this case open the door to others? It certainly could. Blanche did say today that every case is different. The facts of each one are different. But Comey is not the first person to use this phrase, and he's likely not going to be the last. It's shown up at rallies on signs, on T-shirts.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer notably had it displayed the letters 8645 on her desk during President Trump's first term. But, Jeff, the statute of limitations on these cases is five years. So any forthcoming cases stemming from this one would likely have to be related to President Trump's second term. Allie Rogan, thanks again for this reporting. You bet. There seems to be little movement on the resumption of talks between the U.S. and Iran to end the war that the Americans launched alongside Israel over two months ago. There's also almost no movement through the Strait of Hormuz,

the vital bottleneck that's essentially cut off 20% of the world's oil and gas supply. Last week saw the fewest crossings since the war began. Today, the United Arab Emirates announced it will leave OPEC, the cartel that's largely controlled global oil supplies for decades, leading to more uncertainty and questions about when the financial pain will stop. For perspective, we're joined now by Karen Young, a political economist and senior research scholar at Columbia University. Great to see you. Thanks for being here.

Thanks for having me. So the UAE has been rumored to want to leave OPEC for some time now. Why now? Was the war in Iran the last straw? No, I think actually this timing is probably the least disruptive, because this doesn't change volumes that are going out tomorrow. The UAE can't increase its production and get to market any faster because the Strait of Hormuz is blocked, and they're at capacity for the oil that's flowing through the pipeline through Fujera.

So it doesn't change anything from a market and supply perspective. But yes, it's true. Within OPEC, the UAE had the most stringent quota based on what it had capacity to produce, and its quota was much smaller. So it's been a point of tension, particularly with neighbor Saudi Arabia, for quite some time now. The UA Energy Minister actually gave an interview to CNN International earlier today to try to explain their decision. Here's part of what he had to say. We are totally at an uncomfortable level of inventories. That would require additional resources to fulfill it.

So the world before the closure of hormones is different than the world today. He was, of course, talking about global inventories and shortages there, but he seems to be saying leaving OPEC will allow producers to ramp up production and fill the shortages, will it? Once the Strait of Hormuz is open, yes, and it would be helpful to see an increase in production, particularly as we have to refill the shortages that, you know, have been part of the last two months. But it won't be an immediate fix. And so I think the UAE motivation is that they've wanted to expand production. They've invested about $150 billion into their oil and gas resources, and they want to produce more gas with the oil. So this is something that nobody's really talking about.

The more oil that they drill offshore, there's gas associated with that oil. And there's a big demand for gas inside the UAE for electricity generation. So this falls in line with some of their domestic industrial ambitions as well. This is about broader ambitions for the UAE than beyond just the oil production. That's right. It's for electricity generation. for AI, for example. It's about their diversification agenda inside the country and able to, you know, make decisions of their partnerships who are their consumers of oil and gas and renewables. How do they

get to them? This matters a lot, I think, for their ability to supply China with oil and perhaps gas as export in the future. Meanwhile, they are as hamstrung as anyone else to get out oil supply while that straight is closed. Talks with Iran appear to be at a stalemate. No sign of the straight reopening anytime soon. How do you look at that right now in terms of where global oil supplies are? So this remains the largest supply shock to global oil markets and gas markets we've ever experienced. And as we get farther along into this crisis, what's happening is that we don't have that oil getting to market, about 16 million barrels a day that's absent from the Strait of Formuz, but then countries are drawing down on their inventories. This could be

strategic stockpiles or what firms and commercial entities hold. We're starting to draw into those inventories. And as we do, that means that the price has to climb, right? Because it's not being replaced. It's not being refilled. So we're going to get more price pressure as we have this kind of supply shortage. And eventually there'll be a reaction to that. And that's what we call demand destruction. And that's where we start to feel the pinch, not just in transportation, but in the fuels that are associated made from oil, anything like NAPTA or ELFRA. LPG, things that go into plastics, the petrochemical feedstocks, which is going to make everything we buy and use basically more expensive. So let's be more clear on that from the consumer's point of view here.

Gas prices just hit a four-year high, right? We know consumers are already paying elevated prices, not just at the pump, but in terms of airline tickets and the food prices that they pay, in terms of the cost of shipping goods as well. What should they expect to see in the weeks and months ahead? Gas prices are going to be higher. So particularly in transportation fuels, that's gasoline, that's jet fuel, that's fuel for shipping, marine fuel, a diesel, anything that's used in a large construction project or in mining, all of those things become more costly. And even if a straight was open tomorrow, there's a downstream impact, right? What are we looking at? That's right. You know, one of the issues is that in order to restart the wells that have been shut in could take several months. This could take three to four months in the case of Kuwait, perhaps.

longer in Iraq. So getting back to normal is not a one-day thing. First, it's, you know, getting ships into the Strait of Hormuz, having them load, having them then exit safely, and getting that volume of traffic that we had before February 28th. And we're a long way away from that, particularly if the Strait of Hormuz has mines and we require military escorts of ships. Getting back to the UAE here, the decision they made here to leave OPEC seemed to say they put their national interests ahead of being part of this legacy institution, which has controlled the global supply for 60 years now, more than that. How do you look at that decision?

Is this reducing the impact and influence of OPEC overall? Well, you know, it's not uncommon. Countries can leave OPEC and rejoin. Ecuador has done that. Qatar left OPEC. They're more of a gas supplier than oil supplier anyway. Angola left OPEC. So it doesn't rule out the potential of cooperation or even rejoining.

But yes, it is a signal of independence politically and economically that the UAE is thinking about the future after this war and the independence and the kind of oil production, gas production, energy production, and industrial growth they want to have at home. Karen Young, always appreciate your time and insights. Good to see you here. Thank you so much. The King and Queen of England were received with high diplomatic fanfare this morning at the White House day two of the Royal Royal. visit. This afternoon, King Charles became just the second monarch to address Congress. In this, the 250th anniversary of America declaring independence from the king's five times great-grandfather. It's King George III. Nick Schiffran reports. Today at a rainy White House, there was pomp and pageantry, preening, and praising. And after this military ceremony, the U.S.'s highest diplomatic honor, President Trump did what

Brits do when things might get a little bit awkward. Talk about the weather. What a beautiful British day this is. President Trump is the son of a Scott, and today recalled his mother's fondness for everything royal, especially a man Trump today called a blessing. I also remember saying very clearly, Charles, look, young Charles, he's so cute. My mother had a crush on Charles. Can you believe it? Amazing how I wonder what she's thinking right now. And President Trump celebrated what he called the free world forged together 80 years ago by President Franklin Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

That understanding of our nation's unique bond and role in history is the essence of our special relationship, and we hope it will always remain that way. Not Winston Churchill that we're dealing with. But it was only last month President Trump disparaged the special relationship after the U.K. declined U.S. request to use British bases to attack Iran. And I'm not, by the way, I'm not happy with the U.K. either. And so today, a king who is officially apolitical met in the Oval Office with the bust of Churchill over the president's shoulder flanked by both countries' top diplomats and

officials. For a moment, the British government hopes can help reset the relationship. But European concern runs deeper. Today, the Financial Times published a February recording of British ambassador to the U.S. Christian Turner, questioning just how much the UK can still rely on the U.S. Special relationship is a phrase I try not utter. Because it's quite nostalgia. It's quite backwards looking and it has a lot of sort of faggage about it. I think there is probably be one country that has a special relationship with the United States, and that's openly different. When Europe can't just rely on a U.S. security emperor, so the relationship will carry on

if you want being special. I see you to know how you do. Different because President Trump's questioning European sovereignty and doubting the U.S.'s commitment to NATO has led to European doubts, the U.S. will keep providing Europe security. Even if in a statement today the British government called Turner's word, quote, private informal comments made to a group of UK high school students, they are certainly not any reflection of the UK government's position. America's words carry weight and meaning, as they have since independence.

The actions of this great nation matter even more. And so this afternoon, for only the second time in almost exactly 250 years of separated history, a British monarch addressed a joint meeting of Congress, with an appeal to unity. Whatever our differences, whatever disagreements we may have, we stand united in our commitment to uphold democracy, to protect all our people from harm, and to salute the courage of those who daily risk their lives

in the service of our countries. That line, an echo of the first and before today only British monarch to address a joint session of Congress, Charles' mother, Queen Elizabeth II, 35 years ago. The best progress is made when Europeans and Americans act in concert. It is an era that is in many ways more volatile and more dangerous than the world to which my late mother spoke. But even if in a soothing baritone, King Charles did not avoid drawing British distinction in his

British way with the Trump administration. We must also reflect on our shared responsibility to safeguard nature. That same unyielding resolve is needed for the defense of Ukraine and her most courageous people. We answered the call together as our people have done so for more than a century, shoulder to shoulder. But today, that implicit criticism did not dampen the president's riding royal coattails, the White House posting this photo with the caption, to kings. But what King Charles did not mention today, his brother, Andrew Montaouten Windsor,

who has been stripped of his titles for his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and Epstein's victims. And the king will not meet those victims during this trip to the U.S. Today, the family of Virginia Joufrey, a victim of Epstein who died last year, said both the king and President Trump should have delivered a message that they stand with survivors. The king's lawyers told Representative Rochanna, the king supported all victims. of abuse, but because of ongoing police inquiries, he was unable to meet with those survivors. We start the day's other headlines in Minnesota, where federal agents carried out more than 20

search warrants as part of an ongoing fraud investigation by the Trump administration. Agents were seen entering child care centers this morning like this one outside Minneapolis. The White House has criticized Governor Tim Walls a Democrat over his handling of fraud in the state, but Walls welcomed the raids posting on social media. If you commit fraud in Minnesota, you're going to get caught. Joint investigations work and securing justice depends on it. Officials say today's operation was not related to a federal immigration crackdown that led to the deaths of two protesters earlier this year.

A former advisor to Dr. Anthony Fauci at the National Institutes of Health has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Maryland for conspiring to hide records related to the COVID pandemic. Dr. David Morin's is accused of obstruction of justice. justice and conspiracy for allegedly using a personal email account to conceal research related to the origins of the disease. His lawyer declined to comment. The indictment is seen as a win for the Trump administration, which has been critical of the nation's research community over its handling of COVID's origins. Dr. Fauci himself is not accused of wrongdoing in the case.

In Georgia, state officials say recent rainfall is helping efforts to tame two massive fires, but more work needs to be done to bring them under control. A statewide drought has led to an unprecedented fire season with more than 700 blazes in a 30-day period. Governor Brian Kemp toured the affected areas today and warned that Georgia isn't, as he put it, out of the woods just yet. I feel better today than I did Sunday. And, you know, the rain we got, especially on the Highway 82 fire, was very helpful.

We are doing everything that we can to try to. to get people where they can get back to their homes, make sure they're protected. And as soon as we can do that, we will. As Georgia welcomes the rain, other states are bracing for more of it. Severe thunderstorms threatened to bring hail and possibly tornadoes to parts of Texas, Mississippi, and Tennessee that have already endured punishing storms in recent days. The U.S. State Department is rolling out a new limited edition passport that includes a picture of President Trump.

The State Department posted what it called a sneak piece. on social media. It shows the president's image on the inside cover with his signature and gold lettering at the bottom. The back cover shows a more traditional scene of the Declaration of Independence. The release is part of the commemorations marking the 250th anniversary of American independence. It's also the latest effort to put Mr. Trump's mark on the nation, which includes his images on government buildings, his name on what was the Kennedy Center, and a planned arch in Washington, among others. Ukraine says it shot down more than 33,000 Russian drones in March. That's the most in a single month since Russia's invasion more than four years ago.

Ukraine has been ramping up its drone capabilities in response to Russia's relentless aerial attacks and increasingly taking the fight back across the border. Officials said today Ukrainian forces can now strike much deeper inside Russia than they could at the start of the war. Earlier this month, Moscow accused European nations. of expanding drone support to Kyiv, prompting a warning today from Russia's defense minister. This sort of action facilitates the sharp escalation of the military and political situation across the entire European continent and can have unpredictable consequences.

Just yesterday, Poland's Prime Minister announced that his country will partner with Ukraine to manufacture what he described as a drone armada. Poland and Russia share. of border and Russia has violated Polish airspace on a number of occasions since the Ukraine war started. On Wall Street today, stocks ended lower following that latest spike in oil prices. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gave back just 25 points on the day. The NASDAQ fell more than 200 points. The S&P 500 also closed in negative territory. Still to come on the news hour, recent shootings are again raising concerns about gun violence in the U.S. military families sound the alarm about the persistent problem of toxic mold in service members housing. And actors Tessa Thompson

and Adrian Brody discussed their Broadway debut. This is the PBS News Hour from the David M. Rubinstein studio at WETA in Washington, headquarters of PBS News. The Federal Communications Commission is ramping up the pressure on ABC and Disney by threatening to strip broadcasters of their station licenses. The FCC says the review of the licenses is tied to Disney's DEI initiatives, but it's widely seen as retaliation in the ongoing battle between President Trump and ABC and its late night host Jimmy Kimmel. On his show last week, Kimmel parodied Saturday's White House Correspondence Dinner in advance, delivering a mock roast, which included this joke about the Trump's. And of course, our first lady, Melania is here. Look at, so beautiful. Mrs. Trump, you have a

a glow like an expectant widow. Kimmel later said it was a joke about their age difference. But following the shooting at the dinner, the First Lady yesterday wrote a post on X, criticizing Kimmel saying he, quote, deepens the political sickness in America and that people like Kimmel shouldn't have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate.

That was echoed by the president who said Disney should fire Kimmel, and then reiterated by press secretary Caroline Levitt. Just two days prior to the shooting, ABC's late night host Jimmy Kemmel disgustingly called First Lady Melania Trump an expectant widow. Who in their right minds says a wife would be glowing over the potential murder of her beloved husband? This kind of rhetoric about the president, the first lady, and his supporters is completely

deranged and it's unbelievable that the American people are consuming it night after night after night. For his part, Kimmel said last night that this is all a matter of free speech. more. On all of this, we're joined now by CNN's chief media analyst, Brian Stelter, who's outside ABC's New York headquarters. Brian, thanks for making time for us. So the FCC says the timing of this license review coming within 24 hours of President Trump criticizing Kimmel is coincidental. How credible is that claim given the sequence of events? Well, I don't know any legal experts or FCC experts who believe that claim. It is true. There's

been an open investigation of Disney involving the company's diversity practices, DEI programs. That's been going on for quite some time. And it is true that just last week, Disney turned over some documents in that probe. So that's going to give the Trump-aligned SEC Chairman Brendan Carr the excuse or the rationale or the story that he can tell publicly about why this is happening. But listen, we've heard President Trump threaten local TV station licenses for more than a year now. This is the first concrete action that the government's taking to follow up on those threats. He is calling in, the car is calling in these licenses for early renewal, which is a way to challenge the licensees.

And it's going to cause a protracted legal battle. But the action today is being called by the lone Democrat on the FCC, Anna Gomez, quote, the most egregious action the FCC has taken in violation of the First Amendment to date. She basically says, Brendan Carr heard Trump's complaint, and today he's answering the president's call. The last time the FCC revoked a broadcast license related to a station's programming was in 1969. There was a station in Jackson, Mississippi, which defended segregation on the air. What are the realistic outcomes here? Are we talking fines, conditions on licenses,

or something more severe? I think the process is mostly the punishment here. It is unlikely that ABC would have its station licenses in eight cities where it owns stations. It's unlikely those would actually be revoked. And if the FCC does try to revoke those licenses, again, it'll cause a protracted legal battle. ABC can appeal. And there's lots of, there's lots of legal rationale or legal history to believe that ABC would win. But here's the thing. Disney would have to be willing to fight. That's the big question here. Will Disney fight it out in court? Now, today, the company came out with a statement that says it believes it's confident, it will prevail, and it did cite the First Amendment. And my sources at Disney say they're willing to fight this First Amendment battle.

But will that be true over a period of months and maybe even years? We don't know. And by the way, this might not just be about Kimmel or about DEI programs for that matter. In this building is the ABT daytime talk show The View. And FCC officials have also been scrutinizing the view over alleged equal time violations. So basically, if you're the head of Disney, you have government pressure from multiple directions right now. This is a big test for the new Josh Diomara, who just took over for Bob Iger six weeks ago. But so far, at least, my sources say he is willing to stiffen his spine and push back because this sure looks like a First Amendment clash.

And how are other broadcasters watching all of this, Brian, based on your reporting? Well, right now, you know, we're talking about a handful of big companies and, you know, of course, PBS as well, broadcasters that are licensed by the federal government. channels like the one I work, CNN, they're not licensed by the federal government. But this action that we are seeing from the government, it does potentially have a chilling effect all across the mainstream media. But I am hardened to say that when we've seen these other First Amendment stress tests in America during Trump 2.0, America's been passing the test.

Maybe not with an A-plus grade. But remember last September when Kimmel was briefly pulled off the air when there was another controversy? And then he was brought back less than a week later. That's an example of Disney recognizing that it has to defend its stars and defend the right of comedians and, yes, journalists too, to speak freely. Normally, gosh, when we cover political leaders trying to silence a comedian, we're usually talking about authoritarian regimes.

But right now it's happening here in America. CNN chief media analyst Brian Stelter. Good to see you. Thanks for being with us. Gun violence continues to impact communities across the country on a daily basis. Often in ways that don't make the news, but create lifelong consequences for victims, their families, even entire neighborhoods. The normalization of shootings fueled in part by easy access to guns has created a persistent public health crisis. William Brangham tells us more. Think of the most recent shootings that made national news.

The foiled attack on President Trump this weekend, for sure. But what about the horrible murder of eight children two Sundays ago in Louisiana? That received far less attention. Or what about the mass shooting in Indiana three days ago where nine people were shot? According to the Gun Violence Archive, while shootings are going down in just the last 72 hours, there have been over 175 different shootings in this country where someone was shot or killed. That is just three days' worth. For more on how we reckon with this ongoing toll, we are joined again by Dr. Emi.

Betz. She's an ER doctor and associate dean for centers and institutes at the University of Colorado Anshut School of Medicine and Director of the Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative. Dr. Betz, so nice to see you again. Do you think we have just gotten desensitized to this ongoing toll of gun violence? I think to some extent we have. I think especially given the kind of other noise that we're all dealing with in the chaotic world we're living in. And we're living in, But I think it's really important that we not settle for this as a new normal. It doesn't have to be this way. And I think it's important that we keep having these conversations so that we can find a better future.

And I know you think it's important to remind people that, as I mentioned, shootings, while still horrendous, are going down. Right. I think it's important we talk about that gun violence as a problem is big and complex, and it's not just mass shootings. We know the daily toll of violence, the majority of gun deaths in this country are from suicide. That's been a persistent problem, and we're not seeing improvement, despite a lot of promising work. But where we are seeing improvement is in homicide. So gun murders are at historic lows in terms of decreases in rates and numbers for the past three years. And that's really

something to celebrate. Do you have a sense, do other researchers have a sense as to why those are going down? So there's not a single answer. And I think this is one of the things that's both complicated about these discussions, but also should bring us hope. There's not going to be one perfect fix to this problem. There's not one law. There's not one policing approach or one intervention we need to put in place. It takes a lot of pieces working together. So we've seen a decrease in murder rates because of things like wraparound and comprehensive intervention programs to get at those upstream risk factors related to socioeconomic stress, job stress, et cetera. We're seeing differences in policing approaches. All of these things that can work together, even things like neighborhood

design, better lighting, better green spaces can have an impact in helping reduce violence in the community. And we see that murder rate go down. We are, though, still having persistent problems related to violence within homes. So I mentioned suicide, but we also really need to be talking about domestic violence. And domestic violence and suicide are often closely linked, as we've seen in recent cases. As you mentioned, we often, in the media, focus on big shootings, the ones with the really grim death tolls. But that often overlooks the much larger number of people who survive shootings, either shootings

of themselves or of their loved ones and who then often have to reckon with that trauma for years, maybe the rest of their lives. No, it's very true. We talk a lot about the deaths because in some ways those are easier to count. But we do need to recognize the bigger toll that it's having on all of us as survivors and as a society where we see people changing behavior because of fear of mass shootings and so forth. And we need to recognize at the individual level, people can kind of.

have complex and differing responses after trauma. Somebody might seem fine right away and then have symptoms develop later. And it's important to know if you've been through any kind of trauma, if you've been in a mass shooting situation, or if you've lost a loved one to violence, that there are effective and evidence-based treatments out there and there's help available. Do you think that in part we don't talk about suicides and domestic violence in their relation to gun violence because in some ways those are considered taboo topics, things that are just for, that's someone's internal problem. That's not a national problem. I think so. And I think it's something we need to continue to fight against that stigma. I think during the COVID pandemic,

we saw a lot of increased awareness about how sort of the roller coaster of life brings ups and downs for all of us. And when we think about suicide and firearm suicide in particular, We know it's that when someone's in a bad moment, so maybe it's mental illness, but maybe it's also losing a job, getting divorced, kind of having all of those bad things in life hit you at once. If a lethal method like a gun is available, the person is much less likely to survive. So it's not that the gun causes the suicide, but it's that in that moment it's less safe for someone if they're in an environment with a gun. It's very much like a designated driver at the bar who helps a friend get home while they're impaired. in the same way we need to be thinking about how do we reduce access to firearms

for people going through difficult times who might be at suicide risk, elevated risk of suicide, but who might also, maybe they're dealing with anger issues and going through a bad divorce and might be at risk of hurting their partner or their family, for example. So that's where, again, it's not that the gun is causing the problem, but it's a key factor that leads to fatal outcomes.

Dr. Emmett's at the University of Colorado-inshut School of Medicine. and always great to hear from you. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Military families are sounding the alarm about the presence of toxic mold in military housing. It's an issue that's long been making service members and their families sick. Stephanie Sy has our report on the ongoing problem and what is and isn't being done to address it. The Pentagon acknowledged last year that there are serious health concerns related to base housing conditions, But families say the problems persist.

Bills introduced in the House and Senate to address the problems so far haven't progressed. There are a host of reasons why military families may be disproportionately at risk for the ill effects of untreated mold infestations. And we'll get to that in a moment. But first, hear what several families told us about how they're affected. I'm Erica Thompson and I'm a 22-year military spouse. My husband is in the Air National Department. guard. We moved into military housing and right away we noticed some issues with the HVAC system. And so we put in the proper service calls. They came out and said, actually, you need a new

HVAC system, but we can't afford to replace it. And so they said, get a dehumidifier. We ended up buying six dehumidifiers and we were dumping about six gallons of water a day just to keep it at 70% humidity in the house. My name is Jenna Van Rokul. I am a military spouse. My husband's been in the military for the last nine years. We have had two houses on base, and there has been multiple issues within each house. The first house had bugs and mold, and the second house was also filled with mold and bugs. My name is Deborah Rampona Oliver, and I was an Air Force military spouse of 24 years. When we moved in, there were RIDX damp pots everywhere to kind of like suck the moisture out of the air.

We would notice that in the bathrooms and in the guest room, mold would begin to grow on the walls. Our kids started getting headaches and feeling nauseous in certain rooms of the house, and that was about six months into living there. Our dogs started having seizures. our four-year-old dog that was healthy and in good shape, that was very different. All of a sudden seizures, within 10 days our son started passing out. So we're kind of all experiencing different medical issues and not understanding what's happening. I was experiencing some cardiac issues in the home and going to the doctor and trying to figure out what's happening. It caused a multitude of health issues, some more severe, some not, just on the non-stearer.

severe side, headaches, exhaustion. On the more severe side, it caused our brand new baby at 12 days old to go into SVT. Highest beats per minute were 306 and she had to have life-saving care in an ambulance with a defibrillator and a NICU stay. He had condensation on the walls. It was saturating my daughter's bed, which was up against the wall. because the room was rather small. We had rats, and I have pictures of rat chew marks all along the bottom of the door, and then shavings from where they were chewing.

We ended up buying our own dehumidifiers. We noticed a huge amount of medical issues and symptoms after they opened the walls and replaced the windows. Kids started getting rashes on their faces and legs. We have five kids in our homeschool, so we're at home. of the time. The headaches were increasing, the nausea was increasing, GI issues. I started getting very, very sick, and I had always been a runner and always been very fit

and was struggling to breathe. And I ended up in the ER several times at BAMC. And ultimately, we decided to get out of the military. And then we also have our five-year-old and our six-year-old. who have had reactive airway diseases from all the mold they've, you know, consumed and breathed in, a lot of sleeping problems and anything that could go along with that. This is not political. This is a basic right that somebody serving in the military should have healthy homes on base. The kids should be healthy. Joining me now is Renee Klegic, a senior investigator at the project on government oversight.

She's spoken to a lot of military families about this issue over the years. Renee, there are hundreds of thousands of military families who live in base housing. How widespread is the mold problem and how long has it been going on? Housing advocates I've talked to have said that mold is the number one issue that these families are facing. And these advocates have worked with thousands of military families across the country. I've also spoken with an attorney who specializes in military housing cases. he says roughly 90% of his cases involve mold. The military knows that this is a big problem.

I've done reporting on a coordinated effort that the Army undertook called Operation Countermold, where they were trying to battle mold in military housing and, you know, figure out a way to tackle it more comprehensively. But when it comes to data, you know, we're really lacking in accurate data that would convey the true scale of the mold problem. As far as the pervasiveness, for what it's worth, Renee, a bipartisan bill to address this issue says, quote, thousands of military families living in privatized military housing have been exposed to hazardous environmental conditions, including widespread mold contamination due to negligent maintenance practices and inadequate government oversight.

We contacted the Pentagon, by the way, and they have not responded. But what are advocates asking for? told you about what families need most? Well, military families face a lot of obstacles when it comes to seeking accountability and justice when, say, they've lost everything they own due to mold contamination. And the main thing that the housing advocates are working for is to try to make these families whole again and whatever form that means. Maybe it's, you know, getting appropriate health coverage to ensure that the health issues that they've faced are being addressed, getting some financial remuneration for lost belongings, and also just getting them out of unsafe and unhealthy housing

fundamentally. But like I said, there's been a lot of barriers with the housing companies in terms of making that happen. Expand on that a little bit. Why is this problem so pervasive and hard to tackle? As opposed to how you might see it handled in the civilian world where you're not talking about federally owned property? Sure. So it's important to note that this problem is not new. Today, 99% of military family housing is owned and operated by private companies. The reason that we privatized military housing was because there were problems in the housing when it was run by the Pentagon. So back in the 90s, the Department of Defense privatized military housing because they had a 20 billion-dollar maintenance backlog, and they thought they could eliminate that maintenance backlog in

housing and also save taxpayers' money on the cost of military housing by injecting private capital. Unfortunately, neither of those things have come to pass. Today, my analysis has found that there's currently a nearly $7 billion maintenance backlog in military housing, and it's more than quadrupled since 2017. Also, there was a recent report by the Congressional Research Service that found that privatized military housing has ultimately been more expensive for taxpayers. I think it's important to know there are some fundamental differences between housing when you live in civilian housing versus military housing. When you live in military housing, your landlord and your boss are in a business partnership. So when it comes to the potential

for retaliation, which is something that I've heard from families that I've interviewed, you know, there is a possibility that a military family speaks out about housing issues and complains, their chain of command could get involved. They could face professional consequences for speaking out. So there's some very real disincentives for families to speak out and seek accountability. And that's just like one of those kind of unique factors of military housing. You know, there's no federal mold standard. Does that complicate legal recourse for families, some of which I know have tried to sue? It absolutely makes it more difficult for the families to seek accountability through the courts, the absence of a federal mold standard for what is and

isn't a safe level of mold in housing, you know, makes it more difficult to prove like this is the cause of my problems. So that's a real problem that the families have faced. And you have to remember, too, that these families are going up against multi-billion dollar real estate conglomerates in the court. So they already face a wide range of hurdles when it comes to fighting these cases. And And then in the absence of that federal mold standard, it just makes it all the more difficult. That is Renee Klegic with the project on government oversight. Thank you so much for joining us and sharing your reporting with our viewers. Thank you for having me. Appreciate it.

In 2004, Nick Yaris walked out of a Pennsylvania prison after 22 years on death row, following a wrongful conviction for rape and murder. His was the first death row case in Pennsylvania, one of the earlier ones in the country overturned by DNA. evidence. His story is now the focus of a new play on Broadway, titled The Fear of 13, starring two leading film actors, making their Broadway debuts. Senior arts correspondent Jeffrey Brown spoke with them at the Broadway restaurant Sardis for our Art in Action series at the intersection of arts and democracy, part of our canvas coverage. I got two things to tell you. One, I did not kill Mrs. Craig. I had nothing to do with that.

In The Fear of 13, Adrian Brody plays Nick Yaris, a prisoner finding ways to survive in a system that considers him a dead man. Telling the story of his life to Jackie, a death row volunteer, with whom he eventually develops a deep personal relationship played by Tessa Thompson. For the two actors, the urgency of the subject was irresistible. What? If DNA is getting people convicted, why can't it get people released? I'm sure DNA could. Nick represents both grave injustice and the ability of the human spirit to soar above incredible hardship and oppression. And that combination clearly grabbed you.

And that, of course, speaks to me and speaks to what art can achieve and what we must aspire to find in ourselves and others. and hope must prevail. I just thought it was such a fantastic thing to offer audiences, because unfortunately our system is really built that when people are put behind bars, they're forgotten. It's inherent in the system. The piece sort of jumped off the page, not unlike Nick Yaris himself,

who's sort of the subject. He is a remarkable storyteller, and he has so many incredible stories to tell. In fact, Yaris has told his story in a memoir and documentary by David Sinton. There's a cop right there. And you heard pop. Of a life of petty crime and drug addiction in his youth,

a more serious charge for which he was acquitted of attempted murder of a police officer, and then while attempting to curry favor with authorities, his false claim of knowing the perpetrator of an unsolved rape and murder. Instead, he himself was charged, tried, and convicted in 1982 at age 21. sentenced to death.

His exoneration came 22 long years later after delay upon delay. Playwright Lindsay Farentino adapted the material for the theater, first staged in London and now on Broadway. It's a Broadway debut, right? Yes, it's my debut. You finally made it. That's cute. In a way, yes. My buildings were devised to endure such erosion of shoreline.

Brody, of course, has made it big time, winning two best actor Oscars, most recently in 2024, for The Brutalist. He appeared on stage early in his career, but not for more than 30 years. Part of what's kept me from doing is I've spent a lifetime learning and sculpting techniques to do my work on film. And I don't have that arsenal for theater. It's much more about intuition and... a leap and it's very exciting because it's affording me new insights into my own work, into obstacles within bridging certain things in my work and made me stronger. Edda?

Yes. This is also an acclaimed film actor with a Golden Globe nomination for last year's And this is her first time on a stage in more than 10 years, drawn by Broadway, the chance to work with Brody, and also to address such a compelling and important contemporary subject. Trying to create sort of literacy and that people have an understanding. I mean, even every night I listen to the piece, and at this point I know the piece very, very well, and still I am struck by some of the things inside of Nick's case. And not just complexities, but like frustrations of the way that our system works, frankly.

And bureaucracy. Yeah, and whole lives are taken away, you know, and the time spent waiting for justice to be served is really, like, unbelievable. For me, it's like that's something that, whether we succeed or fail, that's the kind of thing that I want to try at every night, taking a swing like that every night. I've never been in love before, but I know what this is. It was never really going to be worth saying out loud, but now... Nick, we need to prove your innocence. If we can do that, then... Yo, you just said we.

Something that struck me, and it's not a story of redemption. I mean, it's just sort of mistakes. It's like mistakes that Nick made in his life, and then the system makes horrific mistakes, right? There is nothing that gives back the time that's been robbed. And I think that is a big part of the storytelling from the beginning. And in spite of all of that, the ability to find joy in being present and having made it out, and having rediscovered all the things that are joyous that are often taken for granted.

to not be to have our soul annihilated systematically or through physical or emotional abuse. That was a huge gift. And unfortunately, because the way that our system is built is you can sort of step away unless you have someone who's behind bars, it's easy to forget. And I think doing this work now and it's our way of validating someone across from us,

which is to say that your story is worth listening to. As for Nick Yaris himself, since his exoneration and release, he has demanded the DNA samples be used to find the real perpetrator at the center of his case, won a lawsuit over his own prosecution, and joined efforts to exonerate other wrongly convicted people. And now Brody and Thompson told us he comes to the theater and sits most nights in the same seat in the balcony where they can see his silhouette. A reminder to them of why they're telling this story. For the PBS NewsHour, I'm Jeffrey Brown on Broadway.

Well, there is a lot more online, including a look at the looming default crisis, Americans with student loans could face this summer. That's at pbs.org slash news hour. And that is the NewsHour for tonight. I'm Amna Nawaz. And I'm Jeff Bennett for all of us here at the NewsHour. Thanks for spending part of your evening with us.