captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc >> woodruff: good evening. i'm judy woodruff. on the newshour tonight: a tense moment. extraordinary security measures are put in place amid nationwide threats of violence as the presidential transfer of power approaches. then, the biden agenda. we discuss the president-elect's plan to control covid and provide economic relief with one of his top advisers. plus, the longest war. we report from afghanistan on the potential impacts of the draw-down of u.s. troops. and, it's friday. david brooks and jonathan capehart consider the second impeachment of president trump, and the tense atmosphere in washington ahead of the inauguration.

all that and more, on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: ♪ ♪ ♪ moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> fidelity wealth management. >> consumer cellular. >> financial services firm

raymond james. >> johnson & johnson. >> the john s. and james l. knight foundation. fostering informed and engaged communities. more at kf.org. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions: and friends of the newshour. >> 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: the nation enters this weekend on edge about the coming presidential inauguration. investigators are still delving into the trauma that shook

washington on january 6, as authorities brace for what's yet to come. nick schifrin begins our coverage. >> schifrin: it is a city in a state of emergency. a capitol, heavily-guarded and on edge. national guard troops are arriving in an unprecedented show of force, and crews install fences ahead of next wednesday's inauguration that officials fear could turn violent. washington, d.c. mayor muriel bowser. >> i think that our entire country has to deal with how our intelligence apparatus, security apparatus at every level, deal with a very real and present threat to our nation. >> schifrin: authorities say they've approved 25,000 national guard troops to patrol the district. military, congressional, federal, and local officials agreed on the request, to prevent a repeat of last week's failed insurrection that killed five people and injured dozens. house speaker nancy pelosi said

today she'd been assured requests for help will not be brushed aside. >> it depends on the intelligence, and we have to have more security than the intelligence might warrant. i think in this case redundancy might be necessary. >> schifrin: meanwhile, states are also bolstering security. police, national guard, and fencing are going up in state capitols from new mexico to michigan. >> the number of people that will be present over the course of the next seven to eight days particularly, and then from a state police perspective, all the way through-- at least through mid-february, will be significant, more than we've seen in the past. >> schifrin: more significant than before trump supporters stormed the u.s. capitol. federal watchdogs from agencies including justice, defense, and homeland security are now investigating the failure to protect congress.

and authorities today revealed more details of the siege's organization and objective. f.b.i. official steven d'antuono said on a call today, more than 300 suspects may be identified by the end of the day, and 100 are already in custody. >> if this investigation was a football game, we'd still be in the first quarter. so let this be a reminder: the full force of the f.b.i. is investigating the heinous acts we saw last week, and we will leave no stone unturned. >> schifrin: the justice department said there was no evidence of plots to kidnap or kill lawmakers. but, a court filing against jacob chansley, an arizona man seen storming the capitol in horns and face paint, said the intent of rioters was "to capture and assassinate elected officials." the "washington post" reported the mob came dangerously close to vice president mike pence, who stayed in the senate chamber for 14 minutes after the capitol had been breached... >> hang mike pence! hang mike pence! >> schifrin: ...despite rioters threatening him by name. also under scrutiny, current and former military and police. the associated press found at

least 21 took part, wearing military-style gear and employing tactics like this "ranger file" formation. and, a current member of the virginia national guard, jacob fracker, and a fellow police officer were arrested and charged with participating in the riots. acting u.s. attorney for the district of columbia, michael sherwin. >> we don't care what your profession is, who you are, who you are affiliated with. if you were conducting or engaged in criminal activity we will charge you and you will be arrested. >> schifrin: and the "new york >> woodruff: besides these immediate security concerns, when president-elect joe biden takes office next week, he will also be facing the enormous challenge of the coronavirus pandemic. last night, biden unveiled a major legislative package to address the twin health and economic crises thatave spun from the pandemic. his $1.9 trillion plan includes $1,400 in additional direct payments to taxpayers; $400 per week in unemployment

benefits through september; $400 billion to help fight covid-19 and reopen schools; and $440 biion in aid for states, cities and small businesses. last night, he spoke about the urgent need for the federal government to help stem further economic fallout from the crisis. >> i know what i just described does not come cheaply. but failing to do so will cost us dearly. the consensus among leading economists is, we simply cannot afford not to do what i'm proposing. if we invest now, boldly, smartly, and with an unwavering focus on american workers and families, we will strengthen our economy, reduce inequity, and put our nation's long-term finances on a more sustainable course. >> woodruff: we want to begin tonight looking into president- elect biden's plan. and for that, we turn to heather boushey, appointed by

him to become a member of the white house council of economic advisers. heather boushey, welcome back to the "newshour". this is a lot of money, 1.9 trillion on top of the trillions that were dished out by the federal government last year. why is so much money necessary? >> well, judy, thank you so much for the question. let's step back and look at the situation that we're in. we continue to have an economy that is in crisis because of this pandemic, and, while we've taken serious steps, the pandemic still rages, and millions of people are out of work as a result. so the package that the president-elect talked about last night focuses first and foremost on containing the virus, doing the things we need to do to get schools to reopen saly, to make sure that the vaccine is distributed equitably and all those things, while making sure that families and

businesses and communities all across the country have the support they need to weather this crisis and come out on the other side just as strong if not stronger. so we need to continue to help folks through this crisis, and that is quhie we have this pack -- why we have this package in front of us today. >> woodruff: i'm sure you know, heather boushey, that a number of republicans and even some democrats, like joe manchin of west virginia, in the senate are saying it's all well and good but it's money not targeted enough. the additional $1,400 in direct payments. and it is asking the government already in debt to go deeper in debt. what happens if congress cuts back on this proposal, doesn't give you as much as you're saying is necessary? frankly, the way congress cut back on what president obama was asking for in 2009, and you wee part of that administration?

>> well, let me tell you, right now, the risks of doing too little are far greater than the risks of doing too much, and that's one of the lessons that we take from the last decade that, in this moment of crisis, we knead to make sure that we keep the economy running. the costs of inaction will be greater than the debt we will incur as a result of taking actions today. you think to have the millions of people who are out of work, the extent to which they don't have this income during this period of employment through no fault of their own but is because of the pandemic, that is leading to businesses across our economy that aren't seeing customers, so by helping them, by helping the small businesses stay afloat, we're making sure our economy is on a stronger footer going forward. so i think that, looking back over the past dise cade is really a smart and important thing to do and so many economists have, and the consensus, i think, really, at this point, is doing too little

is the greater risk. >> woodruff: we are seeing more and more economists as they look ated to this year say, yes, the first part of the year is going to be really tough but they are forecasting that by the middle of the year more people get vaccinated that we'll see economic growth take off, that we could end up with more than 4% growth overall in this year 2021. do you share that outlook? >> well, i have been spending a lot of time listening to the health experts, and i know that, just like 2020, where we are starting 2021 is a place of great uncertainty about what's to come, right. we know we have this new strain of the virus that's more contagious, and while we have the vaccines, the distribution rollout has been too slow so far. so we need to make sure that we're taking steps now to make sure that aid is available, that we're supporting communities, local governments, small businesses, so that, hopefully, we do get to that stronger economy in the latter half of

the year, that we do put in the time and the investment to make sure that everybody gets this vaccine, that we do put in the time and the investment to make sure that we're making schools safe to reopen, so that we get there. but i think that the big uncertainty now is will we be able to get to that higher growth place, and that really requires that we take action now. >> woodruff: heather boushey, you have written, you've spoken a great deal about the need to not only address economic growth, but also to address the pronounced and growing economic inequality in this country. how will the biden administration do that at a time when there are so many stresses around us? >> i'm so glad you asked that question, judy. you know, one of the things we saw in 2020 is that it showed us what inequality looks like. it showed us how a pandemic was hardest hit among the lowest-income families, families of color, workers of color, all across the economy.

it showed us where our vulnerabilities were and how by not attending to that it made our entire economy and society weaker, you know, made it harder to recover from this virus. so as we look forward, you know, this package, this american rescue plan, really is a down payment on addressing economic inequality and addressing systemic racial injustices in our economy. as you look at each piece of the package, they are targeted at making sure that those that need the most help get the most assistance. one of the things that i'm really happy to talk about is the scholars at columbia university have just come out with some estimates that this package this year will cut child poverty in half, and it will reduce poverty among black families by a third. so the package that the president-elect talked about last night really is a down payment on addressing some of these incredibly important

economic inequalities. >> woodruff: finally, in a nutshell, what is it going to take in the way of higher taxes, higher rev knauss, in order to pay for -- higher revenues in order to pay for some of the things you have been describing? what income level will be hit and what kind of tax? >> well, that is certainly a ry important question, so for right now, we can afford to spend this package through deficit financing, but you're right, moving forward, we'll have to think about the the fiscal situation. during the campaign the president-elect outlined a whole series of tax increases focusing primarily on those at the top. he committed to not raise taxes for those making less than $400,000 during the campaign, and making sure that we fix the tax system and make it more fair, while, at the same time, encouraging domestic production, encouraging businesses to produce goods and services here at home and to make sure the workers are fairly paid.

so there's a lot of different options. that's not tonight's problem but certainly something we'll be talking about in the weeks and months to come. >> woodruff: and we look forward to having those conversations with you and asking those questions. heather boushey, incoming member, will be president biden's council of economic advisors. thank you very much. >> thank you. >> woodruff: in the day's other news, covid-19 has now left more than two million people dead worldwide since it emerged in china just over a year ago. the pandemic passed that milestone today, led by the u.s. death toll of 390,000. meanwhile, the c.d.c. forecast that the covid variant first seen in britain may become predominant in the u.s. by march. word from the white house

tonight is that president trump will depart washington on the morning of the inauguration. the newshour also confirms that he may take part in a farewell ceremony at joint base andrews before he flys to florida. mr. trump will break with tradition in skipping the inauguration of his successor. the timing of president trump's senate impeachment trial remains undecided. the speaker of the house of representatives, nancy pelosi, declined to say today when she will send the lone impeachment article to the senate. for now, house impeachment managers are preparing their case, accusing the president of inciting insurrection. >> they're now working on taking this to trial. and when they-- you'll be the first to know when we-- when we announce that we're going over there. >> woodruff: senate majority leader mitch mcconnell has said

the trial will begin no earlier than january 19, and possibly on inauguration day itself. in north korea, a major military parade in pyongyang showcased new weapons overnight. state media showed kim jong-un looking on as submarine-launched ballistic missiles and others rolled by. kim is pledging to expand north korea's nuclear and missile programs. thousands of migrants in honduras have begun to head north in the year's first caravan, heading for the united states. they had gathered at a park before starting the journey. some blamed grinding poverty that was made even worse by two powerful hurricanes last year. >> ( translated ): we are emigrating from the country, because we have lost everything in the hurricane, and we cannot be satisfied with what has happened to us, so we are going to ask for help from anyone who will take us in. >> woodruff: in guatemala and mexico, thousands of soldiers and police are set to bar the migrants' way.

the two nations cracked down on caravans under pressure from president trump. back in this country, the national rifle association has filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. the gun rights group said that it will reorganize and move from new york state, and re-incorporate in texas. new york has filed suit to dissolve the n.r.a., accusing its leaders of diverting $64 million for their own use. and on wall street, stocks lost ground after reports showed retail sales and consumer confidence are declining. the dow jones industrial average lost 177 points to close at 30,814. the nasdaq fell 114 points, and the s&p 500 slipped 27 points. still to come on the newshour: extraordinary security measures are put in place, amid nationwide threats of violence. the covid vaccine campaign continues to struggle, amid skyrocketing infections and deaths.

we report from afghanistan on the potential impacts of the draw-down of u.s. troops. and, much more. >> woodruff: returning to one of our top stories, the unprecedented show of military force to defend the peaceful transfer of power. and it's not just here in washington. nick schifrin has more. >> schifrin: the f.b.i. says there are threats to all 50 state capitals this wkend, when federal authorities warned could be armed protests. in pennsylvania, there will be 450 national guard soldiers protecng the state capitol in harrisburg. to discuss that, i'm joined by pennsylvania lt. governor john fetterman.

lieutenant governor john fetterman, welcome to the "newshour". what's the threat that pennsylvania faces and what are you doing to protect your capitol? >> well, i mean, the threat isn't necessarily a specific -- (indiscernible) -- and the governor had taken the preemptive steps to close the catol complex all next week, so if they do have a protest, which, of course, as long as it's peaceful that's, of course, their constitutionally protected right to do so, and in the event that it does, you know, get out of hand, which i don't expect that it would, there is a robust presence there that would deter anything that go along those lines. when i was just at the capitol this past tuesday, we had armed national guardsmen with automatic weapons, and there's a much different vibe and a much different energy than there was just one week ago when i was there, when it was a very casual, laid-back atmosphere, even though there were a couple hundred angry trump protesters right there on the front steps.

>> reporter: are you getting enough federal help? >> i can't speak to that specifically, but what i can say is that this is an issue that has been the number one priority for the governor and the capitol police department in harrisburg and they've taken steps to make sure there are no exposed vulnerabilities, that the complex is shut down, and i really don't anticipate there's going to be anything on the order of what happened in washington last week, especially since no one's there and the entire complex is closed this entire upcoming week. >> reporter: you said there was no specific threat. i wonder if we could talk more generally about that general threat. the f.b.i. just a few months ago labeled pittsburgh a hub for white supremacy for extremest groups, is that a particular concern for you going forward? >> you have to consider every

angle. last week in washington changed everything. this idea that you would have a mob take over the entire capitol complex was unprecedented. no one thought that, and that's why there wassent that kind of security there because no one ever believed that was possible. so after that, everything is possible, and there is an entirely new level of scrutiny and possibility that is being considered to make sure that there is a peaceful transfer of power and that there is no kinds of insurgency certainly in harrisburg and i suspect all across pennsylvania as well, too. the national guard and the governor's office is in close contact with all other law enforcement agencies and, as i said, there isn't a specific plot in mind that i'm aware of, but, nevertheless, everyone is on high alert just to make sure that everything goes smoothly, and whatever protests there are are peaceably, constitutionally dparn teed rights to protest.

-- guaranteed rights to protest. >> reporter: you say anything is possible. i'm wondering if you could help us understand this moment we're in, in u.s. history. pennsylvania, of course, one to have the original colonies, ratified the constitution in 1787. 233 years later we're talking about insurrection in this country. >> your guess is as good as main. i watched the events on television where they took over the capitol much like everyone else. it felt very nine eleven, it felt very surreal. but eve with to remember on the upside that the guardrails held in america, and pennsylvania was the target of more smears and lies regarding our electoral security than any other state and, at the end of the day, we had three instances of voter fraud out of over 7 million ballots cast, and the justice department -- the president's own justice department just

signed off on the fact and said there wasn't any fraud or any activity that would closely resemble that in pennsylvania. so, you know, what kind of a new era are we in? we're in an era that we're not able to take the peaceful transition of power for granted like we were able to for the entire history of our country, and that needs to change. we can never look at that again. and we also have to confront this idea that, when you are maliciously lying and creating and fomenting chaos, that that can't be permitted on a platform that affords you to spread things in an unprecedented speed to an unprecedented number of people, and this idea of slapping a warning on these kind of things, you know, that doesn't include the fact that, but for this idea that this election was stolen and rigged and they're trying to steal this country from you, i mean, there's a straight line from those kind of incendiary statements, banging, you know,

repeatedly being tweeted, re-tweeted and repeated for two months straight, and it all culminated in what happened in washington, d.c. there's a lot that has to be considered, so this is never ever part of the american story again, and we can get back to one to have the pillars of our democracy, and that is the peaceful transfer of power. >> reporter: john fetterman is the lieutenant governor of pennsylvania, john fetterman, thank you ry much. >> thank you for having me. >> reporter: judy. >> woodruff: and, now, nick, let's turn to another story that you have been reporting on today. last night, you described a series of policy changes that were announced at the very end of the trump administration. tell us what the biden transition team is saying to you in response. >> reporter: yeah, judy, many administrations rush through policies at the last minute, especially when there's a change of party, and the administration

has rushed through policies on yemen, cuba, taiwan, and iran. so far, the biden administration has been shying away from criticizing individual policies, but that changed today. the biden transition official, in an interview, told me, quote, we will manage this, but if it does start at some point to feel like sabotage. the official singled out the designation to have the houthi group in yemen over the objection of humanitarian groups who say that that designation will make the world's worst humanitarian disaster even worse. the biden transition official told me, "secretary of state pompeo is literally liscing hundreds of -- risking hundreds of thousands of lives. most of yemen is in starvation so mike pompeo can feed his domestic political ambitions. this is childish and silly and we're not going to let it box us

in ." an administration official said the houthis and no one else are responsible for the humanitarian crisis yemen faces, but, judy, even humanitarian fraps today are calling for that designation to be -- groups today are calling for that designation to be rescinded. >> woodruff: and, nick, i know there's so much to report on, but in brief, what are the main foreign policy challenges the biden administration will face from the very beginning? >> reporter: yeah, the challenges are widespread and the plans on day one for the biden team in terms of foreign policy are rejoining the world health organization, rejoining the paris climate accords and rescinding executive orders that ban travelers from majority muslim countries. in the first few days, the biden team will have to figure out how to extend the new start treaty, the treaty that governor, american and russian strategic weapons, and in the first few weeks or months, the biden team will kick start diplomacy with

iran. >> woodruff: nick schifrin, covering security issues in this country and abroad. a lot on your plate. thank you, nick. >> woodruff: as we reported, one key piece of president-elect biden's plan to fight covid is to make major changes to how vaccines are distributed around the country. it comes as the "washington post" reported that the vaccine reserve the trump administration had just promised to ship to states does not actually exist right now. several governors were furious, calling the administration's prior statements "lies" and "deception on a natial scale." william brangam looks at what mr. biden hopes to do >> brangham: judy, the president-elect outlin these following steps and more.

allow more people to get the vaccine, including those 65 and older. deploy fema to set up thousands of community-based vaccine centers, in stadiums, school gyms and community centers. get national pharmacy chains involved as quickly as possible. and, use the defense production act to make more supplies. so far, just about a third of the 30 million doses of vaccine distributed around the country have been given to people. dr. peter hotez is co-director of the center for vaccine development at texas children's hospital, and dean of the national school of tropical medicine at baylor college of medicine. dr. hotez, great to have you back on the "newshour". before we get to the biden plan and vaccines, i wonder if you could just give us a snapshot of the pdemic right now. i know people are frustrated and they're tired about this, but thousands of americans are still dying every single day.

>> yeah, that's absolutely right. we are in a dire public health crisis right now, bordering on a homeland security crisis because of the depth and breadth of this epidemic. right now covid 19 is the leading cause of death in the united states of a daily basis. it's been this way for about at least the last month, maybe six weeks. we are looking at 4,0 deaths per day, and, so, the numbers are going to get to around 400,000 deaths per day around the time of the inauguration, which is an important benchmark, that's the number of american g.i.s who sacrificed their lives in world war ii, so we're looking at something on that scale, and we're continuing to head to 500,000 deaths. so this is a humanitarian tragedy, to say the least, and the numbers are extraordinary, 200,000 to 300,000 confirmed cases per day, and that's an underestimate by a factor of four, so we're looking at a

million new cases a day. and without any covid 19 national program in place for 2020, we've squandered every opportunity to do that, we've missed the entry of the virus coming in from europe back last spring, we never got diagnostic testing up to speed, we failed to stop that southern surge in the summer, the fall surge in e midwest, so w -- so, now our backs are against the wall. all we have left, our last arrow is to vaccinate the american people and we know that's not in place now. so this is absolutely critical what the biden administration is doing. our last hope is to vaccinate our way out of this. >> reporter: so many challenges ahead. as i mentioned, incoming president announced more of his plans today. it sounds very similar to a plan you laid out in "the washington post." can you briefly explain what you believe the biden administration needs to do mi immediately to me sure as many vaccines are made available as possible?

>> yeah, absolutely. you know, i laid out a four-part plan in "the washington post" and it looks quite similar to what the biden administration is proposing. first of all, we don't have an adequate infrastructure for vaccinating lots of adults. we have to vaccinate 240 million adults, we estimate, to interrupt virus transmission by august. so that means with two doses, 2 million americans every day, we're not going to do that with the pharmacy chains alone and the the hospital chains. now, they're doing a good job. if you look, the pharmacies are doing all they can, and let's face it, most adults get their vaccines through pharmacies oftentimes, but it won't be enough. we're still going to have to add additional vaccination. hubs, large high put through. 10 to 50,000 americans per day in the large metro areas, we're not close to that. so that's a major component to have the biden plan. we're also going to have to

streamline guidelines because they're a bit too fussy if you're trying to do something at that high through pith. we learned in 2020 our health system cannot do complicated things, we have to keep it simple. the dpliens were well-intended and if you had a functioning system in place, we could probably operationalize those but not this the circumstance, so we'll have to streamline that. that's the second point. the third is we don't have enough vaccine. the mrna technology looks great in terms of efficacy but it's young and not robust enough scale toilet the level we need. we're not goi to be able to to it with mrna vaccines alone. we have this vaccines from j.&j., moderna, novae, a vaccine we're scaling up to a million

doses. lastly, we have no communication plan, we've not conveyed any of this information to the american people or when they're going to have to get boosted with a third dose or what the durability of protection is, how we're going to manage all of these issues, and, of course, we've got a pretty aggressive anti-vaccine movement we have to counter so a lot of work ahead. >> a lot of work ahead indeed. dr. peter hotez, always good to hear your council. thank you for being here. >> thank you so much for having me. >> woodruff: the defense department announced today that the united states, which once had over 100,000 troops in afghanistan, now has 2,500 service personnel remaining, completing a goal president trump had set. this is the lowest number of

american troops in afghanistan since 2001, when u.s. first invaded. here's amna navaz. >> nawaz: that's right, judy. these reduced force levels come as the afghan government and taliban peace talks are stalled. for more on the situation there, we go to special correspondent jane ferguson in kabul. jane, welcome back. it's good to see you. tell us what these mean. these reduced force levels, what do they mean for the situation on the ground? >> it really sends a strong message on the ground to the afghan forces and government and people that the american government intends to stick to that february 2020 deal that the trump administration signed with the taliban, and that's despite, as you have mentioned, increased violence, the attacks on the afafghan forces by the taliban d stalled talks. so while that context and the blooding fighting continues here, there is of course a complete recommitment to that deal and to that timeline to

draw down the troops. so it actually understand the pressure here, and a lot of the -- so it actually ups the pressure here and a lot of the fear to what will happen if the americans stick to the deal and pull out by april. >> reporter: this is the seeing through of the trump plan. what does this mean for the incoming biden administration who's going to inherit the situation in afghanistan? >> biden not only inherits america's longest war and one he himself -- one that was going on when he was vice president under president obama, he also inherits the deal trump has signed, so he is in a position where everybody in afghanistan, whether the taliban or the government or the people stuck in the middle are all watching biden wondering will he follow through on this deal and try to geesht for an extension beyond the may 1 deadline to pull every last american troop out or honor the deal in which case he could be throwing the country into

potential chaos and in the meantime can the two sides that sat down for talks but not had much progress reach a deal by then? that's even less likely. >> reporter: jane, you mentioned the peace talks, they have been working for years to get to this level of participation. what do we know about the future of those talks today? >> we know this is the greatest opportunity for peace in afghanistan since the conference after the u.s. invasion that toppled the taliban government. but the challenges are enormous. not only do the talks come at a time when there's still bloody fighting going on between the two sides who are talking, but there's also an increased pressure on the government here. their position is essentially the deal between the taliban and the americans has vastly weakened their leverage. they have released 5,000 taliban prisoners just to get these talks going and, now, with the americans continuing to commit to their withdrawal, with their

complete withdrawal by may, that leaves the afghan government and the the afghan negotiators from kabul in quite a weak position, and we have to remember, as well, from the taliban perspective -- they have been saying this vocally -- that they feel they've won this war, so from their position this is a win-win. >> reporter: and that is special correspondent jane ferguson reporting from kabul. jane, good to see you. >> thank you. >> woodruff: and now, for the final friday analysis of the trump presidency, we turn to brooks and capehart. that is "new york times" columnist david brooks, and jonathan capehart of the "washington post" and anchor of "the sunday show" on msnbc. he to to both of you on this friday evening. so, david, it was just two wednesdays ago that there was the attack on the capitol, five people died as a direct result of that. then a week later,

president trump impeached, with only a few days left in office, impeached a second time. was it the right thing to do? >> yeah, absolutely. the yale political scientist brian garston made the point our system depends on an eek albranch of government, an executive and the legislative branch, and the executive branch can't incite riots to take over the legislative branch. that's what happened. if that's not an impeachable offense, nothing is. so i think they were right to impeach. i must say emotionally i feel somehow weirdly impeaching the president of the united states is still emotionally oversha toed by the events of january 6 and the tur poil moil that has been set off -- turmoil set off in families and churches ever since. so the impeachment happened. we're still reeling as a nation somehow from something even larger than that. >> woodruff: what about the move to impeach and where we are left as a country after

january 6th, johnathan? >> i think the move to impeach is necessary, it had to happen. we're reeling from it now, i agree with david, but i think, when we read about this in the history books, folks will see that it was a necessary thing, not just to hold president trump accountable for inciting people tore insurrection to overthrow the american government, but to send a signal to anyone who might come after donald trump, to signal to them that if you try to do the same thing, that there will be consequences. and then what this says about where we are as a country, judy, i think we are in -- i think we're at the beginning of the middle. this is not the beginning of the end or the end of the beginning. what we are now about to talk about in this country is about deep fissures and deep pain within this country that's centered around race. it should not be lost on anyone

that those insurrectionists going up into the capitol were boogaloo boys, proud boys, but also white supremacists, and most notably the person carrying that confederate flag in the u.s. capitol, the confederate flag, a traitorous flag, that person, thankfully, has been arrested, but what he representt insurrection represents is something that we're going to have to talk about. >> woodruff: so, david, where do we go from here? i know that's a big question, and, in particular, what about the republican party? you had ten republicans in the house. that's not very many, but it's more than certainly the last time the president was impeached and you now have a senate that seems to be open to an impeachment trial. where does the republican party head and the american people still divided over what

happened? >> you know, i did a lot of reporting this week on the white evangelical church which had been the backbone of donald trump's support and you found people doubling down on trump ying it was all antifa, et cetera, et cetera. you had a majority of people in the white evangelical church saying this is not -- how did this happen? john haigy, a very trumpy pastor in texas said that was not patriotism, that was anarchy. so what you are seeing and a lot of people who've made these comments against the marchers and trump have received vicious backlashes. so in a way, we're democracy in action, the republican party trying to figure itself out. i happen to think the republican party is reasonably well postured to do decently politically over the next few years but, meanwhile, half of the party is detached from reality. so how they figure out how you reattach people to reality, to facts, how you address what jonathan talked about, the

racial issue, the economic resentments, i've lost track of how these are separate. rairks extreme nationalism, christian nationalism, it's all confused into one poisonous fiber, and that's hard for a party to ex punctuation, but -- expunge. but somehow we needed two responsible parties and that's part of the job. >> woodruff: jonathan, clearly a lot to sort out here and it's not just about the republican party, the people who are supporting trump, but surely they are part of it because they're going to figure out where they stand now. >> right. there are serious conversations that knead to be had within the republican party and also among people, as david were talking about, who are conservative and support the republican party and their candidates and leaders. i think one of the ways to remarry reality to a lot of the folks within the republican

party is to have leaders within the republican party who start talking truth again, who start talking about what's really happening, doing away with the theater of outrage and all of that, but dealing with, okay, this is what the problems are, here's where we are as a country, and here is our solution as a republican party, as conservatives and have that argument based in fact and have that come from the number one elected leader within the republican party which, right now, correct me if i'm wrong, david, is still senate majority leader mitch mcconnell, on down. when we have leaders who speak truth to their constituents, that is when it takes hold, and, so far, within the republican party, that has just gone -- like that. >> woodruff: david, you want to pick up on that?

i'm wondering, what is it that joe biden is inheriting here as he steps into the presidency next wednesday? >> our "newshour" friend mike gerson wrote george w. bush's inaugural speech in 2001, and that was a bitterly divided election if you remember, 2000. mike went back and looked at that speech and said we can still count on an underlining unity to the country and appeal to that inauguration, and mike says i look back on that speech and it seems so naive now. so it's a bitter will i divided country. but the first nick joe biden needs to do is show people she cares about people who think he despises them. the covid relief has unemployment insurance, up to the $2,000 check, a childcare tax credit, it's got all these fiscal manifestations of government saying this is a hard time, i care about you, i'm helping you. i think if those programs went

out to red america, they'd see that joe biden is not the doom of america, which a lot of people have convinced themsees he is, but there's actually someone who can help you, and i do think that's the beginning of turning around. they're not going to listen or attach to reality until they feel that somebody cares and sees and hears them, and these are -- this has to be done physically, not just with words. >> woodruff: jonathan. yes, i agree with that completely. and talk about a person who is the person for the time -- i mean, if anything, if there's a word to describe president-elect joe biden, it is empathetic. i think it was the one thing -- the one big attribute that he had that was his calling card in this election, that he was someone, who, when we spoke and people looked at him, they felt in their bones, that he felt in their bones, whatever issue that

was hurting them, he felt their pain, and it's in every speech, it's in every comment, it's in every -- it will be in every policy, and i think if the biden-harris administration pushes forward and keeps empathy at the top of their agenda, at the top of what they have to say to the country, i think they will succeed in showing all of america that they care about them. >> woodruff: so, david, finally, is it a good thing for joe biden to begin his presidency -- back to impeachment -- with an impeachment trial in the senate, competing for attention and for time and everything, for that matter? >> yeah, i completely support impeachment, i think it's the right thing to do, i think it would bea bad thing to have the trial in the senate. joe biden has to pass that legislation. we had a horrifying report on covid ten minutes ago, that was horrifying. so we need to solve that problem. we need to pass this piece of

legislation, $1.9 trillion, a very complicated piece of legislation. i think it's got a lot of things a lot of republicans can support, a lot of things joe manchin from west virginia can support. so i think that bill can be supported and we can get $1.9 trillion out the door to the american people, but it's not going to be an easy lift. maybe in senate trail, a, takes up a lot of time, b, will stoke all the flames. the republican party will find it easy to go into opposition mode. i would love to think we can at least have a couple of month of action before they go into opposition mode and i'm afraid the trial will do that. >> woodruff: jonathan, what about that? is a trial necessary? >> yes, it is necessary, and this is my first time disagreeing with my friend david. it is necessary, for the reason i said before, because to have the message it would send to someone who might try what president trump did in the future. you know, people elect senators

to come to washington to do hard things, and, over the last few cycles, what we have seen is a senate that gets nothing done, unless it's confirming judges or voting on inconsequential legislation. they come here to do hard things and there's nothing harder right now than holding a sitle president, soon to be not sitting president, but to hold a chief executive responsible for very bad acts but also to help a nation that is reeling from a global pandemic and then the subsequent economic implosion. >> woodruff: so, david, i'm going to give you the last word, unless you leave time for jonathan. again, what about the the argument that he's making, that this is something the country needs to do? >> yeah, i just think our legislative capacities are not very high right now, and doing a pretty confrontational and violent -- not a violent, but a

confrontational impeachment at the same time we're trying to pass a very complicated and a lot of resistance legislation, i just think that's too heavy a lift for us, so we have to choose in my view, and i choose the covid relief bill. >> woodruff: all right, jonathan, you get 15 seconds. >> i hear you, david. i just hope the senate -- i hope the senate does both. they can do both. >> woodruff: jonathan capehart, david brooks, we thank you both. >> ththank you, judy. >> woodruff: as the u.s. death toll to covid-19 reached another milestone, we want to take a moment now to remember some individuals that we have lost to the pandemic.

george whitmore loved nature and spending time outdoors. he first learned how to rock climb from roommates while at pharmacy school in san francisco. george soon became an expert climber, and in 1958, was part of the first ever team to scale "el capitan" in yosemite national park. his wife said he was a humble and frank leader. he believed his conservation work for the california wilderness was his life's greatest achievement. george was 89 years old deborah k. ivory was always smiling and full of life. famous for her homemade mac and cheese and desserts, she served people from across oklahoma city at her barbeque restaurant. one of deborah's mottos was "people over profit," and if someone couldn't afford a plate of food, she'd give it to them for free, her family said. she was 62 years old.

tiffany shackleford was gregarious and made people instantly feel comfortable, her husband said. raisedn a navy family, she lived all over the country, eventually settling in alexandria, virginia. she was a master networker and made connections and opportunities for people she encountered throughout her career in journalism, policy and digital media. she was civic-minded and, among many causes, advocated for robust statehouse and local reporting. a dedicated mother, tiffany was 46 years old. 96-year-old william good was a dedicated physician, and worked as a family doctor in california for more than 60 years. william survived the holocaust in poland thanks in part to people who risked their lives to feed and house him, his son said. becoming a doctor was one way

he tried to give back, and he met s wife pearl while studying in italy. later in life, william organized annual trips around the world to spend time with his three children and six grandchildren. alicia ugartechea was a sweet and genuine person, her family said. born in mexico, she moved to arkansas in her 20s. alicia was a hard worker and gained a loyal clientele for the clothing alteration business she ran out of her home. she also worked as a custodian at a local elementary school for twenty years and befriended many staff, her daughter said. alicia was dedicated to her family and helped raise her five grandchildren. she loved shopping, traveling and cooking for her family and friends. alicia was 67 years old.

thank you so much to the family members who shared these stories with us. our hearts go out to you, as they do to everyone who's lost a loved one in this pandemic. and on the newshour online right now, can at-home testing for covid help bring better access to under-served communities? we look at the options out there and how they work, on our website, www.pbs.org/newshour. please stay with pbs tonight. we have a special program for you, airing at 9:00 p.m. here's a look at that. >> the siege to have the -- the siege of the capitol fueled by the president's own words. >> you will never take back our country with weakness. >> the roots of rage run deep. we could see it coming. >> reporter: but how did we get here and how do we repair what's been lost? american reckoning, a

"pbs newshour" sprouter, friday 89:00 p.m., 8:00 p.m. central. >> woodruff: and that is the newshour for tonight. i'm judy woodruff. have a great weekend. please stay safe. thank you, and good night. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> fidelity wealth management. >> consumer cellular. >> johnson & johnson. >> financial services firm raymond james. >> bnsf railway. >> the william and flora hewlett foundation. for more than 50 years, advancing ideas and supporting institutions to promote a better world. at www.hewlett.org.

>> supporting social entrepreneurs and their solutions to the world's most pressing problems-- skollfoundation.org. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and friends of the newshour. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc captioned by media access group at wgbh

hello everyone. welcome to amanpour & company. here's what's coming up. >> the house demonstrated that no one is above the law. not even the president of the united states. >> next a trial in the senate and a big choice for republicans. will any vote to convict the president? we're joined by forme gop congressman francis rooney. then -- >> american democracy has always inspired me. >> as trump's power waned his main global ally's israel benjamin netanyahu fights for his own political life. i talk to the prime minister's challenger. and -- >> usa, usa. >> tracking the far right.