PBS News Hour - Full Show - May 27, 2026 - PBS News Hour full episode

Episode Date: May 28, 2026

Wednesday on the News Hour, Ken Paxton's defeat of incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in Texas is the latest show of President Trump's grip on the GOP. We speak to Cuba's deputy foreign minister amid escalating threats from the White House, including an arrest warrant for the country's former leader. Plus, the search for antibiotics undergoes a dramatic transformation with the deployment of AI. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Good evening. I'm Jeff Bennett. And I'm Amna Navaz on the news hour tonight. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton defeats incumbent Senator John Cornyn in a Republican primary runoff election and the latest show of President Trump's grip on the GOP. We speak with Cuba's deputy foreign minister amid escalating threats from the White House, including an arrest warrant for the country's former leader. We have reasons to have doubts about the seriousness of the United States side in the United States. In the midst of our conversations, the United States has continued to take measures that affect Cuba and the Cuban people. And the search for antibiotics undergoes a dramatic transformation with the deployment of artificial

intelligence. Welcome to the NewsHour. President Trump proved his political power in Texas last night as his endorsed candidate in the state's U.S. primary runoff won in a landslide. Attorney General Ken Paxton secured the Republican nomination in Texas. beating incumbent Senator John Cornyn by nearly 30 points. President Trump is the leader of our party and his endorsement in this most power

is the most powerful force in politics. And I'm honored to have his support and I look forward to working with him in the Senate to deliver for Texas. Cornyn, who has represented Texas in the Senate for more than 20 years, said he would support Paxton in the general election. There's a simple rule in elections.

You've heard me say it before. and that is the candidate who gets the most votes wins. The party and the majority gets to govern, and my hope is to keep my party in power for generations. Paxton will face Democratic nominee James Tolariko in the fall in what's set to be one of the nation's marquee midterm races. For analysis of last night's results in Texas, we're joined now by Brandon Roddinghouse.

He's a professor of political science at the University of Houston and co-host of Houston Public Media's Party Politics. It's great to have you here. Thanks for being with us. And my pleasure. So I saw where you described John Cornyn's loss last night as the end of Bush-era Republican model politics in Texas. Is this primarily about Donald Trump,

or is there like a deeper realignment of what's happening inside the GOP? It's a good question. I think it's a little bit of both. Obviously, John Cornyn symbolized the tradition. Texas GOP that came to power in the 1990s, they were able to convince voters that small government with low taxation was the way to go. That changed Texas and frankly changed the country. The emergence of Donald Trump definitely exacerbated some of what was already happening in Texas, which was that it was a very conservative place. And the model in Texas is adapt or die.

And essentially, Republicans are following that mantra, attempting to find the more conservative wing of the party, embrace them. ride that to victory. Ken Paxton, as you will know, he has survived impeachment, indictment, FBI scrutiny, repeated ethical controversies, and yet he has emerged politically stronger. What does that say about how Republicans view character and define electability? I think this is really kind of a front of the times where you're seeing scandals not matter as much as they used to. Effectively, Ken Paxton turned surviving impeachment into a loyalty test.

It was not just for this race, but also for races down ballot. His legal troubles essentially solidified his image as an outsider instead of destroying his political career, as it might have, say, decades ago. Donald Trump's support on this, I think, really kind of wrap them together politically because they've both been political survivors. They've both used these scandals as a way to decide and talk about how they're the fighters that the country needs, and their partisans very much back them on it. Ken Paxton is a structurally weaker general election candidate by any conventional measure as compared to John Cornyn. But Democrats have not won a statewide race in Texas since 1994. So what's your honest read of what this might mean for November?

There's no question that Ken Paxton is among the weaker of the, the nominees and Republicans nationwide are definitely worried about having to stretch their dollars to defend Texas. That has never been a major issue. And the fact that it's happening definitely reflects that they're worried Ken Paxton's ethical and legal baggage is going to be a problem going into November. For a lot of voters, the first thing they'll know about Ken Paxson will be something negative. And that's not a great stepping off point. Ken Paxson's trying to bring Tala RICO's numbers down too. We've seen that even today. And obviously, this is is going to be a battle where we're going to see all the rocks getting thrown.

So the scandals are going to matter for sure. But for Texas voters, the question is, who can better deliver on these promises? This is going to be an election that's really pocketbook focused. But it's also going to be a mobilization election. So if it's a straight-up fight between Republicans and Democrats, Republicans have the edge. Texas is a big state. It's an expensive state. The structural advantage that Republicans have here is significant.

But if Tala Rico can find the right messaging, and he can mobilize not only his voters, but also non-voters or reluctant voters, sometimes crossover voters, and there's a chance Texas could flip. On the Democratic side, we saw several Democrat versus Democrat runoffs in Texas this year because of redistricting, including in Houston with Congressman Christian Menofee beating longtime Congressman Al Green in their runoff, and in Dallas with former Congressman Colin Al Redd beating Congresswoman Julie Johnson. Several of these House runoffs have turned into proxy battles between different wings of the Democratic Party. Are there lessons to take away from the results?

I think so. I think you're right. Redistricting has really worked as a serious disruptor in the Democratic side, and there's no doubt that that's been complicated and controversial. But in a way, it's exposed a kind of new generation of Democrat. This is a generational transition we're seeing in a place like Houston and in places like Dallas. Democrats are considering what their future looks like, and they're looking to a new generation to be able to figure that out. Now, sometimes that new generation has already been in power, and they have been effective at it. But that's what the voters are looking for.

It seems like they're interested in finding those fighters who can work the inside and who can use that leverage to be able to make things better. So that type of politics really is, I think, a kind of new model for the way the center of gravity is for the Republican, or the Democratic Party now. Brandon Roddinghouse of the University of Houston and co-host of Houston Public Media's Party Politics. Thanks again for your time. Hey, appreciate it. Thanks. We start the day's other headlines in Washington State, where authorities say there's no hope of finding any more survivors from yesterday's implosion at a paper mill near the Oregon border. We're bracing ourselves for this being the deadliest industrial tragedy in modern Washington state history. Officials say two people are now confirmed dead after a tank imploded at the Nippon-Dinawave

packaging facility and released a harmful chemical mixture called white liquor. Nine others remain missing and are presumed dead. Another eight people were injured, including a firefighter. Officials said today that some of the contamination entered the local Columbia River, but stressed that there's no risk to the local water supply. Peace talks between the U.S. and Iran remain in flux. as Iranian State TV outlined an unofficial framework agreement earlier today. It would restore commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz to pre-war levels, while the U.S.

would withdraw its forces and lift a naval blockade. The White House called the report a, quote, complete fabrication. Meantime, President Trump convened his cabinet at the White House, where he said domestic political pressures, like the midterms, would not affect his war strategy. Iran is very much intent. They want very much to make a deal. So far, they haven't gotten there. We're not satisfied with it.

But we will be. We will be either that or we'll have to just finish the job. They're negotiating on fumes. But we'll see what happens. Maybe we have to go back and finish it. Maybe we don't. Separately today, Israel warned residents across southern Lebanon to leave, signaling an expansion of its campaign against Hezbollah militants there.

It's the first such warning since an uneasy ceasefire went into effect last month. Yesterday, several Israeli strikes came down near the Kadaun Dam, which sits on the largest water reservoir in Lebanon. Also today, Hamas confirmed that Israeli airstrikes killed their latest military leader in Gaza. Mourners and Hamas supporters carried the body of Mohammed O'Day, along with some of his family members, through the streets of Gaza City. It comes less than two weeks after Israel's killed O'Day's predecessor, Izzal-Din al-Hadad. The strikes also injured at least 12 others and came on the eve of the Muslim holiday of

Ida-Aid al-Ada. It left residents sifting through rubble for their belongings or other bodies. This is a day of Eid. It is a holy day, and some people forgot about the war. But after what happened, people were shocked completely. They couldn't take it anymore. attacks targeting O'Day last night came despite a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that's been in effect since October.

Gaza health authorities say such strikes have killed nearly 900 Palestinians since the truce took effect. Uganda is closing its border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, quote, with immediate effect as authorities try to slow the spread of Ebola. There are now nearly 1,000 suspected cases in the DRC and at least 220 suspected deaths. The meantime, the World Health Organization has started construction on a treatment facility in the east of the country. And the Trump administration is reportedly planning to send Americans exposed to Ebola

to a new facility in Kenya instead of flying them back to the U.S., though that site has not yet been built. In Laos, five people who were trapped in a flooded cave for more than a week have been found alive. Rescuers celebrated outside the cave when contact was made with the missing villagers. Inside, video showed the men, lit by flashlights, huddled together, smiling and safe. They entered the cave on May 19, with some reports saying they were searching for gold. Heavy rains triggered flash flooding that blocked their exit. Lao and Thai rescuers are continuing to search for two others who remain missing.

On the south lawn of the White House, construction is underway for an octagon-shaped cage to host next month's UFC bout. A giant arch is already looming over the historic mansion. The mixed martial arts event is part of celebrations to mark 250 years of American independence and is scheduled for June 14th, both Flag Day and President Trump's birthday. He's been a longtime supporter of the UFC or Ultimate Fighting Championship and was the first sitting president to attend a fight. finish, the temporary arena is expected to hold 5,000 people as seen in this rendering.

On Wall Street today, all three major indices closed at all-time highs as oil prices eased. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added nearly 200 points on the day. The NASDAQ rose just 18 points, so a small gain there. The S&P 500 added just one point, but technically enough for a new record. And Ferrari is now taking orders for its new, first-ever electric vehicle. But if critics and financial markets are any indication, interest in the new car may be low. The launch of the luce, meaning light in Italian, landed with a thud among Ferrari fans who bristled at its bubble-like exterior. A former company chairman warned of, quote, the destruction of a legend, and the company's stock initially fell in Milan and on Wall Street.

But Pope Leo seemed impressed when he was given a firsthand look outside his summer residence yesterday. The luce comes with 1,000 horsepower, a 10-inch touchscreen, and an estimated price tag of more than $600,000. Still to come. On the News Hour, outgoing World Food Program Director Cindy McCain reflects on how changes to U.S. foreign aid impact the agency's work. We speak to actors Lori Metcalf and Nathan Lane as the classic death of a salesman returns to Broadway. And a new museum chronicles the life and advocacy of C. Civil War abolitionist Faddeus Stevens. This is the PBS News Hour from the David M. Rubinstein studio at WETA in Washington,

headquarters of PBS News. Cuba received a tranche of humanitarian aid from China this week as people there experienced severe hunger due to food shortages and economic crisis. This, says the Trump administration maintains that the island poses a threat to the U.S. but says dialogue remains open. So we'll be talking to that and we'll be working. on it. We want something good for the Cuban people. Having a failed state, 90 miles from our shores, is a threat to the national security of the United States.

Earlier today, I spoke with Cuba's Deputy Foreign Minister, and in this exclusive interview, we discussed the dire situation there and what she says is Cuba's right to defend itself. Deputy Foreign Minister Josefina Vidal, welcome to the NewsHour. Thank you so much for joining us. It's my pleasure to be with you today. You have said several times dialogue is key here. Dialogue is what can bring our countries, the U.S. and Cuba, together. Can you tell us, is there any dialogue going on right now between U.S. and Cuban officials? When's the last time the two sides spoke? The channel for dialogue is open. We have always favored dialogue with the United States and with any other country because we see. it as the only way for countries to discuss their differences and to look for a way to make progress in the bilateral relationship.

And we have reasons to have doubts about the seriousness of the United States side, considering that in the midst of our conversations, our contacts, the United States has continued to take measures, measures that affect Cuba and the Cuban people in a big way. I want to ask you more about that impact in a moment, but when you say the channel is open, does that mean that you are currently involved in negotiations with the U.S. government? And are you yourself involved? We have always handled these conversations historically, normally, in a discreet way, because we feel that it is important to create conditions for those countries to,

discuss openly, but I can reiterate that the channel is open. In the meantime, we've seen the U.S. government continue to ratchet up economic pressure. We should note that Cubans are no strangers to power outages before the blockade, but now we're seeing reports of hours-long power outages, most of the day, massive food shortages. Can you help us understand here? How dire is the situation on the ground in Cuba right now? Imagine a country not receiving in five months, one drop of oil. We have had postponed, for example, surgeries that has had an impact. The oil blockade on electricity generation and as a consequence that has an impact on health services,

on education, on water supply. The whole Cuban population is under a lot of pressure. And there is no justification for this collective punishment. Well, let me just put to you the argument we've heard from the Trump administration, which, as I'm sure you've seen in reports, the U.S. has now said that Cuba poses a national security threat to the United States. They claim Cuba is acting as a sanctuary for U.S. adversaries, just 90 miles away from the U.S. border. What do you say to all of those allegations? The United States government is not telling the truth.

So the United States agencies know very well that Cuba is not and has never been a threat to the United States. On the contrary, we consider that the United States has always been an existential threat for Cuba. So this is not the truth. Cuba is not a threat to the United States, has never been a threat to the United States. There are no foreign military bases. The only foreign military bases which still exists in Cuba is the U.S. naval Guantanamo base against the will of the Cuban government and the Cuban people. If I may just clarify, Madam Minister, the U.S. isn't alleging there a military bases. They're saying there are intelligence operations, essentially listening posts, personnel from China and Russia who are positioned there to use Cuba as a base to listen from.

Are you saying that's not true? No operations by anybody who might be a threat to the United States from the territory of Cuba. This is the case now. This has always been the case. Did the CIA director, John Rackcliffe, when he visited Havana recently, did he present any, evidence to support these allegations? I am not going to speak about such a business. Can you say if the U.S. has tried to present any evidence to Cuban officials to back up these claims? The United States has never presented any evidence officially to Cuba that might demonstrate

or show that Cuba might be a threat to the United States. This is a construction. This is a pretext that is being used in order to justify the escalation. that doesn't have any justification at all in order to continue punishing the Cuban people in Cuba. You've heard President Trump has repeatedly said he can do anything he wants in Cuba, that he can take Cuba in some form. You've seen an increase in UN surveillance flights around Cuba.

U.S. has positioned an aircraft carrier nearby in the Caribbean. What are you preparing for? What kind of action are you anticipating if there will be some U.S. military action? We are taking very, very seriously threats coming from the United States, and we have always been ready to defend our country. Unfortunately, so when you look at the history between Cuba and the United States, confrontation, hostility has been a permanent characteristic of this relationship. Self-defense has always been a priority considering. confrontation that has prevailed in our relationship. It would be naive for us not to be ready in order to defend ourselves in case there is an aggression from the United States to Cuba.

And what does that defense potentially look like? We don't see conflict with the United States. We hope it is prevented because we don't see any reason why Cubans and Americans should die because there would be solvance of death if there is an aggression and there will be a lot of destruction. When you say Americans shouldn't die as well, what is it that Cuba is prepared to do? I mean, President Diaz-Canal has said that Cuba will respond if there's U.S. military action. He said, we'll defend ourselves. If we need to die, we'll die. Is Cuba prepared to strike U.S. targets if there's U.S. military action?

Cuba will defend exultans. the American people who is about to celebrate in a little bit more than a month's 250's anniversary of its independence, will perfectly understand why Cubans are determined to defend our independence and not to have any foreign power to tell us what to do and how to do. The same feeling you have for your independence that Cubans have for our independence and we are determined to, to, to do it. advantage. May I ask you about the role of the U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, who we know has been leading many of the U.S. efforts in the dialogue and elsewhere. As you know, he is the son of Cubans, parents who left Cuba before Fidel Castro took power. He's also long called

for regime change. What role do you think Secretary Rubio is playing in the economic and pressure campaign from the U.S. right now? What I can say is that Secretary of State, Marco Rubio does not know Cuba. He has never been to Cuba. He doesn't understand Cuba. It seems that he is not familiar with Cuba's history. So the message that he sends, which is a very clear message of the United States wanted to dictate on Cubans what kind of political system or model or order we should have,

it reflects very clearly that he doesn't know us and he doesn't understand our human. history and how proud we are of our independence and our determination to defend it. President Trump has said he's dealing with people inside Cuba and there's been conversations about the potential for regime change. So what do you say to those reports and to this idea that in a dialogue, a leadership change could help to bring relief for the Cuban people? We are ready to discuss about everything with one exception, which is issues are relative related to our domestic affairs, internal order,

is up to the Cuban people and only to the Cuban people to design what we do and what decisions we've made regarding our internal and constitutional order. It's not a matter for another foreign power to decide for us how we should organize ourselves. So this is the main message. Apart from that, we are ready to discuss with the United States about every other issue in order to look for

ways in which we can coexist and we can cooperate. Madam Minister, in Cuba, though, in a one-party system where there's no other political parties, political pluralism is outlawed, there's no independent media, how can you be sure that this is what the Cuban people actually want? In just a referendum just a few years ago, all the Cuban population, older than 18 years old, was free to decide the kind of order constantly. referendum for the new constitution and the majority of the Cuban people supported that. So this is the fact.

Look ahead for me for the next two days or so, Madam Minister, where do you expect things to be over the next 24 to 48 hours when it comes to U.S. relations? I think this is a question that has to be asked to the United States government. I don't want to speculate at all. As I said, Cuba is a peaceful country. Cuba is a country of solidarity. Cuba is a good neighbor, has always been a good neighbor, regarding what kind of policy or attitude position

the United States would adopt towards Cuba? It's a question that has to be asked today in the United States, Dublin. Well, we thank you so much for making the time to speak with us today, Madam Minister. That's the Deputy Foreign Minister of Cuba, Josefina Vidal. Thank you for your time. It was good to talk to you. Thank you. This week, the head of the world's largest humanitarian organization is stepping down.

Cindy McCain has led the World Food Program for three tumultuous years through unprecedented humanitarian crises and global funding cuts. Nick Schifrin speaks with McCain now about her legacy and the future of humanitarian assistance at a moment when international aid covers less than half of what the world needs. Across the globe, the World Food Program says that more than 315 million people people face acute hunger. And for the last three years, Executive Director Cindy McCain has confronted multiple crises, two simultaneous declared famines, unprecedented attacks on humanitarian workers, from Gaza to Ukraine, and widespread funding cuts, including by the United States government.

Her final day is Sunday, and she joins me now. Cindy McCain, thanks very much. Welcome back to the News Hour. It's always a pleasure. Let me just start with that big number that I just mentioned. 315,000. That's more than double the number that it was in 2019. How have so many become so hungry? You know, I think it's a combination of things. There's so many new conflicts that have erupted around the globe. We've had climate change issues, as you know, we've had major environmental impacts

with hurricanes and with typhoons around the globe. It's really the perfect storm for food insecurity. As I just laid out, you've had a tumultuous, run as executive director, if it's okay for me to explain that. Two simultaneous famines in Gaza and Sudan declared we've never seen that in the past. We've had these attacks on humanitarian workers and crucially funding cuts, especially by the U.S. and you and the WFP have said that that could cause an additional 58 million people to face starvation. Do you leave this role with fear for those trends or faith that they can be combated?

I think a little bit of both, quite frankly. We have increased in famine and food insecurity around the globe. But I know what our teams are capable of, and I know what this organization is capable of. So the hope that I have is the fact that these people are in place. They do their jobs impeccably. They're also people that never tire. They will risk their lives to feed.

And so that's my hope in knowing. that all these people will be able to help those who can help themselves. But funding is a large part of that. And without the funding and without the political will of the world, we won't be able to do that. But let me also say, you mentioned Ukraine. Humanitarian aid workers are not targets. And we've been hit twice in the last two weeks.

And UNHCR was hit and another convoy that Ocho was hit. They're targeting us directly. and that's unacceptable. What does that say that humanitarian workers are being targeted in Ukraine? And we also saw hundreds, according to the UN, die in Gaza. It's a lack of respect for humanitarian law. It's the inability for us to really get the message out also and making sure that countries and regions understand what's at stake.

If we can't feed people, the worst of the worst is going to happen. They're going to migrate. Women and children are going to be hit the hardest in all this. The bad guys will intermingle in all this and really, really cause chaos. Food security is national security. Let me zoom in into a couple of the crises that you're facing. The most recent, of course, is the war in Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. WFP has estimated that some 45 additional million people could be at risk of acute hunger.

What happens if the strait is not open? And where is the impact felt the most? Our costs are 20 percent higher. So that's 20 percent less money that we can use to feed people because we have to buy expensive gas, expensive fertilizer. We can't move it as efficiently as we should be able to because access is denied. We need the straits open. One of the countries that you've been focused on so much in the last few years is the largest

humanitarian crisis in the world, Sudan. that is also one of the most vulnerable to the closure of the strait. Some 40 percent of the population there right now are facing crisis levels of hunger. As you said, higher prices for food and fuel means less food. What will happen to Sudan if the strait isn't open? You know, in the worst case scenario, the country could implode, I mean, and just turn into complete anarchy. To be able to keep people safe and to be able to feed people as well, not just with food, but safety. We need to be able to help stabilize the country, and food is the largest factor in that.

Take a minute to dwell on that idea of all of the families, all of the people who are hungry who you've met over the years. Is there one story? Is there one moment in the last few years that will stay with you and that you think symbolizes the needs, the crisis that the world faces right now? I was in Sudan, actually. And we were in kind of a camp that makeshift camp had been set up. People were just kind of lodging there until they could move on. But it was a mother and a child.

They took me into her dwelling, which is a partial tent. And this woman with all the hardships she'd had, she'd walked a great distance. And she had her child and another child with her who was not hers, but did she picked up on the road because his mother had died. And she said, with great dignity, said, we just need food. And she was so direct, she didn't want anything else from me. And she really said, take the message back, please. And please don't forget us.

I think that was one of the most, for me, I stepped and got out of the tent once I was finished. And it moved me to tears, to be honest with you. Unfortunately, your ability to help that mother and so many people who are around the world has been affected by funding cuts. This is not exclusively a Trump administration issue or a U.S. issue. This happened before the Trump administration. But can you talk about the legacy at this point of the depth of the cuts to USAID and all of the humanitarian organizations that the U.S. has cut off funding from and also the way,

the accelerated way that those cuts were made? Well, it's tragic. I mean, in terms of our ability to be able to operate. And it is not just the United States. It is worldwide. Most every country is either cut or had to cut funding to our organization and other organizations like us. So we continue to make our case to describe just exactly what we're seeing on the ground

and why food security is so important. This isn't all about defense, although defense is a large part of it, but food security is part of that package. It has to be because food is the way to stabilize regions and countries. And we can't, but we can't do it without everybody's willingness to participate in this and make sure that we can make it happen. We're losing generations of children right now, and that's not fair. Cindy McCain is the outgoing executive director of the World Food Program. Cindy McCain, thank you very much. Thank you.

Drug-resistant infections are a major public health threat around the world, responsible for more than a million deaths each year. So scientists are constantly trying to find and develop new antibiotics. Miles O'Brien reports on how researchers now say AI is helping to speed up their search. This is the front line in a biological arms race to salvage the crumbling foundation of modern medicine, antibiotics. They make surgery routine, protect cancer patients, and turn once deadly infections into minor inconveniences. Let's take a look at gonorrhea first. The discovery of penicillin changed everything, not least the treatment of sexually transmitted disease. It is a great boom to the private physician, to clinics, and of course, to the patients.

But success comes with a fatal paradox. The more we deploy this life-saving medicine, the last thing. effective they are in the long term. Melissa Anatar is a clinical microbiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital. It's unlike any other drug where when we use antibiotics, we, by definition, lose them. Because we're in this constant race with bacteria, where the bacteria can evolve resistance to our antibiotics in real time. Bacteria develop resistance to antibiotics through a simple process of evolution.

In any infection, there are millions of bacteria. and some have mutations that help them survive a drug. When antibiotics are used, they kill the vulnerable bacteria, but the resistant ones survive, multiply, and spread. Over time, these resistant strains become dominant, making the drugs less effective or even useless. There's kind of this never-ending war, these microorganisms. They're just not going to quit.

They do not quit. But neither does she or her colleagues here at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. Historically, to find and test new antibiotics, researchers would gather up some molecules stored in a deep-frozen library of compounds and then apply them, one by one, to a pathogen to see what can either stunt its growth

or kill it outright. Biomedical engineer Jim Collins runs the lab. It's a laborious process. It's very much kind of searching for a needle in a haystack that's an expensive haystack. They would find a promising molecule less than 1% of the time. Enter artificial intelligence.

Collins and his team trained a deep neural network to analyze the chemical structures of molecules. And bond by bond, substructure by substructure, so kind of these ball sticks that we all remember from our high school chemistry days, could associate those properties with being antibacterial or not antibacterial. And now a model was trained

that you could feed a new compound structure, these balls and sticks, and the model could calculate, could this make for a good antibiotic? They applied the AI to the library of 6,000 compounds here at Brode to find molecules that would make for antibiotics that are effective, are not toxic to human cells, and have not yet been discovered. Of the 6,000, only one molecule satisfied all three criteria, and it's a molecule we call

Hallison. And Hallison turns out to be a remarkably potent new antibiotic that kills multi-drug-resistant extensively drug-resistant and pan-resistant bacteria through a new mechanism of action. Then they deployed AI and computing power to virtually generate and screen 70 billion theoretical molecules to test how they might behave. In this case, AI is doing something computational chemist Andreas Lutton's does intuitively, instantly seeing what molecules might work against a pathogen based on how the balls and sticks line up. I usually work with a bucket system and then or a scoring system.

Like there's stuff that I really like, stuff that I hate. No, no, no, no, no, no, maybe, no. This is like small molecule Tinder. Yes, yes, swipe right. Exactly, yeah. It is a molecular dating app. You're trying to find compounds that you like and you can go quite fast in the selection procedure. He may be fast, but he can't match the scale.

and persistence of a machine. Depending on how much coffee I get, how long I can stay awake, it will beat me eventually. Which brings us back to Melissa Anatar and the pathogens she is focused on, Nyseria Gonorrhea. That's gonorrhea right there, huh?

This is gonorrhea. So you see these little colonies, grayish. Untreated, the sexually transmitted disease can escalate into serious, sometimes irreversible health problems. The bacterium is resistant to nearly everything, outsmarting new drugs about every five years or so. The currently prescribed antibiotic seftriaxone is nearing the end of its efficacy. Finding something new and potent is an urgent problem.

The AI system screened 45 million chemical fragments. From that vast universe, the most promising chemical seed was used to generate an additional 7 million candidates. After rigorous filtering, two of these new compounds were synthesized and tested against real bacteria in the lab. Is it really killing the bug in vitro, and is it not harming human cells? Pink means there's bacterial growth, and blue means that the growth is inhibited. So we want to see lots of blue. This looks like a home run here. So this one looks good.

This one was not as successful. In the end, there was one novel compound that killed drug-resistant gonorrhea. without causing serious harm to human cells. Not only can we find these antibacterial compounds, but they're actually inhibiting new targets. This was created from scratch based on what it learned from existing small molecules and drugs. Globally, drug-resistant infections

kill more than 1 million people each year. And if nothing changes, the experts predict that number will increase by 50% by 2050. So is resistance right now moving faster than the research to try to address it? Resistance had been developing faster than the research and development that had been underway. But I believe that this infusion of AI has now changed the game. We now have tools that have dramatically expanded our ability to discover and design new antibiotics. None of this will increase the speed of clinical trials in human beings, nor should it.

And it does nothing to incentivize Big Pharma to manufacture. new antibiotics, which don't generate big profits. But artificial intelligence might be one way to begin recharging a crucial pipeline that has dried up. For the PBS News Hour, I'm Miles O'Brien in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Death of a salesman tells the story of Willie Lohman, a traveling salesman chasing the American dream, but never quite able to reach it. Now the classic is back on Broadway in a new production that understands. scores the play's enduring relevance, and audiences and critics alike are responding. The revival has become both a box office and critical success, earning nine Tony Award

nominations more than any other play this season. Senior arts correspondent Jeffrey Brown joined two of today's leading actors, Nathan Lane and Laurie Metcalfe at the Winter Garden Theater for our Arts and Culture series Canvas. Willie, what has he got against you? I'm so tired. Let's not talk anymore. It's death of a salesman at once familiar and as we've never seen it before. Willie Lohman, played by Nathan Lane, his wife Linda, Lori Medcalf. Their sons, Biff and Happy, Christopher Abbott and Ben Allers.

But instead of domestic furniture, a 64 Chevy dominates the stage. Rather than their post-war home where the play is typically set, a timeless and placeless industrial warehouse. Are we in your mind? We're in my mind. Well, we're in Willie's mind. By taking it out of the domesticity of a house in 1949, I think it has freed the play. It feels like Greek tragedy.

It certainly is American tragedy, even the American tragedy. It's not what you say. It's how you say it, because personality always wins the day. Oliver, always thought the highest to him. You let me talk. written by legendary playwright Arthur Miller in 1949. Arthur Miller tapped into something,

and it is always teaching us about who we are, as human beings, as families, as mothers and fathers and sons, and who we are as a country. $200 should carry us, but that includes the last payment on the mortgage. Remarkably, one person who's never seen it, Lori Medcalf, purposely. Whatever production I sold. then the performance of Linda Lohman would be permanently, I wouldn't be able to think of it

without thinking of whoever's performance it was. So I deliberately stayed away from all the productions of it, thinking way down the line, hey, like now, I'd be able to do the role. But that's thinking way back, right? Yeah, way back. Yeah, yeah. Imagining this day my time.

She has seen very few plays. Yeah, it was he, it was relatively amazing. I don't get out much. So. Now 70s, she's definitively made an impression on stage and screen. A charter member of Chicago's renowned Steppenwolf Theater Company. Aunt Jackie on the hit sitcom Roseanne. I am.

Oscar nominated for her role in Greta Gerwig's film Lady Bird. No one's asking you to be perfect. Just consider it. Back-to-back, Tony Awards for 2017's A Dollhouse Part 2 and 2018's Three Tall Women. And now her own Linda Lohman, played with an unusual strength and fierceness. I don't say he's a great man. Willie Lohman never made a lot of money. His name was never in the paper.

And he isn't the finest character that ever lived. But he's a human being and a terrible thing is happening to him. so attention must be paid. We were looking for her to be a partner to Willie, looking for somebody who has boundaries, I guess, rather than zero boundaries. Like there are things that she will do for the family and then things that she won't put up with anymore.

Look at that body. It's disgusting. Nathan Lane is also 70 and also acting royalty. On screen in such films as The Birdcage and Stage. He's a three-time Tony winner, including for the producers. So in order for our scheme to work, we'd have to find a shorefire a flop. Like Medcalf, he dreamed of one day taking on salesman, but unlike her, he went out of his way to see it. I'm the exact opposite. I've seen many productions.

I saw it when I was 10 years old and was upset by it at 10. So I had to banish the ghosts of this production. He's got spirit! Renowned Willie Lomans have included Lee J. Cobb and George C. Scott, Dustin Hoffman, Brian Denahey, and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Most recently, Wendell Pierce, in a production that reimagined the Loman family as black. So I had to let go of all of that. But how do you do that?

Shock treatment. How do you do that? You take the play and you learn it, and then you go moment to moment with the people you are actually going to be on stage with in a rehearsal and slowly but surely you start to build your own, Willie Lohman. Pushing himself and his sons relentlessly to reach the American dream, dreaming of himself as bigger than he'll ever be,

Willie ends up used and discarded. In one famous scene, he implores his young boss, Howard, to let him stop traveling. I'm talking about your father. There were promises made across this desk. You mustn't tell me. You've got people to see. I put 34 years into this firm, Howard, and now I can't pay my insurance. You can't eat the orange and throw the peel away.

A man is not a piece of fruit. He's fighting. That's what makes him an interesting character. He's not the most likable guy. He's, you know, a massive contradictions and insecurities, but he is fighting for his life. I think that's why you root for characters like that, because they just don't stop fighting, whether they're likable or unlikable or whatever. You have to root for the tenacity of it. And in the reimagined timeless setting by director Joe Mantello in the creative team, all nominated for Tonys, you can't help seeing the enduring relevance of the play.

It even planted a few hints, including having Willie's boss hold a contemporary to-go coffee cup. You know, in 1949, Willie was seen as the victim of capitalism and the system, and he just can't understand why it's not working. I'm doing all the right things. And just like there's a lot of, you know, men in this country who feel they were replaced or erased by... Still today. By A-I, D-E-I, and they were promised something, and they're angry. And, you know, I think Willie could be counted among them.

It's emotionally powerful to watch. It must be emotionally draining to play. Yes, it's very emotionally hard to get through. You know, you leave your emotions on the stage, but mentally it's hard to keep the ball in the air for three hours. Yes, it is draining. It is, it calls upon. on everything you have, and you can't hide in this play. It is a play that tests you and costs you.

But every night when you hear weeping in the dark, you feel it's all been worth it. You hear it. You're on stage. Oh, sure. No, you can hear people weeping. But this is, I'm living proof that at 70 dreams can still come true. That's how it feels. To do this play is a privilege.

It is the ultimate privilege of my entire career is to stand on this stage and say, you can't eat the orange and throw the peel away. A man is not a piece of fruit. It's why I wanted to be an actor. Will you ask Howard to let you work in New York? First thing in the morning, everything will be all right.

For the PBS News Hour, I'm Jeffrey Brown on Broadway. Finally tonight, a report from PBS News student reporting labs. That's our high school journalism training program. They bring us the story of Civil War era Congressman Thaddeus Stevens, a fierce abolitionist and advocate for racial equality. His life and legacy are now being celebrated in a new museum. Liz McKenna has that story. The Southerners called him the scourge of the South,

because not only was he advocating for the end. end of slavery. He was also advocating for this total transformation of American society. Thaddeus Stevens is considered one of the most important voices for racial equality in the nation's history. He played a pivotal role in crafting the 13th and 14th amendments to the Constitution, the 13th abolishing slavery and the 14th enshrining birthright citizenship, due process, and equal protection into the fabric of this country. I do not hold with equality in all things, only with equality before the law. For decades, he was largely forgotten in the public imagination

until his sharp tongue and iron-willed personality was brought back to life in Stephen Spielberg's 2012 movie, Lincoln. How can I hold that all men are created equal when here before me stands stinking the moral carcass of the gentleman from Ohio? proof that some men are inferior. He was known for having really caustic wit, and so he would just let these zingers fly, both in personal interactions and even on the house floor. One of his political peers was known to say, I'd rather tangle with a porcupine than with Adia Stevens.

Now, a new museum has opened at the site of his former home dedicated to Stevens and his longtime companion Lydia Hamilton Smith. Lydia Hamilton Smith was born in 1815 in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. She was born in a tavern. Her mother was black. Her father was a white Irishman. And when she moved to Lancaster, it was because she wanted to take a job as Thaddea Stevens' housekeeper. Smith broke social barriers and became an influential and wealthy property owner and businesswoman. She accomplished a lot, both as a woman and particularly as a black woman. She also looked after Stevens when his health began to decline.

She kept him alive for the last eight years of his life through her caretaking and her assistance. And if not for her, we probably wouldn't have had Thaddea Stevens live long enough to secure the passage of the 13th and 14th Amendments. More than 150 years after the 14th Amendment was ratified, the Trump administration is now attempting to overturn its guarantee of universal birthright citizenship in a case before the Supreme Court. The 14th Amendment really embodies a lot of these questions of who is American, what does it mean to be American, and what are the rights that come with being American in a country or being American? is an idea, not just heritage. It is the foundation for key cases that so many people will be familiar with that provided desegregated access to education and civic life, provided access to property ownership regardless of race or gender.

It provided access to marriage equality, women's rights, equal rights. It is the foundation of our modern civil rights movement. Local high school students toured the museum before its official opening and discovered how Stevens and Smith's legacies helped lay the foundation for the country. Looking around at all the exhibits, I noticed how outspoken Thadde Stevens is and how he isn't afraid to speak his mind. And that's something I really like value in an individual. And it shows that he was actually human and like he was another individual, a part of our community. The history of the United States is activism and speaking out.

Visitors should take that into their lives today. And when they see things in the world that they want to change, they can look at examples like in this museum and know that they're capable of doing that too. For PBS News Student Reporting Labs, I'm Liz McKenna in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. And remember, there's a lot more online, including a look at President Trump's latest comments to PBS News about his requirements

to end the war with Iran. That is at pbs.b.org slash news hour. And that's the NewsHour for tonight. I'm Jeff Bennett. And I'm Amna Nawaz. On behalf of the entire News Hour team, thank you for joining us.