captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc ev >> woodruff: gooing, i'm judy woodruff. on the newshour tonight, the president meets withna congressioleaders at the ofwhite house with no sign deal to end a government shutdown stretching into a third onek. then, the situatiohe u.s.- mexico border grows more violent as bordepatrol agents again fire tear gas at rock-throwing migrants. plus, a medical mystery: an update as researchers scramble to figure out what's driving the polio-like conditionhat has spiked among children in the past year. >> we feel a responsibily to the public, to the mothers, to the children, that even though it is rare, we feel a responsibilityhat we're going to figure it out. >> woodruff: all that and more on tonight's pbs newshour.

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>> supportedy the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. committed to building a more just, verdant and peaceful world. more information at macfnd.org >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions: >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewe like you. thank you. >> woodruff: from president trump today, a new warning. he says the partial government s utdown will last as long as it ta get funding for a southern border wall. congressional correspondent lisa desjardins begins our coverage. >> desjardins: public trash cans spilling onto national parks,

as the government shdown sp.ls into its twelfth day national park services can't clean up the mess until congress and the president reach a spending deal. president donald trump started che day meeting with his cabinet and indicating nge in his demand from democrat >> the united states needs a >> desjardins: hours later, he s,sted a meeting with top congressional leadncluding democrats, in the white house situation room. aterward, it was clear th not changing position either. we want strong border security, we believe ours are better. but to use the shutdown as hostage is wrong. >> desjardins: congressman kevin mccarthy, who will be the top republican in the house stard ng tomorrow tporters the group of leaders will next meet friday. enis athe effects of the partial shutdown w today, smithsonian museums

locked their drs and furloughed workers after burning through surplus funding that allowed them to stay open for nearly two weeks. disappointed visitors were left in the cold. >> amazing! it's closed! >> we knew about the shutdown, but we thought it mighodbe open even. it's a disappointment. of course it is. >> not necessary, really just all about posturing,his could be worked on a whole different way, sensible minds will prevail eventually, we like to think.s: >> desjardinhe next move is expected from democrats, who will take over the house of representatives tomorrow.rs within houthey are expected to try a new tack, isolating the wall issue, by passing one bill dealing with the border funding security fight. erd a separate bill that would reopen every othurrently shuttered agency.t ither none of those spending bills includes money for the wall, a position the white house said in a statement yesterday, was a "non-starter."

the president wants $5 billion foa wall or steel slat fen at the border. the democrats' now offer $1.3 billion for border fencing, and another 300 million for other serity installments. meantime, at the quiet capitol, on the last full day of the outgoing congress, senate chaplain bry black opened with an unusually blunt prayer. >> rise mercifully upon our darkened hearts, and deliver us from the trench warfare of yet anothegovernment shutdown. >> desjardins: each day of the shutdown, stakes and political pressure rise, with 800,000 federal employeeunsure if they will get their next paycheck. >> woodruff: and lisa is here now with more details. so we just heard the chaplain say, tree -- trench warfare. what are the democrats doing?

>> they are testing the president's resolve. they will pass one fill bill that will fund most o the government that is shut down, putting almost 500,000 federal workers back to rk immediately for the rest of the year. then a second bill would fund the department of hoacialght for only a month, democay that will allow time to debatewh her wall money should happen or not. the president has nodai she'll support this. we got a readout from the democrats who said chuck schumer asked if the president would support the bill to allow most of government to reopen and e president said i would look foolish if i did that. this is what democrats saye happened in eeting. didn't hear from the white house. >> woodruff: i taped an interview with the wte house communications director who said atey wouldn't go along with that. a sense of when and whether a breakthrough could be possible? >>ext week will be key as to whether this could end before

workers lose pay or wheer it will be a long one. cre sense we get from top republicans and des at congress is they think both sides are digging in. hink this could last qui a few more days, if not more weeks, and we're hearing those words "weeks," now, from some of our leaders. >> woodruff: and, so, at this point, we saw who's beingfe ed to some extent, but when are more government employees going to be affected,a where and w they? >> i think a key date to watch is january 8, or about a week from now. t that is the day on which most of these affected actsies, right around that day, they have to notify payroll, and if they don't have funding by that day, around a week from now, that next paycheck, which is due in two fridays, will be delayed or frozen. so that is where the pressure can mount on congress. about a week from now, we'll see if workers will get their pay or not. those who are federal workers, git contractors, judy, as we have been reporting, have already been affected by this, some of them losing their p

and a lot of them very nervous. also, one thing to rep, this is hitting federal workers harder arw because the medical deductibles are reng now. so anyone with medical expenses starting at zeroith thousands of dollars of medical costs and no paycheck now. a >> woodrufot of people familiar with having to think about that. all of this is happening in af transfer power, the house of representatives going from republican to democratic control. >> that's fasciting. thisan historic first. we've not had a shutdown in tween comings and a transfer of power like. this i think we're seeing this is lengthening the shutdown because the two sides are testing each other. this is facecally a game of chicken between the democrats and the republican prsident. one other thing, among those agencies affected, not congress, not the white housge, conress has funded itself, all of its staff, fully paorid, the same f the white house, and by, law,

cabinet officers and anyonein apd by the white house, they are put during a shurnt. so as much as they control what happens to federal workers, none of the workers directly under them are affected. >> woodruff: wonder what the public thinks about all that. >> i think i can guess. lisa desjardins, thank you. >> you're welcome. >> woodruff: we will continueth our look ashutdown with views from the white house and a leading democrat in congress after the news summary. in the day's other news,tr presidenp said he's hopingfor a second meeting, soon, with north korean leader kim jong un. on new year's day, kim had said he, too, would like to meet again this year. he also said he is still committed to denuclearizing the koreas. u.s. talks with the north have stalled, but mr. trump argued today that good things are happening. >> we'll probaoty now have r meeting. he's like to meet. i'd like to meet. but we'vestablished a very good relationship. we're given no credit for it. you know frankly if this administration didn't take tiace, if another administ

came in instead of this administration mainly mike and myself you'd be having a war right now; you'd be having a bi r in asia. >> woodruff: the president also defended his decision t withdrops from syria, but he suggested he's no hurry. mestead, he said it would be "over a period of utah's incoming republican setor mitt romney spoke ou today against mr. trump's performance as a moral leader."t romney wrote i washington post" that, "the president has not risen to the mantle of the office." and, he went on: "presidential i leadershqualities of character is indispensable. and re is in this province whe the incumbent's shortfall has been most glaring." the president fired back on twitter, saying, "would mucher prhat mitt focus on border security" and "be a team player." the united states is pressing russia to free a former u.s.

marine accused of espionage. russian authorities arrested paul whelan last week, andda they allowed the u.s. ambassador to visit him. in brazil, u.s. secretary of state mike pompeo said he wants more information. >> we've made clear to the russians our expectation that we willearn more about the charges. i come to understand what it is he's been accused of and if the tention is not appropriate we will demand his immediate return. a woodruff: whelan receiv bad conduct discharge from the marine corps 10 years aghe s now head of security for aas u.s. auto parts supplier. his brother says whelan was in moscow for trested.when he was in russia, the deal climbed to 33, after an uiplosion destroyed part of a 10-story apartmenting in the western city of magnitogor. crews kept digging into a huge mound of rubble today, and found 14 more bodies.

yesterday, they scued a baby boy, still alive despite freezing temperatures. officials have said monday's explosion was apparently caused by a gas leak. chinese president xi jinping called today for unification talks with taiwan. he also warned that independence for taiwan is "a dead end." in a beijing speech, the chinese leader said renification must come one way or the other, including military means. >> ( translated ): we are willing to try our hardest with e biggest sincerity for the peaceful reunification of the motherland, because it serves the best interest of the compatriots across the straits and the whole nation. but we will not rule out the use of force and will reserve all options of necessary measures. >> woodruff: taiwan's president rejected xi's call for reunification, but did not rule out talks. taiwan split from china after e communists won power on the mainland in 1949.

beijing still considers it aga re province. japan's aging empemar akihito ha his final new year's appearance, before he abdicates in april. an estimated 150,000 well- wishers gathered outhe emperial palace in tokyo today. akihito greeted s he has every year since assuming the throne in 1989. his eldest son, the current crown prince, will take his place. and, back in this country: wall street started the new year with another bumpyide. the dow jones industrial average gained 18 points, after dropping nearly 400 in the opening minutes. it closed at 23,346. the nasdaq rose 30 points, and the s&p 500 edged uphree. still to come on the newshour: e president meets with congressional leaders to discuss the ongoing government shutdown. tensions rise on the u.s.-mexico border as agents fire tear gas

at rock throwing migrants. brazil's new far-right president takes control as the u.s. looks to transform its south america strategy.s and researchramble to understand a mysterious polio- like condition that has spiked among children in the past year. r >> wf: let's return to the rvernment shutdown and the failed attempts ch a deal. uswe start with the white mercedes schlapp is president trump's director for strategic communications. i spoke with her a short time ago out the president's high stakes meeting to re-open the ntvernment. >> well, at this pas the president talked with these members and listened to the democrats today in the congressional meeting, the president basically doesn't -- will not move forward unless

ere is some border security funding. it's very clear he and his team sent out of a good-faith of -- offer to the democrats practially one or two weeks go and the democrats refused to negotiate. want to get to the point where there's a negotiation at the table. it's why the president said he want to reconvene a meeting friday with the democratic and republican leadership to help solve this problem a come to conclusion. >> woodruff: let's talk about the amount because the number 5-plus billion has certainly been thrown out. that's on the table. you yourself said in an interview last week, the white l house king for something between 1.5 and 5. vice president in a meeting on the hill last ek apparently said we're prepared to look atha of 5 billion. is the president prepared to move below that 5 billion number in? >> look, i think this is part of the negotiations that we're not

going to negotiate in public right now. idwe know that the vice prt as well as the president presented an offer to the democrats. the democrats said no. democrats are stuck o the $1.3 billion figure. that's obviously not going to be enough, and what they proposing right now, there is absolutely nothing, there is non fufor the border wall, and we're talking abo a physical barrier. as we know, when it came out of committee, it was 1.6 bth that both democrats and repedublicans paand now they're saying 1.3, and now they're saying zero. >> woodruff: let's talk about what it means by border security, because the president keeps saying it's a wall, but sp manylicans we talked to, even other administration officials say what ts really iis secury, electronics and other items, and it's not l.tirely a physical wal >> well, this one in particular is the physical barrier. we're looking at steel flaps, for example, as being one of the types of fencing that we're

looking at. the president has actually tweeted out a photo about that and actuay it is a wall hat we have built. the democrats actually made an interesting point where the like, we don't want a concrete wall, and we responded in saying it's not a concrete wall, it's steel flaps, it's a physical barrier. we want to get to the point -- we know the steel flaps workde along the band that's what we're asking for in terms of what we need to build there hu of miles left that we need to do for the wall. >> woodruff: so the presilint es that this physical barrier is worth the disruption that this is causing, 800,000 government employees, people not getting their paychecks, government facilities staying closed? >> well, i think the president has made it very chat he wants to see border security funding included, and what happened is that we came in with a good-faith offer, the democrats refused to negotiate.

at this point, we want to be le to for theto listen to the facts. secretary nielsen made a greatng point duhe meeting where she said that right now it's not about a status quoua siton, it is about a krypses situation, and we cannot expect status quo funding. woodruff: let me ask yo two quick questions about syria. the president originally, a fewa weeks agod he wanted to pull out of syria quickly. now hg e's sayt could be four months. which is it? >> we have to follow th the fleo the department of defense, they understand the operations and logistics. as wknow, the president has made a commitment back in the days of his campaign that he was going to bring the troops home. we have accomplishedork we needed to do in syria, which is destroying the territorial caliphate. we did that, now it's time to bring our troops home, and that is what thentresiromised and that is what he has committed to do and he is going e to movward a withdrawal from syria and, of course, it's going

logistically led by the department of defense. >> woodruff: and we are told there are still 10,000 i.s.i.s. fighters in syria, so the president believes they can be eliminated in four months?in >> aas we discussed, it's not just the united states that has played a very important role there, but you also have syria and russia that are fighting i.s.i.s. they don't want the i.s.i.s. territories in syria, so that will be a continued fight. >> woodruff: in othe mercedes s, so much to discuss on this wednesday afternoon. thank you so much. >> thank you so much. >> woodruff: and now for a democrat's take, we turn to the incoming house majority leader steny hoyer, a democrat from maryland. he joins us now from capitol hill. leader hoyer, first of all, tell us abo white house late this afternoon. what came of it? >> well, i don't think there was in the product of the meeting. i think positions were restated. very frankly, we said, look, we are for border security.

the objective is not the issue. the means of assuring border security is what we are debatin. ab but what we should not do is shut down government duri the course of our discussions. reasonable people can discuss how best to secure the border without taking hostage 800,000 people and, frankly, the millions of people who rely ony the daerations of government. >> woodruff: as you know, president trump has been talking a long time about wanting border security, nt ago border wall. he is now saying, the white house is saying, we just heardsc from mercedeapp, the president is prepared to tegotiate on the wall, but they say democrats are . >> well, i don't think it's accurate"t when he saye wall," we are prepared to negotiate on border security. we want to me sure that the borders are, in fact, secure. we've said that. we want to krip amens safe, we want to keep our country safe, and, at the same time, we want to follow th l, making

sure those who are seeking asylum from danger to themselves d to their families, under american law, gdt heard an get adjudicated properly. but our presentation to thees ent was, mr. president, don't polerrize -- penalize 800,000 people or the country while we negotiate. we're prepared to negotiate. e discussions wi you, but understand, we mpromised very greatly, judy -- after all, thesee all republican bills. these are not our bills. these are not our bills that we passed out of committee or on the floor of the hou and the senate, that doesn't mean we didn't vote for them, we compromised, as is e legislative process. so the deals we're suggesting the president sign are all products othe house and the senate, and the senate, franklyo has unanimously voted for all of these bills, notan

ously but almost unanimously. >> woodruff: but mr. hoyer, to the public, what it looks like is the president is saying, okay, i'd lik $5 billion, give or take, for this boarpd. i'm willing to take less than that, buttimes are sayng're not going to give you anything for the wall. so, to many in theic publthis may look like the democrats are the ones who are not prepared to do any give. w >> jud said i would be glad to shut down this government? who said, i will take full responsibility for shutting dowr this govent? who for months and, frankly, more than a year has said a trutdown may be good for our co no democrat said that, no democrat wants to see the government shut down, and we are prepared to negotiate and discuss. i will say this, we votedhoor a land security bill, many of us, believe that homeland security is important but disagree that the wall is the means to achieve that, and that does not mean that we are not prepared to negotiate on how to

make our borders more secure and our counany safer. weto do that. we think that's proper to do, but this president ising take all of our republican bills and then, by the way, i've got something else i want, too. that's not negotiation, that's ultimatum. >> woodruff: so the democrats' position, then, is we're not going to spend a penny for a a physical barrithe border. that's correct? >> no, i don't think that's our potion at all. as a matter of fact, we've supported fencing in the past. b >> woodruf then why -- if you look at the record -- >> woodruff: why isn't thre room for compromise on this, then? >> i didn't say there wasn't room for c.ompromi i said we are prepared to negotiate and compromise, judy, making the boarsd secure, and we're prepared to listen to experts. as a matter of fact, as you know, there was a comprehensive immigration bill that was on the floor in the senatn e passed bipartisan vote, sent to the house, and we asked the republican leadership, put it on the floor, let us vote on it, p and ovided for over

$40 billion for border security, but asked the experts to tell us how best to accomplish that e. we asked people ton -- it be put on the floor five years ago and the rensubli refused. we think while discussing, the besthay to accomplishe objective, we ought not to shut down the parts of governmentin that have noto do with the wall or border security, per se and negotid make it only till february 8th, or we'll shut down gwen the -- again the homeland security department. hopefully in the next five weeks, we can reach an agreement. woodruff: there's no place in between the two positions,so there is som of negotiated settlement here. >> i hope we do. there'a basis fn agreement to achieve border security. f: let's wait. let's hope we don't wait too many. >> woodruff: incoming how to

majority leader steny hoyer. thank you very much. >> thank you. w >> woodruff: let's look those bearing the brunt of the shutdown. the country's largest union for p deral workers is suing the trministration over the shutdown saying the government owes damages to the 400,000 federal employees working without pa j. david cox is president of the american federation of government employees, who filed the complaint. mr. cox, thank you very much for joining us. so, before i ask you about the lawsuit, what do you make of this back and forth between the white house nd democrats? >> part of it, clearly, there0 are 800,ederal employees who are being held hostage w, january 11, will not receive a paycheck. 420,000 of them are being required to to work every day, do their job, and will not get paid on payday. the otherave been sent home, furloughed, without pay a current time. that touches the lives of at

least 2.5 million people. that's unconscionable. >> woodruff: you're talking leout the tangffects of this. >> yes. >> woodruff: so the lawsuit was filed, your organization filed this lawsuit yesterday on what grounds? >> on the grounds of the federal fair labor standards act hahich sayst the government or any h employ to pay its employees at least a minimal mount ofney. this lawsuit was filed during the last government shun tdd was won. and it goes back to a depression era law where it sayhes even federal government has to pay its employees at least a minimal amount of money, the minimum-wage, and i'm not an absolute expert on all the technicalaws of it, but still, yet, clearly, it was won in the st government shutdown. and no other employer in this country is allowed to require its employees to go to work and refuse to pay them on payday.

>> woouff: what you're saying, basically, is it's okay if you connue to argue abo the government and whether it's shut down or not but you need to y these employees? >> you need to pay the employees. you need to fund the people's government. the government belongs to all the citizens of this country. right now b,order patrol agents are on the border, patrolling the border, correctional officers are in prison guarding us against some very harmful other folks, the coast guard, are doing their job loans can't get processed foris people of ters of the floods and fema, all these type things are beingelup because these employs are eitherqu furloughed or ed to go to work. that is no way to run a country. what if google or amazon did this to their employees? everybody would be on the news continuously. on the federal government does

this to its employees. >> woodruff: do you believe this could be settled, this lawsuit could be heard and cided on in the next few days? we're hearing -- >> we don't believe it wille heard in the next few days. anything with the court system, the department of justice is not funded, and, so -- >> woodruff: so they can't ar the suit. >> they can't hear it, but the process will go forward with the lawsuit, as was the case in the last government shutdown. but the real issue right now is funding the federal government, paying federal employees, and most of our members take-homepa is $500 a week. that is not a lot of ney. $500 a week. they are not going to be able to put a roof over their he, feed their children, all the things that are necessary. they are becoming very, very scared and concerned. >> woodruff: and that was my question. for people watching who may not

know anyone who works for the federal government, you're saying they are real people with real needs. >> yes, ma'am. real people. right now, these ar cooks who cook the food in federal pen -- pepenittiaries. not high-paying jobs, but they're required to go to work and quook e food but don't get paid on payday. no federal employer. the vernment is the only entity that exempts itself from paying its employees twhain don't have an appropriation, but there is this one process in the law where it says that they have to pay a minimal amount that goes back to a depression era stance in the law. >> woodruff: j.david cox, the president of the american federation of government employees, we thank you. >> thank you so much.ng let's bhis shutdown to an end and put federal employees wack to work caring for the american people. we want to go to work and do our jobs. >> woodruff: thank you

thank you. >> woodruff: for the second time io recent weeks, u.s. customs and border proteofficers fired tear gas yesterday into a crowd of migrants in mexico. thgroup of about 150 were trying to cross into the u.s. from tijuana, near san diego. u.s. oicials say some were throwing rocks. authorities in mexico have been struggling to accommodate the thousands of people awaiting entry into the u.s., a fleeing violence and unrest in central america. for a closer look at our southern border, amna nawaz joins me now. so, amna, thank you. what exactly happened at the border yesterday? >> right. so this is actually late monday, early tue'rsday. just getting details last night, but this is what u.s. officials say happened there. ongroup tried to illegally

enter the u.s. by making their way over concertina wire, another group ofcials say were throwing rocks at officials on the other side. officials say they fired tear aks at rock throwers, not the migrants trying totheir way, they were using pepper spray, tear gas and smoke and they say usiorng minimum necessary to defend the border and restore order. they say no ildren were affected by the chemical agencies. there was discrepancy about that by rorters on the ground. we don't know about the folks trying to ake their way across the bored. we know the folks are part of the bigr group. the president tweeted about the caravan. ryey made their way to the border, denied e they have to wait in mexico now, and that led to the clashes in novembera of last that was the first time that tear gas had been used against these folks, me of those iconic ims, moms fleeing with kids in diapers away fro the tear gas. hard to imagine those things ar happening on our own border.

which are so hard to watch. so this use of tear gas is n something that happens often. it's happened, you were telling today, some times before. but why are we seeing it now twice within a short period of time? >> it's important to point t it's not uncommon. law enforcement uses it regularly hre, border patrol used it did before even under previous administration, what's unusual is to use it against the folks seeking protection at air border and firing int anothe country to do that. there is legal questions about that and just about the appropriate use of force in response to the seriousness of the threat, and threat is rt of the key word here because the administtion views what's happening down there as a threat, as a crisis. we hear this word again and again. we heard the psident today say the border is a ziff, really true, border crossings are at historic lr s. we hhe president saying we have to shut down the crossings to stop drones across the border.

most illicit drugs come at legal ports of entry. there's a crisis and the ldministration has been responding to ie a crisis. >> woodruff: so what are the options for the government d border agents? what do we see happening here? >> next it looks like the folks on the other side of the border will continue to be held there. they're sort of in limbo. th're stuck in mexico wher asylum claims processed. we've heard reports of 40 to 100 a d you're talking about thousands of people who don't know what the future holds for them, whoit don't have unl funds, who are in a dangerous border town and don't know what the future will hold. >> woodruff: and in terms ofon administraolicy, any sign that there is any give there? >> well, you've seen the toministration make efforts narrow some of the asylum paths. they arerying to say if you cross illegally you are not alload loud to make an asylum claim. the courts pushed back against that because remember, whether

you cross legally or illegally, you have a legal right underal u.s. internatiaw to make an asylum claim and have it heard been ourwo legal framerk, whether or not it gets grantedd. in the e >> woodruff: right. amna nawaz, thank you so much ry. following this sto >> of course. >> woodruff: brazil celebrated e inauguration of a new president on new year's day, and jair bolsonaro was greeted with open arms by the trump administration. foreign affairs correspondent nick schifrin tells us who he is, and wh amounts of hope and fear. >> schifrin: jair bolsonaro rode into office in the back of a a rolls royce, on the back of widespread anger at brazil's elite. and with the help of pomp and circumstance, the former army captain became brazil's first modern right-wing leader, as an unabashed nationalist. >> ( translated ): this is our

flag, which will never be red. >> schifrin: red as in socialism, and red as in the rty of his political opponents, former president luiz inacio lula da silva, whis in prison, his successor, who was impeached, and most recent president michel temer, who was accused of corruption and embraced bolsonaro before he spoke. >> ( translated ): i stand before the nation today, on the day the people became free from socialism... ...free from the gigantic state, from the politically correct. the ections gave voice to those who have not been heard. >> schifrin: his supporters call myth, a reference to the almost mythical status bolsonaro achieved after surviving aem ser stabbing, and to his middle name: messias. they expect him to save a onuntry by fighting corrup ending recession, and ruling conservatively. >> ( translated ): family values, no corruption, no

robbery. this is what i e tect from him next four years. >> schifrin: today bolsonaro presented his cabinet and quickly followed through on a campaign promise. these falands are on the edge of the brazilian rain forest. in the past, fmers that wanted to clear forest, had to get permission from a group that considers the rights of thke indigenous, hese members of the munduruku tribe. but bolsonaro ordered farmers' requests would now go through a pro-business agriculre ministry. bolsonaro also promises to end brazil's left-leaning foreign policy, and embrace conservative leaders. secretary of state mike pompeo is in brasilia, as iisraeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu, and hungarian prime minister viktor orban. today in a press conference with brazil's foreign minister, pompeo described bolsonaro as like-minded. >> we think the people of america and the people of brazil have aet of shared values in democracy and liberty and freedom. >> schifrin: but bolsonaro's long been accused of sexism and authoritarianism. in 2014, after pushing a lawmaker, he yelled, "i would

not rape you because you are not worthy of it." and last week his son posted a profanity-laced video of his father promising to make it easier for police to kill spected criminals. but the u.s. wants bolsonaro's help. >> we know too, we will have the opportunity to work alongside of each other against atarian regimes around the world. en schifrin: that's a reference to ending presidobama's engagement with cuba, and confronting nicaraguan president daniel ortega, and venezuelan osesident nicolas maduro, government has overseen economic catastrophe, causing millions of venezuels to become refugees. bolsinaro was ected to fix domestic problems, and could face internal resistance to foreign intervention with the substance and style of the trump administration. as president trump tweeted: "congratulations to president jair bolsonaro who just made a great inauguration speech. the u.s.a. is with you!" to understand what this means

for brazil and t region we get two views from: fernando cutz. he was director for south america on the national security council staff duri the trump administration. he's now a senior associate at thcohen group, a consultin firm. and, elizabeth leeds is a senioa fellow at thington office on latin america where she focuses on brazil. thank you very much. arnando cutz, let me strt with you. jair bolsonaro, is he the right man for this moment? you know, i think, overall, he is. i think that he certainly will have some challenges. i think he's said some things that are certainly, you know, offensive to some, i think certain things he sre certainly more to have the populist side of, you know, any candidacy, but, in big picture, i think he's got the rig things down. brazil right now needs three things -- an economic boost, it freeze corruption to end, and it needs crime to just severely go wn. and i think bolsonaro came in and made a point of promising

and hamhrmering these things down. now is the tough part, he has to deliver on these threings. if he can, all things point toha he at leasthe right team around him, i think he will truly lead wre siliin t right direction. >> can he tackle all three things, perhaps despite some of the human rights concerns that people have? >> well, i think the human c righcerns are certainly as serious ue to be considered in this new administration. let me fous a little bit on the crime. this is one of the major issues that the population has been concerned about, but the proposals that he, at least initially, has put forth, i think, will only increase the crime and violence. he's proposg essentially liberating the use of guns kgvilian population who do not have criminal baunds. he's also almost given

carte blanche to police to kill almost with mpunity. and it's been shown in the past that violence gen violence. so i think, at least on that particular set of issues, he will be going at it in the wrong way. >> fernando cutz, there was a t saw,r video, as we jus in the piece before we started talking, where he talks about00 20 killed, meaning police n kill 200,000 would-be criminals. doesn't that concern you? >> of course. so far, it'srhnly etoric, though, and i think that's the key difference. i mean, there's a giant leap that goes from the rhetoric phase to the duterte phase in the fill bones where he starts to actually massacre people. i think congress would certainly t buy it a american businesses would certainly not buy it so it goes back to

policies on boosting economy. if you want foreign direct investment from the united states, americans aren't going jump in with a country that massacres its people. >> secretary pompeo called polls bolsonaro like minded, the national security advisor john n bolton said t same is the u.s. on the right track to ally with this scenario? >> well, i think in terms of dealing with these regional problems and conflicts, the correct way go about it, at least initially, is to not do it in a bilateral way or a a trilateral way but to use institutions such as the organization of american states which exists for dealing in part with regional conflicts. so i do not agree with this troy cay mentality. >> i totally agree that in an

ideal world the u.n. would be taki up thisituation. unfortunately, they've proven themselves to not be willing o take this up or to be incapable of taking this up time and again. and was at the white house, one of the things we really burned for was for oas action against venezuela and to pass resolutions. so i think we need regional ueadership. the problem of ven is a regional cries. if you look at the migrants, the refurees, thetreaming into colombia, brazil, ecuador, peru, and it's a regional problem and calls for a regional solution, it's not a u.s. bilateral problem. so i think it's time for the region and i think bolsonaro might be the right guy too this to take this issue up and address it on their own and show leadership. the united states has taken a lot of actions against venezuela. i think it's time for bolsonaro and the region to owake thein actions. >> can u.s. an bolsonaro be --

brazil be the leaders? >> i still maintain the leadership has to come in a more regional wayi not feel that this is bilateral efforts will do anything. i think, in terms of venezuela, it will make the situation even worse. >> so, fernando cutz, theic crm is you increase the pressure on venezuela, that might actually hit the venezuelan people more and cause more refugees than there already are. >> absolutely, and i think that's a key reason why we haven't gone after, for example, an oil embargo. the united states consumes 95% of venezuelan oil that is actually sold, south a significant part of thei g.d.p., and if we were to cut that off, of course we could effectively shut down their avonomy. but weto look at the other side of it which is what happens to the venezuelan people? essentially we would create in

humanitarian disaster withini venezuela ans our mess at that point. so i think we very much have to think carefully about the ramifications for the people of venezuela. having said that, i think theret are a lot ofs that can be taken by president bolsonaro and others ithe region to isolate diplomatically maduro to put pressure on him ar nd innecircle without harming the people of venezuela, filing individual sanctions against individual regime members, going after the narcostate that is venezuela, making sure drugs aren't pouring in or out of the, ir borand indicting folks, to be honest. go after these people, put theml in the inter list, don't let them leave their country, don't let them spend their corrupt money, and i think that will r shake thategime to its core. >> last words,re you worried u.s. and perhaps brazil will take on venezuela and other countries and increase rather than decrease instability? >> i do worry. i think that's a distinct

possibility. to what exent thesactions will affect brazil in particular, i know that fernando mentioned the venezuelans pouring in to the where zillion borders in the nor, so we're getting back to the violence issue. there has been a tremendous amount of violence against venezuelansh coming intoe border. so i think brazil is beingaf cted personally by this and i do hope that ohe kinf reactions that the bolsonaro government will take will not increase the violence within venezuela. >> elizabeth warren, fernando -z leeds, fernando cutz, thank you both. >> thank you. >> woodruff: for the past few arars, a mysterious polio-like illness has beenyzing children in the united states, often striking after a

illness, peaking every other year, and reaching record highs in018. it's called acute flaccidel is, or a.f.m. while it's extremely rare, case3 were reported states last year. but dcotors and researchers say ey still don't know what causes it or how to stop it. amna is back with that sry for our weekly segment on the "leading edge" of science, technology and medicine. >> will you hold my head?g >> i am holdinur head. >> nawaz: four-year-old camdyn carr begins every day like this. >> push, push, push! c >>'t! >> you can! >> nawaz: hours of therapy at baltimore's kennedy krieger institute. >> do you remember wha does? >> nawaz: camdyn is relearning what, his dad chris carr says, he knew just weeks ago. e do you remember about him? before he got sick? what was he like? >> oh, he was just, hell on wheels, can i say that?! (laughter) >> nawaz: i think you just did! >> i mean, as soon as he hits the floor, he's nonstop until he goes to bed. in late august, camdyn developed

a sinus infection, nothing major. but when he woke up one day dizzy with a swollen face d ving trouble walking, his mom and dad took him to the hospital. days, camdyn's body beg to shut down. for a brief moment, his heart stopped.th what wenugh your mind at that moment? >> i thought i was going to lose-- it was hard. but, you know, i had to be strong for him and show him everything would be alright, hard as it was. but, like, i askeds he doctors, is going to kill my child?" >> nawaz: camdyn was revived,in but spent week medically- induced coma. when he woke up, he was paralyzed. unable to even talk. tests confirmed he'd developed a.f.m. when it strikes, a.f.m. attacks parts of the spinal cord that control movement, sometimes paralyzi arms, legs, shoulders, hips and facial muscles. in severe cases, the respiratory

system is also affecd, making it hard to breathe. but strangely, feeling and sensation remain and cognitive functioning is unaffected. day by day, millimeter by millimeter, camdyn is slowly regaining movement, starting in his toes. researchers say the chances of getting a.f.m. are just one in a million.n in 2014, we centers for disease control and prevention began tracking a.f.m., there were 120 confirmed cases. the next surge in 2016 saw 149 cases. in 2018, that went up to 186, scattered across the country. the c.d.c. has now ld a task force to focus like a laser on the illness and the national institutes of health, or n.i.h., an underwriter of the newshour, has ramped up their research too. but so farcovery little is lusive. >> its either a brand new virus, an's an enterovirus or it' immune response. >> nawaz: dr. anthony facti is ae direor of the national

institute of aller infectious diseases at the n.i.h. >> it's frustrating that we don't have the answers, ret we feel a dof urgency here. we feel a responsibility tthe public, to the mothers, to the iildren, that even thoughis rare, we feel a responsibility that this is a mystery and we've got to tackle it. we're going to figure it out. >> nawaz: another mystery? some develop a.f.m. after an illness, while otherson't. >> in a community you may have hundreds and hdreds of children who get infected and only a rare one will get it. >> nawaz: more than 90% of a.f.m. victims are children. the average age of those affected? just four years old. back at kennedy krieger, just next door to camdyn carr, is four-year-old ava janeski. always the performer, this was ava and her twin brother just weeks ag on a sunday in october, she climbed statues in a park.

monday morning, she had a fever. tuesday afternoon, she couldn't move her legs. by wednesday, she was on a ventilator, fighting to breathe. >> it's very scary. especially at this age, she just turned four, you know, don't understand and they turn to you and give you that look to fix it, and when you can't, it's, it's, you feel very helpless. >> will you hold my hand? >> i'lhold your hand. and that's what we've been trying to do a lot of. just a lot of hand-holding asu trying to re her. >> nawaz: ava must now re-train her atrophied muscs how to move in very basic ways. the work can be painl, but in the absence of a cure for a.f.m., therapy is all that can be done. ava's doctor, cristina sadowsky. >> if you want to be a really good pitcher, u're going to practice pitching, over and over and over again. so, that's one of the things that we can tell the parent is that if you practice, if your

child practices this specific movement, hundreds, thousands of times, we have the chance of getting you there. >> naw: among the most severe cases of a.f.m., experts say they have yet to see a child make a full recovery. but with early intervention and ongoing intensive therapy, they have seen patients make incredible progress. >> help the family has a good day. >> nawaz: in 2016, the entire ttomley family in york county, pennsylvania, came down with severe colds. but only sebastian got a.f.m. >> this is when i got sick. >> nawaz: when he started stumbling as he walked, his mom, christa, knew something was terribly wrong.an >> basas always been our more, most coordinated, athletic child. he's always been very vigorous, very wild, high energy. and for him do anything uncoordinated was out of the ordinary. >> nawaz: more than 2,000 hours is physical therapy later, sebastian can moveands and

arms more. and $100,000 worth of special equipment, about half covered by insurance, have helped him regain some hip and leg muscle. but his mom says some things will never be the same. >> it was very hard to watch me see my child's personality change before my eyes. and sometimes i would watch and be like, do i even know my own ild? he was going through a huge trauma. to me, it was surreal. but to him, he was very much living this as a disaster second by second. >> this is chicky the chipmunk. >> nawaz: chicky the chipmunk? >> yeah, it's a hilarious name. >> nawaz: but experts say children's resilience after the initial disaster is what makes their recovery possible. kennedy krieger physical therapist, courtney porter. il>> i find that kids are really motivated. any way that you can teach a kid to do what he wanted to do, whether it's, you know, pick up a toy from across the room or just go visit a friend across the room? like, they'll want to do it?

whether that means they walked and ran like they used to, or we put them in a wheelchair and they drove over? sui find they're still jusr motivated to do it, and they're gonna figure out a new way. >> nawaz: do you have ubt that sebastian will walk again one day? >> of course i do. of course i do! that not something i tell hi though. everybody has doubts. but, what, if i had, if i had to put my money on it? no. he is going to walk someday. that's something that i, i need to believe that in order to push this hard. so my official answer is i have no doubt he is going to walk someday. >> nawaz: with a little assistance, and a lot of grit, sebastian continues to move forward. >> keep going, sebastian! >> nawaz: his mom hopes for more awareness and information abt a.f.m., so that other kids won't have to follow in sebastian's footsteps. >> nawaz: for the pbs newshour, i'm amna nawaz in york,

pennsylvania. ne >> woodruff: on thhour online right now, our january pick for the pbs newshour-"new york times" book club "now read this" is called "heart: a histor" read along and find our discussion questions to guide you. that and more is on our webws site, pbs.org/ur. and that's the newshour for tonight. join us online and again here tomorrow evening. foall of us at the pbs newshour, thank you and see you soon. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> you can do the things you like to do with a wireless plan signed for you. th talk, text and data. consumer cellular. learn more at coumercellular.tv

>> babbel. a language app that teaches real-life co ersations in a new language. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and individual >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. rsd by contributions to your pbs station from vieike you. thank you. captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc

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