captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc >> woodruff: good evening. i'm judy woodruff. on the newshour tonight: a major complication. president trump threatens to reject congress' long-awaited covid relief bill, if his demands are not met. then, the pardon power. the president issues multiple contractors convicted of killing civilians in iraq. plus, "unfinished business." as americans are living longer, we examine the economic benefits of some older workers choosing to remain in the workforce. >> as older workers who are very experienced and knowledgeable retire from the labor force, we lose that productive capacity

at a time when we actually need ivmore productive capacity the demographics in the country. >> woodruff: all that and more, on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs nehour has been provided b ♪ ♪ moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us.

>> supported by the john d. md catherine arthur foundation. committed to building a more just, verdant and peaceful world. more information at macfound.org

pp>> and with the ongoing t of these institutions: and individuals. >> this program was made possible by the corpblation for pu broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. the united states marked another gruesome milestone today, as deaths from covid-19 topped 325,000. at the same time, many more americans are feeling the economic impact. the labor department reported 800,000 new jobless claims last week, and as many as 14 million people could lose unemployment benefits at the end of the year, unless president trump signs the covirelief bill passed by congress on monday. while the white house originally signaled he would support it, the president posted a late yesterday hinting that he would not sign unless congress increa $600 to $2,000, and cut out what he called "wteful spending." for the latest, i'm joined by

anna palmer, seniowashington correspondent for politico. so muha for being here, so we e this threaten veto, we also have the actual veto-of-the defense authorizeation bill but let's art with covid relief cause that's what so many americans are counting on. where does it std right now? >> it is really unclear what the president's end game is. he is now saying that he is going to veto it unless there is $2,000 in direct payments. but this really isn't about the substance of the bill. the president for months has not been an-- he has been negotiations, both republicans and democrats thought they had the deal, the white house asagreeing to it for the several days. both sides have been kind of gloating about the fact thate they were a get this done. and right now it's going right down to the wire.di government f runs out december 28th but some of these unemployment benefits en onsaturday. and so far the president isn't on the same page as republicans and nobody really knows what the >> woodruff: and it appears he

is not on the same page as hiss own officin his own secretary, steven mnuchin was in these negotiations and went w alh the $600. is that correct? >> he was very much a part of these negotiations. an even the white house spokesman just minutes before the esident went and put out that video was on air defending things. as a win for the white house. it was really going to be seen by a lot of republicans in the white house as a wor the president to save face, leave vfice wh not only thccine coming out but also relief for the millions of americans who so anna, if we kw that the. house is going to come back into proforma special tomorrow, and we unarstand the pln is speaker pelosi was saying that they will put this 2,000 on the floor. it is expected that republicans willn swrect or what?

>> yes, senate minorit house minority leader mccarthy was in a phwie calh republican lawmaker this afternoon and signaled that the repnolicans woulbe in favor of this unanimous consent motion that they expect to hae members object to it. eo that basically is a nonstarter 6789 if it got anywhere in the house it really it a nonstarter in the senate. there would defly be objection there. but this is really the question of what does the president do next. basically republicans in congress are calling the president's bluff. yvetteoed one bill this week. will yvetteo another and will they override it, that is the >> and it puts hi the side of the democrats. irony of ironies. d then just quickly, anna, horizeatiodefense aut bill, the president has vetoed that.er does that stand. >> a bill that had passed for the last 59 years straight. this was not unexpected. both republicans and democrats

knew that the president had toyed with vetoes it. they will with all expectations that they will override this veto and that it will become law. >> and hisobjections have too do with several things. some of it is legal liability know.ig check companies, we ere were several reasons, apparently. >> yeah, he doesn't like whereen some of the ing is. he's been critical of that. has beenknow, thi again i think sometimes where the president is versus where the reality of how bills become law in congress, he's prey divorced from that process. this has been something that has been negotiated in both chambers by republicans, by democrats.co they'v to an agreement on it. certainly the white house has been briefed on it.ny so it is not big surprise. he just has decided that this is something that he was going to not be able to support and they are going to at the end of the day, tis will be the first time congress has overridden a veto of president trump during his

term. >> and finally anna, coming back to the covid relief bill, this is again emphasizing something you sid a moment ago. republicans had heralded this, the two republicans running inse thoste runoffs in georgia. were halding this sayingt s a great thing and then the president turns around and says >> a lot of people are looking at this as if this is a loyalty pledge to the president. he is very frustrated that most republicans in washington, in he senate, inhouse have moved on from the election and his claims thatve been totally proven to be false, that he didn't losthis election. and so because of the electoral college vote on january 6th a lot of people believe that he is maybe holding this up because this is a a way to kind of burnn he house. this is not gad for republicans. two snalt republicans in georgia who not only are running on thie asact that it will help folks who really needed the aid in their sites but that ths

was how they are kind of members who make washington work. i thpart of their argument. send us back because we are going to be there to get things for georgia done. i and thgoing to be a real hard argument for them to try to make if the president does block this relief and potentially force a shutdown. >> woodruff: remarkable dram as we know, as so many people are waiting to find out whether this relief is coming not. sena palmer, senior correspondent,ior "politico correspondent, anna, thank you. >> woodruff: now, to the faout from president trump flood of pardons and commutations last night. mr. trump's latest round of

executive clemency was a nearly 50% increase from the number he granted in the previous four years. william brangham reports. >> brangham: the overnight swirl of news from president trump included an off-camera announcement about new grants of clemency. there were 20 recipients in al pardons for 15 of them, five others receiving commutations for their sentences. some, like george papadopoulos, are familiar figures from special counsel robert mueller's russia investigation. papadopoulos was an aide to the 2016 trump campaign, and alexn r zwaan was a lawyer with links to former trump campaign p chairml manafort. both papadopoulos and van der zwaan pleaded guilty to lying to investigators. both received pardons last night. three republican former congressmen were also on last night's pardon list: stevstockman of texas was serving his sentence for money undering and fraud; chris collins of new york was

serving his ntence related to an insider trading case; and duncan hunter of california was close to starting his jail sentence for misusing campaign funds.d collins anhunter were also among mr. trump's earliest supporters in congre. all three received pardons. according to dang kolbecome organize, a professor at capital university in ohio who studies executive clemency. >> a very heavily disproportionenumber of the parties that he-- pardons that he has granted has been to those or whom he has a connectio is beholden or who have lied to protect him. >> some the predent's previous bards and come taitions went to other allies like confident roger stone and his former national security advisor michael flynn. theh of whom were swept up i the announcement of papadopoulos's p justified it by saying it was to "help correct the wrong that mueller's team inflicted on so

many people." normally, the juisice department involved in reviewingio clemency pns, but the >> it looks like the vast majority of pardons and come outations that the president has issued have not gone through the office of pardon. in fact the vast ity of pardon applications have been dismissed without any action at all. so almo every one of appear to have gone drtly through the know for certain.u > >> brangham: last night'sce announnt also included pardons for four former blacs,ater security contractor convicted in the 2007 killing of more than a dozen iraqi civilians in baghdad, including two young boys. the massacre sparked an international uproar in the the white house poind to evidence issues in the case. still, today, this baghdad resident expressed outrage.

>> ( translated ): the infamous blackwater company killed citizens at nisoor square. today we heard they were by u.s. president donald trump, as if they don't care for spilled iraqi blood. blackwater was founded by eric prince, himself a ump ally and brother of secretary of education betsy d de devos. now we want to take a deeper look at the implication ofs of blackwater pardons and for that gary solis.by retired colonel he also an adjunct professor of law. colonel, very good to have you on the newshour. ese four men were convicted by the u.s. government for their role in massacring these iraqi civilians, unarmed civilians. do you think that this was an appropriate pardon? >> absolutely not. there is no basis fothis

pardon. there is no judicial err ior. th no societial wrong that is cured.e thople were convicted, the primary person in the trial was convicted of murder twice. and sentenced to life twce. the other three were convicted of volume tear lanshter, sentenced to 30 years, there is just no reason that ican see har these pardons. >> bra supporters of these men including some that the invtigation into this massacre was tainted from the start. that the iraqi police did most the initial investigating, that the fbi didn't show up for several weeks, d that in som ways that the cake was already really began.the invesgation what do you make of that, that assertion? >> i would mply sayat they are in error to think that, there were investigations by the fbi that found that theswere

indeed unwarranted shootings that occurred. there were investigations by the u.s. military that found e same thing and of course there were two trials that found the sameehing. initially charges were dismissed because they were wrongly based on grants of immunity. but then they went to tri another trial and they were convicted. i don't believe there is any basis to attack the credibility and the justness of these convictions. >> brangham: so your sense is that even though, i mean the iraqi government clearly wanted us to prosecute these men for muer. d the d o.j. did handle this case and brought enormous damounts of evidence iraqis to the united states to testify. you are confident, you are a former judge and a retired marine colonel, you are confident that these men got a fair trial and that they are guilty. >> there is not a doubt in my mind, no.

we have-- throughout the middle east al-qaeda, taliban, isis, we have provided them now with a hammer with which they can beat us any time we utter the wods we the united states, utter the words justice or fairness. and for what reason? it is hard to understand why this was done. because throughout the middle east, particularly on iraq, of coursenow they know that the united states promising fairness and justness, a jutcome has let these individuals go free and they're not going to forget it. we're going to be a long time overcoming the distrust of america's word on the basis of this case. y >> brangha think there are long-term implications fore u.s.-iraqitions from this? >> absolutely. this is not here today gone tomorrow for them. these are people who saw 20 of

their individuals wunded, 17 of them killed, including women and children, or a woman and child, and they are not going to forget this tomorrow, next week or next month. no, i think that this is something thats going to be with us and we may be paying a pre for for a long time to come. >> brangham: what is your sense for what this might do for u.s. service members serving abroad or u.s. contractors whon are hel i mean these men were there as a security detail fortate partment officials in baghdad. what is your sense of what thisa on might mean for all of those forces of ours operating elsewhere in the world >> any time you have distrust among the people whom you are trying rve and protect, you've got a problem. the people in the middle east ere we are so heavily engaged now and tomorrow, as i say, are not going tforget that our word was not worth anything n ea assured them of justice in a case that ly cried out for

justice. there was absolutely no reason, no alibi for these shngoo for these killings. and now we let them free.e asid before, they're not going to forget ths. and that distrust will translate to combat ants' deas and injury down the road. >> brangham: all right, retired marine general gar solis, thank you very much for being here. >> you bet. >> woodruff: in the day's other news, pfizer agreed to give the u.s. an additional 100 million doses of its covid-19 vaccine, doubling its current comtment. in return, the u.s. government promised to help the company ge better acc manufacturing supplies.

the u.s. has now vaccinated more than a million people since it first staed 10 days ago. that news came as millis of americans geared up for holidayv and celebration. state officials like new york governor andrew cuomo >> celebrate, but just be smart about the way you celebrate. avoid the density, open the window, take a walk outside. just be smart about the way you celebrate. celebrate smart. stop the shut-downs. >> woodruff: meanwhile, the white house corovirus response coordinator, dr. deborah birx, said she will soon retshe, amid backver her out-of-state travels over the thanksging holiday weekend. but she promised to stay on lo enough to help the incoming biden administration. british cargo and travelers slowly made their way into france today, after a two-day blockade was lifted.

it aimed to prevent the spread of a new covid-19 variant in the u.k. but a massive backlog of trucks remains near channel ports and highways in england. the gridlock is expected to take days to resolve. that comes as britain's health secretary warned his country has detected yet another new covid >> this new variant is highlyca. concerning because it is yetmo transmissible, and it appears to have mutated further than the new variant that has been discovered in the u.k. president-elect biden formally his nominee for secretary of education in wilmington, delaware today. the connecticut education commissioner is known as a strong advocate for public hools.

if confirmed, cardona said one of his top priorities will be addressing inequities within the education system that have been exacerbated by the pandemic. >> it's our responsibility, it's our privilege, to take this moment and to do the most american thing imaginable-- to forge opportunity out of crisis. to draw on our resolve, our ingenuity and our tireless optimism as a peop. >> woodruff: cardona also supports re-opening schos during the pandemic. president-elect biden ha pledged to re-open most of them by the end of his first 100 days in office. the f.b.i. says iran was behind online efforts to incite violence against its director, christopher wray, an officials earlier this month. they targeted individuals who refuted president trump's false claims of widespad election fraud.

ousted homeland security department official christopher krebs was also among more than a dozen people threatened. their images, home addresses, and other personal information were posted on a website, with crosshairs over their photos. in ethiopia, more than 100 people died in a new massacre over ethnic tensions today. the ethiopian human rights mmission said that the attack happened in the western part of the country, separate from the ongoing conflict in tigray. it is not clr yet who the attackers were. amassive fire erupted tod a temporary migrant camp in northwestern bosnia. thick black smoke billowed over tents as residen jumped fences to escape the flames. officials believe someesidents stheted the blaze to protest camp's planned closure for winter refurbishing. bosnia has become a bottleneck for thousands of migrants hoping to reach the europe. hong kong media tycoon jimmy lai

was granted bail today, after three weeks in custody. the prominent beijing crit was charged under a national security law that punishes dissent in the semi-autonomous chinese territory. he walked out of court today after being placed under house arrest, and barred from making public statements. back in this country, consumersp ding fell in november for the first time since april.4% the rop came amid the normally bustling holiday shopping seaso and, stocks were mixed on wall street today. the dow jones inal average rose 114 points to close a 30,130. the naaq fell 37 points, and the s&p 500 added three. ndill to come on the newshour: infections aeaths from covid-19 continue to rise ahead of the holiday weekend. the u.k. faces the dual challenges of a pandemic

lockdown and potential no-al brexit. we travel to maine to examine the politicadivisions that remain in the wake of the election. plus, much more. >> woodruff: one state that has been hit especially hard recently by the rise of covid cases, and has gotten a lot less attention nationally, is tennessee. while its numbers are smaller haan larger states, tennessee had the highest rate of new cases and infections in the country twice this week. some hospitals are nearing capacity of what they can handle. stephanie sy has this update. in sy: judy, just to underscore that at least 25 tennessee hospitals

had completely full i.c.u.s last week, and the main problem when we talk about capacity is staffing. more than 3,000 tenesseans are currently hospitalized from covid. the ate reported more than 4,400 new cases and 133 deaths yesterday. and, more than 6,200 people have died since the pdemic began. chattanooga is seeing its share of all of this, unfortunately. andy berke is the mayor, and he joins me now. mayor berke, thank you so ch for being with us, inw are ths in chattanooga and what is your greatest concern right now?he >>reatest concern is the really difficult times that we're going to sxee over the net 60 to 90 days as more people are indoors, as we continue to see the holiday season ply out, and what is going to happen there. we're seeing deaths escalate here on a very large basis. and wehave to be concerned for our hospital capacity as we movo ard. >> i want to get to that.

but you do have a local maskat main place there. what else are you doing to contain the spread there in your city. >> well, we really have restricted powers for city mayorsen so there additional measures that i can put in place, for the most part we'lkre g about campaigns and public state but the state as a whole has preemed local mayors from makg those kind of adjustments. so we really have to rely on state policies. and on the information front, you know, people are heang different things from the national level to the state level to local level, so we really don't have consistent >> has that been frustrating for you. the fact that governor lee there has not issued a statewide maskt ma there are also all these exemptions for gatherings including for funerala weddings and of course places of worship, with the current policy is tennessee going te able to get a handle on covid-19? >> we haven't had a handle on

it. we're number one in the, not just in the country but in the world right now. and this is very disturbing to, me the people i serve. our first duty is to keep people safe, that they have a way to live their life safely and in a healthy fashion.e wet doing that right now. so we've got to make sure that this time between now and as we see the vaccine roll out start to get to scale, where we can make sure that more people can make it through these difficult >> you mentioned health care workers. and as we reported, more than two dozen spitals in your is that what you eing inght now. chattanooga. telling you? front line workers >> well, every week we have a meeting, a task force meeting that has theheads of all the hospitals as part of that. what i hear every week is our employees are stressed. they're tired. they're really worried about what is going on.

and the issue is not about the number of beds or space, it's always about personnel. do they have e people that they need to serve the covidt patient en on top of that, all the other sick individuals they're eing. >> i know that you and other state officials have been encouraging people not to gather beyond their immediate families. but with christmas around the corner, is that message sinking in. and if not, why? >> well, i hope so. and i am going to keep sayingsa that me. i'm going to live that message. but i do think that there are mixed messages that people get from seeing policies that don't restrict that kind of movement. we also see from the, again from the top, from the president of the united states on down, different kind of messages, and wee most important thing is government, everybody to be

saying the same thing so that no matter whianch news chl you watch or which trusted messenger you get your information from, that you heastay in your home unless absolutely necessary and do not socialize with ople from outside your immediate householbe >> mayor andke, we're certainly wishing you and other tennesseeans a happy and safe holiday. thank you so much for joining us. >> be heav. -- safe. >> woodruff: as we noted earlier, there is something close to chaos in southeastern england, as thousands of trucks a full border clostweene, after the u.k. and the europe due to covid-19. this all comes just eight days before the u.k. leaves the european union, after a 4.5-year

divorce that's now in its final, and excruciating, stages. from the southern port of eastbourne, both on land, and sea, here's special correspondent ryan chilcote. >> reporter: it's 5:00 a.m. and the crew of "the talisman" are already preparing the bait. there's just a few days left until the holidays, and there'so a premium be had if they can get these crabs up and onto dinner tables in time for christma ey normally share this spot with french boats, eight miles off the english coast, but it's rough, raining and a sunday. just as well they're not here today-- british fishermen say they got a raw deal when the u.k. joined the euro union and divvied up its fish 40 years ino, and it's stank ever s. how do you feel about the french >> yeah, i'm okay with it, as long as it's reciprocal. >> rorter: at the moment, it not. >> from the coastline, it's six

nautical miles out, the french can fish just back of that hine. we don'te the same deal. it's not reciprocal. in france it's from the coast to 12 nautical miles out. >> reporter: it can get crowded in the english channel, and messy, like in 2018 when british and french fishermen clashed in what was dubbed the scallop wars. by sunri, michael and the crew have pulled 150 pots. brown and spider crab that are too small or have eggs go right back in. after nine months of round-the- clock trade talks between the e.u. and t u.k., the final snag? how much access the u.k. gives to its fishing waters and the seafood they contain. talks between the british and the european union have intensified in the past few days, and the french may have helped focus minds. saturday, after the u.k. announced it had detected a new strain of the coronavirus, the

country closed its borders, leaving thousands of trucks andn truckers strd, unable to cross the english channel. in southeast england tempers flared. one german trucker, stuck in the u.k., summed up the frustrations: work, yeah?not how it shou okay, brexit one side, but other side is covid? i don't know. >> reporter: some british officials even believe the french wanted to give britain a ta what leaving the european union without a deal might look like in just eight days. the frenchay they were just trying to prevent the strain's spread. the borders are now open to all drivers who test negative, but it may take weeks to clear the backlog. the disruption to tradstoked fears of food shortages. full of crab, one of these not a bad catch, bparedut $300. the size of the british economy, just a drop in the ocean. in fact, the u.'s entire fishing industry is worth just

one-tenth of 1% of british g.d.p. the e.u., the u.k.'s largest trading partner, says it will introduce tariffs on british by new year's eve.h a dealf the all the crab, lobster that you caught today. where's that>>ll going? hat's all going to mainland europe. poat's all going for a christmas market iugal, spain, france, you know. ue'll end up in french and spanish and port they pay good money.ristmas. >> reporter: while michael says he would welcome a fair deal, he also sees opportunity in markets like china, and back at home. is i think if one of the upshots of brexit is thah people eat british fish, then we're winning there. >> reporter: back in the harbor, they're collecting their catch from a make-shift repository, getting them ready to be shipped across the channel. despite all the disruption, by

the way, the crabs made it to their destination. for the pbs newshour, i'm ryan chilcote in eastbourne, england. >> woodruff: as muchf the country has solidified its partisan divide, one sta stood out for its bipartisan vote. our jeffrey brown explores what's different about maine, and what it can teach us aut the rest of the country. >> brown: this is what bill green knows best-- showing off maine's great outdoors in front of a camera. ded, on a picture-perfect mber day, i joined him for some skeet-shooting. pull. >> he did it! awesome! >> brown: green is a celebrity here in maine, the longtime host

of the popular television program, "bill green's maine." >> every saturday night at 7:00, rt'll be checking out a different f the pine tree state.th >> brown: but is year, he got in front of a camera to do something he's never done: endorse a politicacandidate. >> no matter who you're voting for for president, susan collins has never been more important for maine. >> brown: green was aiming for phenomenon: split-ticket voting. he stepped into the middlef a hard-fought senate race between collins and democraticusan challenger sarah gideon. enormous amounts of mo$1y-- more tha million-- poured into the race, much of it from outside. in the end, maine went as bill green hoped: for democrat joe biden and reblican susan collins. based on what you know about this independent streak in maine, did it make sense what happened this time? m >> f this election meant that people here thought

no one us.oing to do thar to >> i think what goes on in washington doesn't have to much to do with it, politics should be local and the big name brand, republicans and democrats, that came in and upset our sysm, upset our state, i think were wrong. >> it st the idea >> brown: if the idea of "local" still means something in maine, you can see some of the economic changes in the rural north, like here in millinocket, once one of the nation's leading ll towns. the mill opened in 1900. the town grew with it and became known as the "magicity." at its peak in the 1970s, the great northern paper company employed more than 2,000 people here. but, the mill closed in 2008. the town's population dwindled and aged. main street is now peppered with closed businesses. jimmy busque worked in the mill and . a former town councilor

a few days after my visit, speaking via skype, he told me, when he was growing up, milli"ket really was the" magic city." >> it was a great, great place to grow up, you know. everybody ew everybody. we had a population of-- g at was double what it is now. it was a lot of lies, a lot-- a lot of kids. everybody had money. was once reliably but, this area that's changed. unlike most states, maine splits its electoral votes by congressional districts, and in 2016, donald trump won the second congressional, which includes millinocket, making him the first republican since 1988 to gain an electoral vote here. he won the district again this year.at the demo why did they lose strength there in your part of theorld? it i think they lost touch the people. the democrat party, you knwo, growing upd seem to be more for the working class. ll, i think it's kind of turned now. i think now the democrats have

lost tch with the average person, and president trump brought the publican party, rned it right around. >> brown: what is it about his message that resonatedo many people, do you think? >> one of the issues here in maine that he did, that, you know, i couldn't see a democrat do it, is wh he abolished the federal marine monument on the ast. it saved a lot of fishing jobs. >> brown: local issues rule here, he says, and have led to divisions just like in the rest of the country. >> well, it's always been said there's two maines, and i firmly believe there is two maines. >> brown: and are there two americas, when you look out now? >> well, it definitely is the same idea of rural arica and urban america. i mean, and i feel that we've lost our country. we've definitely lost our country when we started losing our small towns. >> brown: if there are two maines, the other can be found portland. it's the largest city in the

state, and a democratic ronghold on the coast. in recent years, it's become something of a hip tourist destination, with a hot "foodie" scene that includes the portland hunt and alpine club. it's owned by briana volk and her husband, and has been named one of the best cocktail bars in america. volk is originally from oregon. she moved here about 1s ago. >> we're so close to the ocean. our farmers e doing amazing things. and, you know, how-- how could you not be foodie town when you have so much access to so many great things? >>rown: now, of course, th pandemic is devastating hers and other local businesses. it's just one reason volk, progressive in her politics, got involved this election cycle, collins against co" totail boo"" raise money for down-ballot democrats. >> there are rights of so many of our fellow neighbors on theis table and at that that was absolutely frightening to me. you know, watcng the response

from the pandemic, from the federal administration, showed t t they had no idea what they were doing, and they are letting thousands upon thousands of people die, and don't seem to care. >> brown: what did the election results here in maine tell you aboumaine and about the country? >> i think we are, as a country, politically divided. a i grew up ural community, and there would be issues that people would disagree onll politi but there would be, like, these community stnversations about it. and you woull go to the grocery store the next day and say hi to that person, whether you disagreed with t not. and we've just lost so much of that. 't brown: back in the north, jimmy busque io sure there a way forward. do you see any ways p bridge this divide? >> i'm not sure. i don't know how to t direction, how to-- how to fix that. i'm not sure. >> brown: but when i asked bill green about the notiono maines, he rejected the idea. >> i won't subscribe to it as "two maines" because it's so insulting. but, there are haves ats have- ere, like everywhere else.

and if you have, you've got a grt life going. and if you don't, you're fighting for opportunity for you and your children. i want there to be one maine. >> brown: warmed by a winter fire, green says he'vefor divided ment. >> not just civility, but reasonableness. i want them to come together and have to talk about it. and i want them to give and take a little bit and move forward together incrementally, to have to fight through issues and do what's best for the most people. >> brown: it's a way of thinking increasingly rare in a polarized america, but at least in maine, this election, it's what seems to have won out. for the pbs newshour, i'm jeffrey brown, in the pine tree state of maine. >> woodruff: throughout this past year, paul solman has captured some of the distinct challenges older americans face in the workforce, an still motivates them.

tonight, he finishes that series with a look at the a oldest workeng us-- those who are 80 and above-- offer for the rest of us. it's the last in our older workers series, "unfinished business." the entire series was produced by diane lincoln estis. >> i want to be pulled, tucked and lifted till i can't move mya . >> solman: "take my nose,," plea about comedians undergoing plastic surgery, debuted when the film's first-time producer, joan krone, was 89. >> everybody just laughe o they patted the head, like, "joan is in her 80s and she's making her first movie." i just was proud of being able to accomplish something at that age that people didn't expect it and they still don't expect it. >> solman: didn't expect "take my nose," her first film. didn't expect her next film about botox, at almost 93.uc >>ly, i don't have anything that's-- that's life- threatening at the moment. i suppose just my age isife-

threatening. >> solman: life itself is life- threatening? >> right, but, you know, if i just dwell on that, that, you know, that's a waste of time. >> solman: americans are living longer. as of last year, u.s. life expectancy was up to 79, fromn 71 i70; 53 in 1920. no wonder many so-called "older workers" are still at itsays researcher nari rhee. >> we've seen a steady increase in the share of older adults who are still working. in fact, right now, before the pandemic, about 13% of seniors age 70 and older were working. >> solman: joan kron created the magazine in her 60s, and"allure maintained it for 25 years.e d a face lift early on. >> there's one thing that i could not have done without, and there is so much discrimination against the way that you look if you're old. you look like somebody's grandmother, they really don't want you around. >> solman: but, if you work long enough...

>> now they kind of think i'm kind of cute. i'm a cute little old lady. >> solman: kron's still going because she loves her work. but she doesn't mind the financial benefits, either. >> the longer people work, they contribute additionally to their social security benefits. >> solman: and working longer isn't just an economic benefitr e individual, says maestas. >> there is more capacity to work than is crently being tappedy the u.s. labor market. as older workers who are very experienced and knowledgeable retired fr the labor force, we lose that productive capacity at a time when we actually need the demographics in the country. >> solman: virtual lessons are new, but 80-year-old cecilia wyatt has been teaching piano for 62 years.ve >> retirement comes into my mind. i love music, i love people of all ages, and i loveching. >> solman: if you love what you

do, it's easy to play on. but wyatt believes work keeps her sharp. teaching music you are always thinking, are you always counting, you are always thinking about things that keep the mind going. but the inner joy music-making i think is exactly at the heart of what keeps us alive and olman: but not just in music. working longer in general can be good for your health, says professor maestas. >>s can arise from having purpose, from having social engagements, interactions in the workplace. there's even research that shows people who have particular kinds of work tasks, like work tasks that involve creativity, have variation, that they derive cognitive benefits. >> solman: most in pianist wyatt's circle have not continued on the job. >> they've worked in jobs where retirement was most likely mandatory, and i think it's made

a difference in their lives, and it's not for the better. >> solman: how has it been for the worse? >> i know people who feel depressed. i think working is such a part of a productive adult. so i think when that's taken away, suddenly you feel a bit useless. >> solman: financial analyst may lee began working for theni state of califin 1943. what technology diu you use when re working with numbers? >> i used the old chinese abacus. >> solman: aabacus? >> and then from there, i went to the compteter, and then went to the ten-key adding machines. and then we got calculats and we had electric adding machines. and then we went into computer. one step at a time. >> solman: lee, now 100, officially retired in 1990, whea her pension be higher than her salary, but returned soon after. she's paid part-time, but has volunteered some 31,000

additional hours. >> i enjoy working. and somemes i just do algebra equations, trying to figure out what's the best. >> solman: you do algebra problems ahome for fun? >> yeah, just for fun. >> solman: and so, as this series ends, the lessons? pick long-lived parents. do what you love and can master. take on challenges. but remember, says professor maestas, that's impossible for many of us. >> not everybody is healthy enough to work longer, and not everybody can work longer jod not everyone likes their enough. we would say you should work longer. s man: but for those, like producer joan kron, who have the knack and drive? >> there are so many benefitsmy that i havfoge, and that's wisdom, connections, a very good memory, patience, and because i'm a widow, i sadon't have a husband tha, "stop working, dear, let's go awayor the weekend." >> solman: moreover, says may lee, you appreciate what really

matters. >> you make people happy. you're happy. but generally, people sad and volunteer to do something good. money isn't everything. m happiness ise important. >> solman: whether you find it in doing equations or tickling the ivories. >> my own children say, mom, you've never worked. well, that's true. i've never missed a year of teaching, but i don't consider that work. it's play. it's pleasure. >> solman: for the pbs newshour, this is older worker paul solman, younger than cecelia wyatt, born the year after may lee starteher job. in >> woodruff:ly tonight, it's a holiday season unlike any other. one artist who's brought much everyone else, wre with, like what this year has brought.

jeffrey brown is back with dancer misty copeland, for our ongoing series on arts and culture, "canvas." >> brown: for much of the last decade, misty copeland has been a majostar in american cultural life. as principal dancer with the american ballet theatre, and as a history-making role model, the first black woman to achieve that position inhe company's 75 year history. now, amid a pandem shutdown of live performances, the graceful steps and powerful moves have all but stopped, for her and dancers all over the country >> this is the longest in my 20-year professional career that i've really gone without really intense training and i haven't been on a stagece since er of last year. >> brown: that has to be disappointing, frustrating. >> it's all those things. it's all those things.

dancers have been furloughed, a lot of them have lost their jobs and aren't making an income. >> brown: to help, copeland created "swans for relief," gatherg a group of 32 ballerinas from around the world to help raise money for dancers and companies. she's also continuing to diversify and broaden ballet's reach, including with a new children's book titled" bunheads." >> it's really to bring a more authentic and positive experience and light to how young people experience dance. it's an endearing name that dancers have for the ones who are just so passionate about it. they just can't take those bun off their heads when they get home-- ( laughs ) --afr training. but i always felt like it was like a rite of passage. and i love that fact that i was and it's like a little group that you want to be a part of. y brown: copeland's own story isw well-known, how she

started at age 13-- much later than most dancers-- and stood out for both her talent, and the color of her skin. pe persevered and, in a 20- years-and-countifessional career, has had an enormous impa, making ballet visible new ways. did you have fears, doubts along the way that almost made you stop, or were you just kind of and gung-ho from the beginning? >> i definitely was strong and gung-ho. the fears and doubts i had were really around the color of my skin, which was later, once i became a professional dancer, that i was more exposed to that reality. but that w definitely what made me question whether or not i belonged in the ballet world, being a member of american ballet theatre, which is a company that's 90 dancers, and waonly black woman for the first decade of my career.

so if that doesn't sow doubt, i don't know what will. ( laughs and you know, ta was really me ng the steps to be open to having support and guidance from a lot of people in the black e mmunity that made me feel that it's okay to be rst and it's okay to be different. and i think that's s powerful message for young people everywhere. >> brown: the racial and social protests this year folwing the death of george floyd have led to a new reckoning within the oarts world copeland thinks is long overdue. it's been an issue iednow you've ta lot about in your field. what needs to happen? >> i've been having these conversations very openly for 20 years of my career with american ballet theater, and this is thfirst time that i feel a shift in-- an authentic interest in what i'm saying, and what my colleagues are saying, and what's happening in the world. that, to me, is the first step.

that it's not just about creating a diversity initiative and plastering my face on it and saying that progress is being made. there just needs to be acknowledgement of the fact than sodancers of color are not given equal opportunity, or not given opportunity at all. that there areo many negative ings that we've held onto from the past, because we've never cd to address it. the ballet wor so easily exist in this spbble where the light is not on th, and now, i think that, you everything is being exposed. >>rown: ironically, the shutwn may help-- at least in exposing more people to an e t form from which they might otherwel left out. for now, dance is available all over online and streaming services. what do you see happening this holiday season? >> this to me is an incredible opportunity for ballet to reach more people.

we've never try had a strong virtual presence, and online presence, and this i what we have to do. and it's allowing more people to see us, and i think th whatever we come out of this and whatever the world looks like, whatever theater looks like in interested and more people will have been exposed to it. and i think that that is one of the most beautifulhings about this time. >> brown: copeland knows the crisis for dance and other performing arts is real, but, fearless onstage, she's also hopeful as she waits offstage. for the pbs newshour, i'm ffrey brown.gr -- said pfizerd to give the u.s. a hundred million a dishal covid vaccines but the u.s. will be paying for them, 1.95 billion to be preci.

and that is the newshour for i'm judy woodruff. join us online, and again here tomorrow evening.al for of us at the pbs newshour, thank you, please stay safe, and we'll see you soon. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: f

>> td foundation. working with visionaries on the fronines of social change worldwide. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions: and foundations. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions tyour pbs station from viewers like you.

- hello, everyone. and welcome to "amanpour & co." it's been an extraordinary year thatas changed the worle know it. from a global pandemic that's shifted the way we live, work and interact with each other to the most consequential us election in modern history to a moral reckoning with racism around the world. so twes holiday season, e bringing you some of our favorite interviews from this year on all of this and more. here's whas coming up. - if the power of the right to vote was truly made available to everyone in america, it would change the future of this nation. - [christiane] unprecedented election challenges inerhe united states, from v suppression to coronavirus, i speak to stacey abrams who ran for governor in georgia about her new documentary, "all in: the fight for democracy."