on air and online. you can follow developments around this news and other news on our website, pbs.org/newshour and of course tonight on pbs "newsour." we now return you to regularly-scheduled pbs news programming. >> this so i couldn't do anythin.

when i took my family out, they were already dead. laura: the u.s. supreme court strikes down new york's law requesting the right to carry weapons in public, in landmark ruling expanding the rights of

americans to bear armsutside the home. and the u.s. committee here's how donald trump put pressure on others to overturn his election defeat. republican lawmakers involved in the scheme asked for presidential pardons. ♪ and the lasting impact of music on the lives of children, from one of scotland's most depraved states. ♪ -- most depraved states. laura: welcomeo "world news america" on pbs and around the globe. we begin tonight in afghanistan. taliban officials say that the main search for survivors for the devastating earthquake have ended. more than a thousand people are thought to have been killed. relief efforts have been hampered by the destruction of roads. entire villages have been

destroyed, survivors finding it difficult to bury their dead. our correspondent reports from the worst hit area. repoer: homes reduced to rubble, lives reduced to memories. these were my son's shoes, says ga. his three young children were killed in the earthquake as they slept, as well as his two wives. when the roof fell down, what did you do? >> i ran towards my family, but everything was under the rubble. even my shovel, so i couldn't do anything. i shouted to my cousins, but when we took my family out, they were already dead. reporter: it is a three-hour drive to the nearest big city. the worst affected villages are along dry roads. here, practically every home is destroyed, every family

grieving. people here didn't have much to begin with, but they have seen their homes, their possessions -- you can see them scattered among the debris -- and their loved ones, disappear in a single, terrible moment. in this one home, 18 people were killed. habib racetrack across the border from pakistan to help barry 20 of his family members. >> if the worldook so nice like brothers and helps us, we will stay here on our land. if they don't, we will leave this place where we have spent so long, with tears in her eyes. reporter: the taliban have been flying in a down helicopters. the search-and-rescue effort is now finished. the most pressing need is shelter. families forced to live in

tents, flanked by the remnants of worms they worked so hard to construct. khaled is now responsible for his five grandchildren. two of his sons and his daughter were killed in the earthquake. >> my son's children have been left to me, and i am all they have left. the house and everything here has been destroyed. we will never be able to rebuild it. reporter: aid agencies are delivering supplies, but this is a major crisis. [chanting] here, prayers for the nearly 50 people killed in one tiny village alone. prayers needed, too, for those who have survived. sikande kamani, bbc news. laura: the u.s. supreme court said today that law-abiding americans generally have a right to carry a handgun outside the

home. in a major expansion to the right to bear arms in america, the ruling struck down a law in new york that limited people's right to carry concealed weapons in public. the justices ruled that this law olated the constitution a right to bear arms. the ruling comes after recent mass shootings in the united states have led to calls for stricter gun control. let's get our rrespondent in new york. what is the impact of this ruling to be not only in new york, but in other states that make it really difficult for you to carry a concealed weapon in public? reporter: the concert here in new york is that it will mean more guns in the street. the new york mayor eric adams said when he spoke to his team asking about the threat level here, they put it at a 10. we have in the syria surge in gun crimes, it is a central platform of this mayor to tampa down on that.

so he is concerned that this will harm that effort. as you mentioned, a handful of other states with similar laws, they, too, will have to examine their laws to see if it is in noncompliance with the supreme court ruling. laura: you have reported from the scene of that mass shooting on the new york subway just a couple of weeks ago. are we going to have a situation where potentially more new yorkers are ableo carry concead weapons in public because they have a right to self-defense? reporter: well, look, the supreme court made clear that this ruling doesn't prevent new yorkers from having to get that proper license that states can deem certain parts of the city as sensitive areas like the subway. like times square. what we know is that lawmakers are looking at how they can have

a comprehensive review of deeming certain areas as sensitive, of looking at what other laws they can put on the books to limit guns in other ways. we saw governor kathy hochul after the reset mass shooting in buffalo, already limiting assault weapons, limiting bullet-proof vest being owned by private citizens. so new york is really trying to see what else they can do. but yes, the supreme court is expanding gun rights in a way that the interpretation of that very law could p other gun measures up for consideration at the highest court as well. laura: is the supreme court ruling babies justices at odds with what public opinion shows the american opinion is ongoing restrictions? reporter: laura, the majority of americans are in favor of

tighter controls on guns. certainly after this ruling which many in new york had anticipated, given how their election split out in november, we spoke to americans and many of them say that even those who are concerned about the protection of the second amendment, who feared that there is this larger plot to take away people's guns, that that should be protected, the second amendment. but those key measures to keep americans safe, that that is something that is supported by the majority of americans and it should be sething that lawmers are able to rally around. so what we're seeing now in the senate, 15 americans joining with the democrats to try to pass the first gun control measure in decades, even that doesn't go as far as advocates would like and what a majority of the public would like to see. laura: neto fee, thank you. as she was just saying, as the supreme court issued the ruling making it harder for states to

place limits on who can carry guns, here in washington, in response to the recent mass shootings, u.s. senators are racing to pass a new gun safety lock. my guest worked at the white house with president george w. bush, and is with me now. can you explain to everyone how two things are happening at once, the supreme court expanding the right of americans to bear arms in public, and yet lawmakers in response to recent mass shootings are going to restrict who can own a gun. guest: i think what we got today in the supreme court is that they said new york, you cannot infringe on the ability of people in certain circumstances to own a firearm. our second amendment to our constitution is very clear that citizens shall not have their ability, their rights to be infringed upon by the government. that is one thing that your viewers around the world need to understand, is that the government has the burden, not a citizen, about their ability to

bear arms. so there is one thing there. the second thing is that there are 15 republican senators who have said, enough is enough looking at buffalo, looking at these other mass shootings and saying, let's find a way to pass legislation and have certain limitations. let's put some money aside for mental health, try to find a way to mitigate the violence. so it is ieresting, as neda just mentioned, overwhelming numbers of americans support restrictions, by the supreme court day said, we are going to expand the second amendment, not restricted. laura: stay with us, we will come back to you with more news on the other big story of the day, and that is today's hearing of the committee investigating the january 6 attack on the u.s. capitol. the focus of that hearing was the focus that president trump placed on the department of justice to overturn president biden's win. he wanted a different attorney general, we heard today, who

would do his bidding and investigate voter fraud, even though there was no evidence of any. today it was a senior department of justice official who testified how one jeffrey clark tried to convince president that he should be attorney general. even drafted a letter, which horrified the other lawyers. >> i made a point that he is not even competent to serve as attorney general he had never. been a criminal attorney, he had never conducted a criminal trial in his life, and he kind of retorted by saying, well, i have done a lot of very complicated appeals and civil litigation and environmental litigation and. >> i said, that's right, you are at environmental lawyer. how about you go back to your office? ed pat cipollone weighed in at one point, i remember him saying , the letter this guy wants to send is a murder suicide pact. it will damage everyone who touches it. laura: ron christie, you worked

in the white house. can you believe conversations like these were going on? high-level lawyers, just days after the election that president trump had lost but did not want to accept he lost? guest: no. you know what this reminds me of? the saturday night massacre during watergate, where you had a number of senior department of justice officials who got fired straht down the line, to get the presidents bidding taken care of. here it sounds like they were trying to do something similar. let's displace this or that lawyer until we get to the one who will do president trump 's bidding. i haven't seen anything like this in the last 50 years. i don't think americans have seen or heard this. the notion that you had all attorney general's getting together and saying, we can't let this happen, i find as a lawyer and office of the court here in washington, d.c., i find it very chilling that these conversations were taking place

in a well-functioning white house, in a well-functioning justice department. those conversations should never have taken place. laura: the committee also heard that there were republican lawmakers who were supportive of the scheme, who after january 6, asked for presidential pardons. not the greatest look, right? guest: it is not. under article ii of the constution, the president can grant a pardon to anne for any reason at all, whether they committed a crime or whether or not they believe a crime may have been committed. so the notion that you have republican lawmakers seeking out a pardon, or seeking out the white house counsel to say, hey, maybe i could get a pardon, kind of makes you wonder what they had been up to. laura: it does indeed. the fact that they were making a link between the pressure and what happened is interesting. but what are these hearings doing to the standing of former president donald trump with republicans, do you think? guest: you hear a lot more talk,

looking at the 2024 elections, of looking at alternatives. look at the governor of florida, ron desantis, for example, looking for perhaps a future-looking republican candidate as opposed to looking back and really getting the past election the donald trump represents. what i have seen and heard is people have said, there are many policies i agreed with president trump on, but we need to turn the page and move on. as close as we go to the 2024 election, you are going to hear a growing chorus of "let's turn the page." laura: do you think it is credible that top republicans are running for the hills and saying that this committee is a partisan hoax, but yet we keep hearing from republican officials about what went on? guest: i have two views. i think speaker pelosi could have worked with minority leader kevin mccarthy to have had more diverse republican voices on the committee. that being said, we heard very

compelling testimony from the georgia election official earlier who feared for her life, her mother feared for her life. you have got to actually hear from those who were on the ground, in the building, about what they saw, what they felt. to me as a republican, i look at this and think, how can we not as a party, as a country, try to peel back the onion to ensure we get the facts, but to ensure that this never, ever happens again? laura: ron christie, thanks so much for being with us on site and in person, which hasn't happened for a couple of years. european leaders have approved both ukraine and moldova as official candidates for membership of the bloc. the ukrainian president zelenskiy hailed the decision as a unique moment. french president emmanuel macron said it sent a very strong signal to russia. and speaking earlier today, the head of the european council, the body that oversees the e.u.,

also called the move historic. >> the decision to grant candidacy to ukraine and moldova, we are ready to grant candidacy to georgia once priorities are addressed. >> this is an historic moment which allows us to design the contour of the european union. laura: staying in ukraine, a british man sentenced to death by a russian proxy court in ukraine has been tolthe execution will be carried out. . he was captured alongside fellow u.k. nationals while serving in the ukrainian army and accused of being mercenaries. his family in england has called for more to be done to help release them. our rrespondent reports. >> it has been an agonizing week for both of them. since being told they face the death penalty. the sentence was handed down a fortnight ago to the two men and a moroccan national and unrecognized court in an area controlled by russian-backed separatists.

your phone rings to say that your son is going to be killed. reporter: in a phone call to his mother, aiden aslin said his captors had informed him that the execution would go ahead. >> was given one month, and time is running out. aiden was told that he was going to be executed. reporter: the uk's foreign minister has called it a sham judgment with no legitimacy, but hopes for a pardon or an appeal for his family appear to be fading. aiden and shawn have lived in ukraine since 20 19, appearing here in a documentary made after they became marines in the ukraine armed forces. >> even though i am not ukrainian, this is on my doorstep. reporter: after the russian invasion, they spent weeks

defending the besieged city of mariupol before having to surrender. >> these are two men who came here a few years ago before this invasion started. reporter: speaking from ukraine, another member of the marines who served in their unit said the death sentence showed russia's disregard for international law. >> iis absolutely dire. at this poini really hope that the u.k. government as well as the ukrainian government is going to step up and figure out someway way to negotiate their release. reporter: how is this being seen in ukraine? >> it actually rallies more people behind them, they look up to them as heroes. reporter: meanwhile on the state sanctioned russian television, they have been shown little mercy, publicly mocked and accused of terrorism. the u.k. government says it is deeply concerned about the sentences and is continuing to work with ukraine to try to secure the men's release.

there has been reluctance to get involved in direct negotiations with russia, those who are holding the men in donetsk. >> president putin has the power to stop this. so i plead, please, let these guys go. reporter: for now, their fate appears to remain in the hands of russian-bacd separatists. aiden aslin's family hopes he can still be saved by a prisoner exchange, but feared that situation is becoming more desperate. laura: britain's prime minister is in rwanda ahead of a meeting by the commonwealth heads of governmentm as well asefending his government's policy of sending asylum-seekers there. over deputy african editor reports. reporter: the prime minister's first visit to rwanda, just over a week after the first flight carrying asyluseekers from the u.k. was canceled. first on the agenda, a meeting with the host, president pl

kagame me. the two governments are keen to proceed despite the opposition they have faced. tomorrow that p.m. faces a potentially fraught meeting with prince charles, who is reported to have described the deal privately as appalling. >> people need to keep an open mind about the policy. critics need to keep an open mind. they can see it's obvious merits. if i see the prince tomorrow, i will make that point. reporter: rwanda is hosting this meeting for the first time since joining the commonwealth in 2009. at the time, a politician thought the move would help improve things in water. she returned from europinto a to run for president i thought in myeart, maybe the u.k. would help wonder to become a democratic country. reporter: did it? >> know, if you criticize

authority, you are labeled to be the enemy of the state. reporter: she recently missed her son's wedding, blocked by the government from leaving the country. she was eight when she left for europe to try her hand in politics but it up in jail. she says british leaders should visit politicians in jail who are imprisoned here. the rwandan government has disputed these accounts, in said human rights and democracy are a work in progress not just here in rwanda, but across the commonwealth. hosting this event is a source of pride for them. rwanda has pulled out all the stops to make an impression. the country is i think the opportunities that this meeting might bring. but the commonwealth spotlight, in the recent migrant deal with the u.k. might also bring to light issues that the country would prefer to remain hidden. laura: a decade ago, a classical orchestra came to play in sterling in scotland, inviting

children to perform alongside them. the adl was to use music to save lives. our correspondent has been back 10 years on. reporter: sterling 2012, and a moment. >> i rember one of the most special moments in my life. reporter: gestapo du -- gustavo dudamel, and the simon bolivar chestra. >> it was a special and unique moment. ♪ reporter: but this was more than just a concert, it was part of an experiment. could music change lives? 10 years on, we have been finding out what has happened to the chdren. ♪ for instance, luis, here, he is now at the royal welsh college

of music and drama. >> it was a major turning point. around the time of that concert, i was like, oh, you can actually do this as a job. reporter: violinist luc has just completed a degree in music. change your life? >> absolutely life-changing. yes. what would reporter: reporter: have happened without music? >> that's a good question. the answer to that question, i am not sure. it is a very hard question. reporter: and this little girl with the trombone? ♪ is simone hutchinson, now entering her third year at the rhode conservatory. this is where it all took place, over there. >> right there. reporter: did it change you? >> 100%. i was totally inspired. reporter: it is not just her, as you can see, he now has his own symphony orchestra. [singing] >> gustavo reutimann was himself

a product of a similar scheme, and 10 years on, we should him what had become of the children. >> thank you from the bottom of my heart. >> it is amazing that one encounter -- wow. reporter: no one is pretending that the estate still doesn't have its struggles, but these days, it is better known for its music. ♪ people like ben here, on tt uba. >> i love it all. reporter: and imogen. ♪ before big noise, researchers say they found one child learning an instrument. there are no more than 400. ♪ [applause]

laura: music changed the lives of luke and simone. i am laura trevelyan. narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is provided by... narrator: financial services firm, raymond james. narrator: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. by judy and peter blum kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. and by contributions to this pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. ♪ ♪ narrator: you're watching pbs. ♪ da-da-da-duh-da-da-da♪ ♪ da-da-da-da-da-da ♪♪

♪ judy: good evening. i'm judy woodruff. on the newshour tonight, expanding gun rights. the supreme court strikes down a new york law that restricted who could carry a gun outside the home. a decision that will have ripple effects across the natio and the hearings, day five. the congressional january 6 committee explains how former president trump tried to use the justice department to overturn the 2020 election and what stopped him from succeeding. >> did the department insert itself into the political process this way i think would've had grave consequences for the country and may very well h