captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc >> woodruff: good evening, i'm judy woodruff. on the newshour tonight, chaos and consequences-- more arrests as investigations and calls for justice investigations and calls for justice intensify in the wake of the capitol riot that led to the president's second impeachment. then, "willful neglect"-- former governor of michigan rick snyder is charged with criminally mishandling the deadly and destructive flint water crisis. and, cutting ties: a growing number of businesses distance themselves from the president and the republican party following last week's violent insurrection. >> this is significant that so many corporations would do this

especially corporations, even when you look at their history, are donating three to one, five to one, six to one to republicans. >> woodruff: all that and more on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> we'd be closer to the twins. >> change in plans. >> okay. >> at fidelity, changing plans is always part of the plan.

>> the kendeda fund. committed to advancing restorative justice and meaningful work through investments in transformative leaders and ideas. more at kendedafund.org. >> carnegie corporation of new york. supporting innovations in education, democratic engagement, and the advancement of international peace and security. at carnegie.org. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions: and individuals. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you.

>> woodruff: it is hard to keep track of all the twists and turns in washington. it feels that each day brings a new historic moment, and the next week does not appear to be any different. to help us make sense of it all: our yamiche alcindor and lisa desjardins join me now. so, yamiche, i'm going to start with you. after this terrible, terrible attack on the capitol last week, a lot of people are wondering about security, of course, for the inauguration. what more canou tell us about the plans and not only here in washington, but in cities around the country? >> reporter: well, federal officials are working very, very hard to ensure a safe inauguration, but they're tracking a number of threats, both to the capitol in washington, d.c., as well as in other cities and state capitols. today, vice president pence visited the fema headquarters, and there he met with a number of high-ranking national security officials, including the head of the secret service,

the head of the homeland security, as well as the head of the f.b.i.-- the f.b.i. director, rather. and what vice president pence said was that he is really pushing all of these agencies to make sure that they're confident that they can find a safe way to haven inauguration for president-elect biden and vice prident-elect harris. and he said, specifically, americans deserve a safe inauguration. he also said at some point that this inauguration was going to be in keeping with our history and tradition. that's really notable, given the last few days and weeks that we've lived through here with president trump, of course, upending all sorts of tradition in this country. another thing to note is the f.b.i. director, who said that he was confident that the f.b.i. would be able to find anyone who was threatening the inauguration or other cities, he has been warning police officials around the country to be vigilant and to be in contact with the f.b.i. if they see any threats. he's saying that they're tracking a number of things, including threats to congress members' homes, as well as threats to different buildings and state capitols. one other thing, i spoke to a

source who was familiar with the nawkeration planning, and they told me that the family members of both vice president-elect harris and president-elect biden are being warned specifically to stay in their hotel rooms in d.c. unless they're going to the inauguration. they say difference from the past inaugurations. they were of course going to be told not to go too far because of the pandemic. but now they're being told, unless you're going to the inauguration, stay in place, especially as the national mall is shut down for most of the public. this is really d.c. becoming a fortress, and federal officials trying their best to track threats while also keeping people safe. >> woodruff: so different, so very different, yamiche, from previous presidential inaugurations. as a reminder of just how much the incoming president has on his plate, he's not waiting. in one respect, yamiche, we know tonight he's going to make remarks. he's going to roll out his proposal for dealing with both the economic and some of the health aspects of the covid

pandemic. what do we know about what he's going to disclose? >> reporter: that's right. amid all of these security threats, president-elect biden said he's very focused on the covid-19 pandemic, making that his top priority. tonight, he's going to lay out a $1.9 trillion plan for covid relief, we can put up for people. it's called "the american rescue plan." it includes $400 billion to fight covid. that's to mount a national vaccine program as well as containing and beating the virus. $1 trillion for workers and families and people struggling by existing inequality. as well as $440 billion in relief to communities and businesses. now, the biden team says they don't have a specific guideline for congress but they see the need is urgent to pass this. of course they'll have to juggle that with the impeachment trial, but the biden team is really focusing on that.

another thing they're focusing on as you look more into this plan, they want to take on covid. they want to specifically focus on ramping up testing. they want to ramp up vaccines. and they also want to try to get schools open. that's what part of this money is going to. they're going to have $1,400 checks to individuals. and there's $400 in unemployment insurance supplement there, and that is adding $100 to the $300 enacted. what biden is going to say tonight is this islet most pressing concern, even though we lived through the siege on the capitol and other things going on, he said he is focused on the pandemic that is of course killing some 4,0 people a day. >> woodruff: it'something that is on the minds of everyone right now. and to you, now, lisa, as yamiche mentioned, this, of course, has to pass the congress. he can't just wave a magic wand. but congress has a lot on its plate as we mentioned.

whether or not there's going to be an impeachment trial. what does it look like right now for the biden covid package and everything else they have to deal with? >> reporter: well, the first thing they have to talk about is the timing of this senate impeachment trial. and here's how that would work, judy. really, house speaker pelosi will set that timing. as soon as she transmidst the article of impeachment to the senate. by the senate's rules, it must hold the trial the next day that it meets. so the next day that the senate right now is scheduled to meet is january 19, the day before inauguration. if the speaker would transmit the article that day, then the actual impeachment trial could and would, by senate rules have, to start the day of inauguration. this is an idea that senator mcconnell, i've confirmed, has sent around to senate republicans. but it really remains with speaker pelosi to decide the timing.

and there is also another option that republicans and democrats in the senate could agree on a different timeline for the trial. but that doesn't look likely. now, all of that, we expect the trial soon. we don't know the exact date. all of that is while there is another concern at the capitol brewing, growing cases of the kofers again, and some of them seemingly directly linked to last week's riots. i want to show a picture of four members of the house who have contracted-- who are covid positive. and three of these were in seclusion together with unmasked republicans and a fourth may have been as well. we're still waiting for details. >> woodruff: well, so much to follow, lisa. it's the health of the members, as well as what they have to do in their jobs. lisa desjardins, yamiche alcindor, reporting on it all, thank you, both.

>> woodruff: in the day's other news, coronavirus deaths in the u.s. are nearing 390,000 tonight. that includes another 3,900 deaths reported on wednesday. meanwhile, investigators from the world health organization arrived in wuhan, china today, where the outbreak began. the lead scientist cautioned this week that their work will take time. >> i don't think we will have clear answers after this initial mission, but we will be on the way and hopefully in the coming months that will be completed by additional missions, additional studies. >> woodruff: beijing has still not said if the w.h.o. investigators will be allowed to gather evidence. two former state health officials in michigan were charged with involuntary manslaughter today, in the flint

water crisis. it involves nine people who died of legionnaires' disease, from contaminated water. former governor rick snyder is facing misdemeanor counts of willful neglect. we'll get details, after the news summary. the u.s. justice department's inspector general says agency leaders knew their zero tolerance border policy would separate children from parents. today's report says officials implemented the policy anyway, in 2018, without preparing for the consequences. it eventually led to more than 3,000 family separations. new york state sued new york city's police today, charging excessive use of force on racial justice protesters, last spring. state attorney general letitia james said it's a longstanding problem. >> the n.y.p.d. has continuously engaged in similar unlawful excessive force and false arrest practices while policing large scale protest.

and even though the n.y.p.d. knew this, they still failed to put policies and procedures in place and to discipline officers to correct these egregious actions. >> woodruff: mayor bill de blasio said he agrees on the need for reforms, but that a lawsuit is not the answer. in uganda, a presidential election went ahead today after widespread violence aimed at the opposition. military forces patrolled polling stations in kampala. but vote distancing, despite the pandemic. president yoweri museveni has held power since 1986, and is running for re-election. back in this country, president- elect biden tapped david norquist to be acting defense secretary on a temporary basis. he is now deputy secretary. the associated press reports norquist will serve until retired general lloyd austin is confirmed as defense secretary by the u.s. senate.

austin first needs a congressional waiver because he's been retired less than seven years. the trump administration is rolling back more vironmental protections in its final days. this time it involves the northern spotted owl. the fish and wildlife service said today that millions of acres of pacific northwest forests will be opened to timber harvesting. that's more than a third of the owl's habitat. the labor department reports growing economic damage from the surge in covid infections. some 965,000 people filed unemployment claims last week, the most since august. but, in an online forum today, the chair of the federal reserve, jerome powell, said industrial output may recover soon. >> the key thing there is maybe we'll be able to avoid a lot of, a lot of the damage to people's lives, you know, what we call labor market scarring, but what really amounts to people losing

the life they've made in the workforce. >> woodruff: powell also said again that the fed does not expect to raise interest rates any time soon. and, on wall street, stocks drifted lower, as investors waited for president-elect biden's economic plan. the dow jones industrial average lost 69 points to close at 30,991. the nasdaq fell 16 points, and, the s&p 500 slipped 14. and, it looks as though 2020 has essentially tied 2016 for the hottest year on record. nasa reports worldwide temperatures kept rising in 2020. that came even though greenhouse gas emissions dropped due to the pandemic. still to come on the newshour: the former governor of michigan is charged with mishandling the flint water crisis. many businesses distance themselves from the president and the republican party. the capitol riot raises questions abut the future of the g.o.p.

and much more. >> woodruff: let's get the details now on the flint, michigan story where today state prosecutors filed charges against a number of high ranking government officials. john yang has our report. >> yang: it's one of the worst public health failures in recent history: the contamination of flint, michigan's drinking water, blamed for at least a dozen deaths and health problems for countless others. today, nearly seven years after the flint water crisis first emerged, prosecutors announced 41 criminal charges against nine former state and city officials. michigan solicitor general fadwa hammoud:

>> we may never know all the names of those who had their lives and livelihoods destroyed by this man-made crisis. and although the criminal justice system alone cannot remedy all the suffering that every person endured, we took our part seriously and we hope others will do the same to ensure this never ever, ever happens again. >> yang: among those charged: former michigan governor rick snyder. he pleaded not guiltthis morning to two misdemeanor charges of willful neglect of duty. each count carries up to a year in prison, or a $1,000 fine. his attorney called the charge“" wholly without merit.” two others including former state health director, nick lyon, were each charged with nine counts each of involuntary manslaughter-- felonies punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

the indictments say they failed to protect the public health after state-appointed officials switched the city's water supply in 2014 from lake huron to the flint river in a cost-cutting move. the more-corrosive river water damaged the city's aging pipes, causing lead to leach into the drinking water. ariana hawk's son suffered from blisters and skin rashes. when we visited her home in 2019, she told us the lingering effects included a loss of trust. are you angry? >> oh yeah, of course i'm angry. i'm-- i'm more upset and hurt than anger. it's hurting because these are people who we trust everyday these are the people who say that this was okay. >> yang: tests today show flint's water is safe to drink, but work to replace the city's damaged pipes is still incomplete. flint activist melissa mays: >> it seems like we have been forgotten. and nobody's sitting in jail. if i poisoned you, i would be in jail. we're coming up on seven years

of being in a prison where we can't even be safe in our own homes. and then, of course, under covid, we've all been locked indoors and we're stuck using this water. >> yang: compounding a situation that still dominates life in this majority-black city. in november, the michigan p$6t families to settle civil lawsuits from the water crisis. approval by a federal judge is pending. sandra jones is the executive director of the r.l. jones community outreach center in flint. it's based at the greater holy temple church of god, where her husband is a pastor. sandra, what was your reaction when you heard the news today about the criminal charges against these former officials, including the former governor? >> long time overdue. and this time i hope and pray that it sticks. >> yang: two of the people, including the former health director for the state of

michigan were charged with involuntary manslaughter, nine counts each. >> it is what it is. and, i mean, so many people were actually affected. these were lives. we're not talking about property. we're talking about human life. and so i applaud her for what it is that she's doing. she has my support. >> yang: i have to ask you, there are some lawyers who know more about this than i do, who say that it may be tough to get convictions in some of these cases, particularly against the former governor, rick snyder, because it's been so long. it's been seven years since the-- his action or inaction that he's charged for. have you thought about what it might feel like, how you might feel if the former governor and if some of these other officials

are acquitted in court? or do you think it's enough that they've got to stand up and face these charges in court? >> no, it isn't enough that they have to face the charges in court. that's-- that's just not enough. how could that be enough when you look at right now, today, children that are five and six years old, that have cognitive skill problems? children whose parents have not been able to potty train them at the age of three. how is it enough when you have adults who had legions all over their bodies, and now they have different kinds of allergies that they've got to live with the rest of their lives. and we really don't know what the long-term effects that lead actually has, because after 28 days and you've ingested it, some of us don't even actually know if it's affected us or not. so, no, i really don't have... i don't feel sorry for them. i just hope that she has enough

information to be able to bring these charges and to have these charges to stick. >> yang: so you're not going to be satisfied until they're-- you get some convictions out of this. >> some form of penalty eds to be made. and i'm not talking about monetary. i think that when you know something that will create a physical condition in a human body, and you have the ability to do something about that, where you put money above human life, oh, yeah. you-- you need to pay for that. i can't tell you what the penalty should be because i'm not proficient in that area. i can only tell you as a human being who has worked in the cold, in the heat, in the snow, in the rain, in all types of

weather at 73 years old, when i started this, i was in my 60s. and i'm 73. and today was our water and food distribution day. when you have residents still lined up for over a mile and a half, just to get four or five cases of water because either they have been affected by the water or they don't trust the water, someone needs to take accountability. michigan has had other cities since our water crisis to have been affected one way or the other, but their water has been affected. guess what? those cities have been cleaned up, cleared up, and everybody's on their way. we're the only ones still limping. >> yang: you talk about the children, the long-term effects. your church still giving out water and food every week.

can you envision a day when this is just an unpleasant incident in the history of flint, rather than a here-and-now problem? >> no. i cannot envision that day. and i'm going to share with you why. because when these people come through the line, they come in all kind of conditions. they start lining up at our church at 4:30 a.m. in the morning. until i see all of the pipes in this city changed out, until i see the residents and our lines start getting shorter and shorter and shorter, then maybe i can look up and feel that things are going to get better. but i don't see it today. >> yang: sandra jones, from the holy temple church of god,

in flint, michigan, talking about the ongoing problems there. sandra, you thank you very much. >> and thank you very much for check wuings today and still caring about the problems that we're facing in flint, michigan. ch appreciated. >> woodruff: since last week's riots at the capitol, more and more companies are cutting ties with donald trump, ending but in just a matter of days, that pattern grew substantially as corporations also are stopping political contributions to more than 147 politicians who refused to certify the election and backed the president. economics correspondent paul solman looks what was happening behind the scenes, part of his ongoing reporting for "making sense." >> reporter: judd legum writes a political newsletter called popular information. >> and we do a lot of work on

corporate responsibility >> reporter: when republican senators said they'd challenge the electoral college results... >> we started pulling all of the f.e.c. records to see what corporate pacs had been donating to that group. >> reporter: and then along came the riots. so he wrote to 144 companies to ask if they would continue to donate to the eight senators who supported president trump's election fraud claims-- supported them even after the capitol had been breached. >> because all of the 144 companies had supported one or more of those senators in the 2020 election cycle. >> reporter: results? >> we got at first a trickle of people. >> reporter: blue cross blue shield. commerce bank. the marriott hotel chain, announcing they were suspending donations not just to the eight senators but to all 147 members of congress who voted against certifying the election. >> and i thought, well, this is significant. especially corporations when you

look at their history, are donating three to one, five to one, six to one to republicans. but really, it was mariott who i think kind of shook the corporate world. >> reporter: and then it just snowballed. an avalanche. >> and now people that we never even contacted are getting in touch and they want to make a statement. >> reporter: when the trickle became a snowball, what did you think? >> as someone who follows how these corporations operate, i really couldn't have conceived last week that so many corporations would do this. >> happy new year! >> reporter: cpanies like hallmark, maker of greeting cards and schmaltzy movies. one of four dozen companies suspending all political donations. but hallmark, says legum... >> demanded a refund from their home state senator, josh hawley. it's a powerful signal from one of the largest employers in kansas city saying this senator, your senator is no longer acceptable to us. we don't want anything to do

with him. >> given the sometimes anodyne statements that you see inside hallmark greeting cards, to come out so eloquently and so pointedly against the administration, i thought was very courageous. >> reporter: tom glocer, the former c.e.o. of thomson/reuters, met with a group of c.e.o.s last week and again yesterday. >> the mood even in a week had gotten much firmer, that the right thing to do was to impeach and remove trump, even with a few days remaining. and that business had an important voice. >> reporter: company after company has now broken publicly with the president: deutschebank, his biggest longtime lender. p.g.a. of america. >>tripe the payment processor says we're not going to allow our private service to be used to buy, let's say, trump paraphernalia.

ditto shopify, which provides the e-commerce foundations for a lot of those organizations. >> i feel betrayed. >> reporter: even ken langone of home depot, a trump supporter for years, denounced him yesterday. >> last wednesday was a disgrace and should have never happened in this country and if it doesn't break every american's heart something's wrong. it breaks my heart. i didn't sign up for that. >> hello, i'm mike lindell, inventor of my pillow. >> with the exception of perhaps mr. pillow, i would be surprised if any company exec now thought that the best thing for his or her company was to was to support this administration. >> this is so unprecedented. >> reporter: and, says sheila krumholz, who researches money and politics... >> for some members of congress, this ban on corporate pac support will really hit them in the wallet. it will be a very meaningful loss. >> reporter: if the ban lasts, that is. but right now it's fallow season for electioneering. >> this is january of the off

election year in a midterm election cycle. but in 2022, when primaries are underway and the november election looms, these companies will be asked for support. >> reporter: so is it all just a p.r. move? companies seeming to have a conscience, till they need legislators once more? no says ex-c.e.o. glocer; there's a deeper motivation. >> businesses generally don't like to bring politics into their companies, partly, they don't want to antagonize customers or even their own employee base. but when the attacks go to the heart of the social fabric, the democratic norms of the country, which would make it impossible to run the business, then i think business people reluctantly do show up and, and >> reporter: last question for sheila krumholz. do you think this could be a bad thing in the end by making corporations more political?

>> corporations are already political. they will be seeking access and influence with members of congress, including these objectors, as long as they have jurisdiction through their committee assignments. and on the other hand, they're seeking to retain customers who might be in a mood to punish them if they go back on their pledge and begin supporting these members again. >> reporter: for the pbs newshour, paul solman. >> woodruff: the events at the capitol in the past week, beginning with a violent mob and ending with the second impeachment of president trump, have exposed deep rifts within the republican party. with mr. trump set to leave office next week, we discuss the future of the g.o.p. with: lanhee chen. he is a fellow at the hoover institutioand has also advised several republican presidential

candidates including mitt romney and marco rubio. and gary abernathy. he is an ohio based writer and contributing columnist to the "washington post." hello to both of you. good to see you. and welcome back to the newshour. let me ask you first, before we talk about the future of the party, lanhee chen, about what happened last week. the assault on the capitol and then just yesterday, the impeachment of the president. what's your reaction? >> well, it's been such a tumultuous and heartwrenching last week. i mean, i think you had a clip earlier of ken langone who said any american who looks at that and doesn't find themselves affected in an emotional way, it's hard to fathom that. and i do think that that is really driven some of the changes we've seen in opinion, even within the republican party, even amongst elected officials who we thought were going to be loyal with donald trump to the end. that has really forced a change in thinking, even among some who we never expected to see that from.

so the events of the last week truly have been consequential and important, not just for this moment that we're in, judy, but also for what is to comeor the republican party in the months and years ahead. >> woodruff: well, let me try you, gary abernathy. what's your reaction to what happened last week, the assault on the capitol, and then the impeachment of the president, second impeachment? >> well, it was-- it was a sad day. it was frightening to watch. you know, i think a lot of trump supporters are kind of torn right now because they almost feel like they've stood by him for four years, and so they have to keep standing by him. and i think that's the wrong attitude. i'm glad donald trump was president for four years. but since he lost the election, i'm very unhappy with his behavior since them. i called on him since the day the ray was called for joe biden to admit defeat, to accept it, to participate in the transition, and he's just done none of that.

my dividing line with trump is from the day the election was held, and the voters said we're going to go a different direction, and he needed to accept that. and so, instead, he's played3 this whole, you know, the election was stolen, and there's been fraud, and none of these things have been proven true. and then you had thousands, tens of thousands of people in washington who were big supporters of his, and instead of calming them, you know, he helped incite what happened. i'm not laying it all at his feet. people who stormed the capitol are to blame for storming the capitol. but donald trump as president, i think, had a responsibility to calm those waters, and he went the opposite way. and so, you know, he'll pay a political price for that, as i think he should. >> woodruff: and, lanhee chen, now that he's impeached, we're waiting to see what happens in the senate. how much difference will it make for the party, for him-- clearly, if he's tried and

convicted, even after he's left office. that's a huge change in his stature. but what does it mean that he even has to go through this? >> well i think the critical question is whether in fact he can be convicted and then subsequently, if there are a majority of senators who wish to bar him from future office. that would be an event of great consequence, obviously. i do think, at some level, donald trump is going to continue to have influence. i think that influence will diminish as his time in the presidency, as we get further from that time and as people are able to reflect on just how chaotic not just this postelection period was, but really the entire term of his presidency. and thinking about what the lasting impacts of that are on the conservative movement, on the republican party, i do expect that support to erode as time goes on. there's still going to be some percentage of republican voters-- there's no question about it-- who adhere to president trump, who believe that he is the right messenger. but certainly, if the senate does, indeed, vote to convict

and subsequently to bar him from office, that would be a major blow, not just to donald trump's political fortunes, but also to his personal future, his ability to monetize his time in the presidency, and everything else that he might have wished to do after he left office. >> woodruff: gary abernathy, what about that? i mean, how much-- how much clout will donald trump continue to have? and, obviously, to some degree, or maybe a large degree, that depends on what the senate does. >> i think that's true. now, i'm in the camp that agrees with scholars who say, look, the whole idea of impeachment is to remove a president from office. and so, he's going to be removed from office by the voters in just a few days. i don't believe you can have an impeachment trial-- i don't blame the house for impeaching him. i mean, what happened was horrible. but i think there's an emotional impeachment going on right now. i don't think you can convict

him after he's no longer in office. there's no point in that. but let me tell you something-- he still has tremendous support in the republican party. someone asked me, "gee, are we going to end up with a democrat party, a republican party, and a trump party?" and i said, well, you could, but the republican party is going to be pretty small, because when you look at the polls and see 80%, 85% support still in the republican party for donald trump, that's pretty impressive." >> woodruff: lanhee chen, what does the republican party look like with that much support still-- i know you both are saying he may lose some of that support, but the numbers gary is citing are pretty impressive. i mean, what does that-- where does that leave the republican party? >> they are impressive today. i don't know how durable that support is when the man is no longer in office. fundamentally, i think the challenge for the republican party now is this: for last several years, it has been a party essentially supportive of whatever the president and his administration did.

and that now leaves them in a position, of course, without power in the executive branch, without power in either branch of congress and i think the republican party has to return to the question of what it's for. what exactly the vision of governance for conservatives looking ahead. and i think that has to be the basis of any electoral renaissancwe're going to see for the republican party moving ahead. and i tend to think that donald trump's appeal with the passage of time, with space from the presidency, and everything that we've seen, i think some of that suort erhodes. i think that happens naturally for a lot of politicians who are out of the spotlight in a way that a president is constantly in the spotlight. i suppose that what we see today i don't believe will be a reflection, necessarily, of where the party stands, let's say a year or two years from now, when we're in the wake of yet another midterm election. >> woodruff: and just in literally 15 seconds, gary abernathy, republican party in some trouble in the months, weeks-- months and years ahead because of this? >> yeah, but i do think it's

important to remember this: the things that donald trump-- the things that brought him his support, those aren't going away. i don't think trump will be the messenger for the party four years from now, but i think a lot of the things he stood for will be, and it will just be someone else carrying that mantle. >> woodruff: gary abernathy, lanhee chen, thank you both very much, good to see you. >> thank you, judy. >> thank you. >> woodruff: as the days dwindle in the trump administration, they are still issuing rules and regulations, sanctions and designations that could have impact both abroad and at home, beyond the end of the administration. here's william brangham. >> brangham: thanks judy. it is somewhat customary for a president to issue a slew of orders and other regulations

before he leaves office. and mr. trump is no different. but, from iran to yemen, cuba to china, and on the environment, this administration is issuing orders that could have deep, long-lasting effects. with me now is foreign affairs correspondent nick schifrin. nick, before we get into the specifics, when you look at the overall sweep of what the trump administration is doing, is this just normal diplomat business that happens at the end of every administration, or is this different? >> schifrin: longtime diplomats call "the slew" as you just called it, william, somewhat unusual because most administrations do hold off on major policy decisions as they're heading out the door. senior trump administration officials insist to me they have been pushing these policies for months, if not years, and are making them publicly with hopes they will survive the transition. but, william, they do have political side effects. they can hamstring the biden team and allow politicians from the trump administration to

criticize biden if he changes their policies. >> brangham: so let's walk through some of those major ones. let's start with chine. >> schifrin: perhaps the most significant moves has been on china. this week, the department of homeland security banned all cotton and tomatoes from the region where beijing systematically percees cute what the use calls widespread forced larp. earlier today i spoke with brenda smith: >> we've worked over the last really almost two years to identify specific entities that use forced labor. now we believe it's at a scale that the entire region is really implicated or at high risk of using forced labor in those production processes. >> schifrin: now because of complicated supply chains, it is nearly impossible to actually enforce this action. but by doing so, it is forcing companies to examine and change their supply chains. and that means this that decision could affect 20% of the

world's cotton. now, there are also white house moves, including executive orders that would restrict americans from investing in certain chinese businesses and bans on chinese apps. and then there's taiwan. for decades the white house has restricted bilateral meanings and the status of its comes that work on taiwan as part of its relationship with beijing. but last weekend, secretary of state mike pompeo, declared any restrictions, "null and void." the trump administration, frankly, had already been pushing the boundaries on those restrictions. but the taint basically decided to blow them up, rather than rewrite them. the implication, pompeo, of course, gets to criticize the biden team for being soft on china if they go back to the old restrictions. and the biden officials who i've talked to have said that they will respect traditional guidelines on taiwan. although, william, i should say, that members of that team have long promised to confront beijing and support taiwan. >> brangham: a lot of moves on that front alone.

but let's also shift to the middle east. we know iran has been a preoccupation of the trump administration, and since the election, it sounds like that has not changed a wid bit. >> schifrin: yeah, the trump administrationas sanctioned more than two dozen iranian entities sin the election. that's on top of 1,500 sanctions since 2017, the most significant rhetorical flourish was pompeo tying iran to al qaeda. >> al qaeda has criticallizedleadershiinsiden of iran. >> schifrin: that is an conclusion intelligence officials tell me is more opinion than a provable fact. the perhaps the most controversial decision made has been about yemen, where war has killed hundreds of thousands of people. a sowd i-led coalition has been trying to unseat huthy rebels who took control of the rebel back in 2014. they are backed by iran. this weekend, pompeo declares the huthies a terrifs organization. that decision was quickly and widely condemned by humanitarians who say it will

only make the world's worst humanitarian crisis worse. listen to former republican governor david beasly briefing the security council. >> it's going to be catastrophic. it literally is going to be a death sentence to hundreds of thousands, if not millions of innocent people in yemen. it needs to be reevaluated and, quite frankly, it needs to be reversed. >> schifrin: all of this has been happening as iran has taken major steps to advance its nuclear program just in the last few weeks, including enriching uranium to 20%. now, critics of these moves, william, once again describe them as an attempt to tie biden's hands ahead of promised diplomacy with iran. administration officials say they're finally making policy decisions they've been pushing for months. >> brangham: nick, the secretary of state also put cuba back on the list of state sponsors of terrorism. what's the rationalfor that? and what does that mean for the

biden administration? >> you'll recall obama visited havana, normalized relations and removed cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism. the trump adnistration spent four years undoing that effort, leading to last weekend's announcement. the state department cited cuba's harboring of rebel leaders from colombia, as well as some american fugitives and its support for nicholas maduro in venezuela. but the administration had already imposed many of the restrictions on cuba that come with being a states sponsor of terrorism, william, so there's no large practical impact. critics say, once again, it's designed to be a bit of a spoiler for the biden administration. >> brangham: and these changes, these last-minute changes, also echo what the trump administration has been doing on the environmental front as well weapon. >> schifrin: very quickly, william, we've seen a lot of push on environmental regulations from the trump administration in the last four years. these new regulations follow that pattern, governing everything from greenhouse gas emisons, safety of chemicals,

migratory birds, who gets to profit off federal lands. not only are some of these last-minute moves controversial, of course, the arctic drilling, but, also, critics say the way some of these moves have been made will make them very difficulfor the biden administration to undo. >> brangham: nick schifrin, thanks for keeping us abreast of all this. >> schifrin: thank you. >> woodruff: finally tonight, we turn to civil rights activist ruby bridges who writes her own story in a new children's book, hoping adult ears will listen too in these fractured times. telling her story is special correspondent, charlayne hunter- gault, who followed in bridge's footsteps when 60 years ago this past weekend, when she, along with hamilton holmes, desegregated the university of georgia.

this is part of our race matters solutions series and our arts and culture series, canvas. >> reporter: ruby bridges' name is synonymous with civil rights trailblazing, immortalized in this norman rockwell painting entitled “the problem we all live with.” bridges historic moment came when she became the first black child to desegregate an all- white elementary school in new orleans at six years old. she had to be escorted by federal marshals as she walked past loud and unruly protestors and into the william frantz elementary school. now, 60 years later, bridges has written to and for children the same age of as her younger self. she describes it as a call to action and contains historical photos of her pioneering time. and pioneering history is still being made and remembered, including a photo illustration

that went viral after the election of vice president elect kamala harris walking alongside the shadow of ruby bridges. ruby bridges, first, let me say and on behalf of my generation of civil rights pioneers, let me just say thank you for paving our way. now, you've written other books, but this one is specifically aimed at readers who may be as young as you were when you first took those historic steps, when you were six years old into the elementary school there. why did you do this book? and do you see similarities between then and now? in some ways? >> absolutely. you know, back in march, i was sitting in front of my television on lockdown because of the virus, like everybody else, and watching far too much tv. but witness this young man's brutal death, mr. floyd, right

in front of my face, like so many people did, and i was so disturbed by it and didn't know how to react or what to do, i felt like, you know, i'd been spending so many years talking to kids across the country. and i knew that they were watching this as well and probably wondering what was going on. you know, the majority of my time, i talked to kids and explained to them that racism has no place in the minds and hearts of our kids across the country. and yet they were witnessing this. i was very moved by what i saw after his death. i saw young people take to the streets and i felt like the torch had been passed and that now they had a cause to get behind. when dr. king was assassinated, i felt like we should have picked that torch up and kept it moving. even my own experience after going into the school, it was

something that happened. no one talked about it in my community, in my neighborhood. it was swept under the rug and life went on. i'm happy now to see that all of a sudden activism is cool again, you know, and it should have been from 1960 until today, we didn't do a very good job of passing those lessons on to that generation. >> reporter: let's talk about teenagers and others in their 20s, where there seem to be even though you mentioned the big demonstratio that are going on, multiracial, multigenerational, ledy a lot of young people. but there are also a lot of young people who, their deep divisions and, you know, from politics even to wearing masks, there are divisions. how do you how do you explain that? >> we cannot be a hopeless people. we have to be hopeful. and we do have a lot of work to do. i mean, we all saw that this election, this last election showed us just how divided this country really is. after president obama was

elected, it seemed that racism really raised its ugly head again. i think having a black man elected as president just riled that element up all over again. probably they felt like, oh, we can not have this happen. and yet it did. and so all we needed is for someone to come along and, you know, add fuel to that fire. and i think that that's why we are so divided today, because >> reporter: one of the things that you say in the book is that you believe that racism is, let me read this, a grown up disease and that you're talking to the children now, the young people, you say we adults must stop using you, our kids to spread it. it's we adults who passed racism on in so many ways. i hear people all the time saying, well, i want to do something about this, but i don't know what to do. >> we all know that none of our

kids are born knowing anything about disliking the child sitting next to them. our babies don't come into the world knowing anything about racism or disliking someone because of the color of their skin. it is learned behavior. and i believe that if it can be taught, it can be taught not to not to be that way. your oldest was involved in an unsolved murder. what is it like for mothering like yourself and also protesting the murders of black men, especially, but also black women? >> that is a parent's worst nightmare. my son's murder was never solved. we do know the people who actually took his life looked exactly like him. you know, there are so many parents out there like myself and so, you know, there's so many parents out there like myself who have lost children, whether it be sons, my son's age or, you know, even babies by

people by gun violence, which is very, very disheartening. that is an issue that we have to deal with as well. whether it's the murders, like the murder that happened with my son or murders like george floyd. if you are passionate about that, then you need to do something about it. >> reporter: i'm very impressed with your passion and moved by it. and i wonder i imagine there might be a part of your book or some part of your book that that you that is a favorite of yours. >> yes, i have it right here. i will definitely do that:“ when i think about how great this country could be. america, land of the free, home of the brave. i think about what dr. martin luther king jr. said about being great. everybody can be great because everybody can serve. you only need a heart full of grace.

really, it is that love and grace for one another that will heal this world. >> reporter: well ruby bridges, it's been such a pleasure to see you once again. you are a hero for all time in the best of times, and it will always be your time. >> happy new year. thank you. such a pleasure to see you again. >> woodruff: thank you, ruby bridges, and thank you, charlayne, words to live by. as we just heard about young people being key to the future, we have a special inauguration event planned tonight at 7:00 p.m. tonight at 7:00 p.m. eastern. "we the young people" is a student reporting labs scial focusing on the issues that gen z cares about and how they view this very contentious moment in america. it features students, teachers, teen fact-checkers and our own amna nawaz and yamiche alcindor. here is a preview.

>> more americans voted in the 2020 election than ever before, >> but the aftermath magnified how deeply divided our country is. >> our democracy is being severely tested. >> stormed the capitol building. they are marching. >> we are seeing the very real and deadly consequences of misinformation. >> and distrust in our institutions... >> we are learning that we can't take our democracy for granted... >> despite the violence, our government continues to do its work... >> and now we want to see our country heal... i voted because... i voted because my future >> as we continue to confront the pandemic, racial injustice and economic crisis, we must remember what's important to us. >> we the people... >> we the young people of the united states... want a better future... together.

and that's the newshour for tonight. i'm judy woodruff. join us online and again here tomorrow evening. for all of us at the pbs newshour, thank you, please stay safe and see you soon. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> architect. bee-keeper. mentor. a raymond james financial advisor tailors advice to help you live your life. life, well-planned. we offer a variety of no- contract wireless plans for people who use their phone a little, a lot, or anything in between. to learn more, go to consumercellular.tv

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hello, everyone, and well do you mean amanpour & co. here's what's coming up. >> liz cheney, john katko, adam nzinger and other republicans whom i have talked to within the last 24 hours believe in action is required. >> fast and furious, even republicans will vote to impeach donald trump this time for inciting insurrection at home. democratic congresswoman elissa slotkin of michigan joins me. then -- >> my name is captain jefferson kyle kid and i'm here to read the news from across this great world of ours. >> director paul greengrass. i'm speak to him about the roving story ller. >> these companies are -c