♪ judy: good evening. i'm judy woodruff. on the "newshour" tonight -- the biden agenda -- the president lays out his plan to push to buy american-made products and confront the economic crisis. then, the pandemic persists. infections and deaths continue to rise as the vaccination plan lagged behind projections. taking to the streets. hundreds of thousands of farmers protest laws against deregulating agriculture in india. all that and more on tonight's "pbs newshour.” ♪ >> major funding for the "pbs newshour" has been provided by -- ♪

>> before we talk about investments, what is new? >> audrey is expecting. twins. we want to put money aside for them. change in plans. >> let's see what we can adjust. >> we could be closer to the twins. >> change in plans. >> mom, are you painting again? if you could sell these. >> let me guess, change in plans? >> a change in plans is always part of the plan. >> consumer cellular. johnson & johnson. bnsf railway. >> the william and flora hewlett foundation, for more than 50 years advancing ideas and supporting institutions for a better world. the jan zuckerberg initiative, for a more just and inclusive

future for everyone. and with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions -- ♪ ♪ >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. judy: president biden has had a full day, lifting a ban aimed at transgender troops imposing a , ban aimed at covid-19 and

, expanding a mandate to buy goods made by americans. white house correspondent yamiche alcindor reports on the day's events. yamiche: president biden's first full week in office and a flurry of executive actions. at a morning meeting with defense secretary lloyd austin, biden revoked president trump's ban on transgender individuals serving in the military. pres. biden: what i'm doing is enabling all qualified americans to serve their country in uniform transgender personnel qualified in every other way can serve the government of the united states going forward. yamiche: the president also issued a buy american order aimed at providing support to u.s. manufacturers. the order raises the threshold for products to qualify under existing buy american regulations calls for a review , of waivers ofuy american requirements and, appoints an official in the office of management and budget to oversee the order's implementation. the president is reimposing a

covid-19 ban on foreign travelers from the u.k., brazil and ireland as well as other , european countries with open borders. south africa waslso included on the list over concerns about a coronavirus variant there. meanwhile the biden white hoe has begun its push for legislative action on a $1.9 covid relief package. trillion brian deese stills in -- on national economic council sunday, director brian deese and other white house officials held a call with a bipartisan group of senators. but republicans susan collins of maine and mitt romney of utah said they remain concerned about the size of the package. many other in the gop are, too. bernie sanders says he is also skeptical a bipartisan deal can be reached and he is expecting a process called budget reconciliation. that would let the bill passed with a simple majority instead of 60 votes. for his part, today, president biden again voiced hope for a bipartisan agreement. pres. biden: whether we get it

all done exactly the way i want it remains to be seen, but i'm confident that we can work our way through. we have to work our way through beuse as i've said 100 times, there is no ability in a democracy for it to function without the ability to reach consensus. yamiche: meanwhile, the looming second impeachment trial of former president donald trump threatens new divisions. the first step is tonight with house managers formally delivering the impeament article to the senate. it accuses trump of incitement of insurrection. that comes after he urged supporters to march to the capitol on january6, and a mob of them stormed the building. florida senator marco rubio was questioned about whether it was unconstitutional to try a former president. >> the first chance i get to vote to end this trial, i'll do it because i think it's really bad for america. if you want to hold people accountable, there's other ways to do it, particularly for a president.

yamiche: senate democrats on the other hand, say it's important that president trump be held accountable. >> it makes no sense whatsoever that a president, or any official, could commit a heinous crime against our country and defeat congress' impeachment powers by simply resigning. so as to avoid accountability and a vote to disqualify them from future office. yamiche: the trial would not begin until that gives the february. former president more time to mount his defense and the current president more time to confirm his cabinet nominees. that includes this evening's senate vote to confirm janet yellen as treasury secretary. next up, antony blinken the , nominee for secretary of state. judy: yamiche joins me now along with our lisa desjardins. hello to both of you. tell us more about -- i am told yamiche is having difficulty with her audio. if that is the case, i will

switch over. is lisa with us right now? lisa i will start with you. what do we know? we heard in yamiche's report about what president biden is trying to do. what do we know about republican resistance? lisa: it isn't just republican pushback. talking to offices and people involved in the phone call, democrats also have concerns about this package. let me talk first about what they agree on. overall there is vast agreement that more money for vaccine distribution and production has to be passed and soon. let's look at everything else. where there seems to be agreement and the senate and disagreement. first, general agreement across partisan lines that there could be more room for unemployment assistance. it looks possible another round of $1400 checks could be passed,

but it seems senators on both sides are interested in targeting that the low incomes. now some problems. president biden has asked for $15 minimum wage as part of the package, that is a nonstarter. the price tag is the largest red flag. four members of both parties. the main thing brought up on this call were questions about exactly what president biden needs the $1.9 trillion for. the white house sent out a more detailed plan today. all of this as we are learning about the impeachment trial itself, we know who will preside. not achieve -- chief justice john roberts. it will be leahy, the pro tem of the senate. this can happen when it is not a sitting president being impeached.

democrats will use that format with their own senators presiding. judy: i think you are able to hear us. we are doing this backwards. we heard lisa talking about congressional reaction. fill us in on what president biden was trying to do today. yamiche: in some ways it is meant to be. what lisa just test of the biden presidency, he has $1.9 trillion in his covid relief bill and is running into bipartisan backlash. officials at the white house say joe biden has to show his scale -- skill to negotiate. i spoke with a lawmaker familiar with biden's thinking. he may have to break up this bill and do billions at a time. they are focused on vaccine distribution as ll as

vaccinators, ways to have americans be hired to distribute the vaccine. another thing to note, he is still busy at work signing executive orders. today he signed an order on buying american, getting the government to buy more american products. biden white house officials say it is about putting more team into what former president trump was trying to do. biden is revoking some things trump has done. today it was the transgender military ban. it was seen as discriminatory when trump passed it. now biden is saying it should not be looked at in a negative way to serve in the military. judy: meantime, lisa, back to you. the senate, 5050 split between republicans and democrats,

struggling to get organized and figuring out how to operate. lisa: why isn't the senate organize yet? let's break this down quickly. it takes 60 votes to pass new rules for a new senate. that means republicans operating under the former rules of the last senate still chair committees. it also meansew senators including from georgia, still have no committee assignments and any single senator can block any vote. this is why things are tied up in the senate. we do not know when we will have a resolution. there is hope they can happen before impeachment, but it is not clear. judy: sounds like a lot to be worked out. finally, there was news out of the justice department. fill us in on what happens.

yamiche: president trump is still being attached to chaos and questions, this time at the department of justice. the inspector general announced his office will be launching an investigation to kiev doj officials tried to wield power to overturn the result of the 2020 election. there were reports a doj official was trying to get doj -- trying to get them to overturn and go back to the camp of president trump. it is an area we will be watching closely. it is the doj saying, we will look at our own people to see if they did anything unethical dealing with the 2020 election. judy: lisa, i want to come back to you on news of a republican senator from ohio making a big announcement. lisa: rob portman will not be running for reelection.

that is another potential pickup for democrats in a swing state. he says legislating has become too hard. judy: lisa and yamiche, thank you both. ♪ judy: president biden's $1.9 trillion stimulus plan is met with bipartisan resistance in congress. heather boushey is a member of the president's white house council of economic advisors and she joins us now from washington. heather, welcome back. you are with us a week and a half ago when president biden was still president-elect. i want to ask you about the timetable. the president stressing he wants to get this economic package passed as soon as possible, but

we heard the senate incoming majority leader say mid-march. is chuck schumer's schedule the president's schedule? heather: from an economic perspective, making sure we have clarity, the relief we need for workers, families, state and local governments across the country is the priority, to make sure they can weather the storm of this crisis. my understanding is, part of the reason senator schumer is delaying from march is, many pieces do not expire, because the package passed in december. it is imperative we act urgently on this package. judy: let me ask you on reporting from colleagues and what we heard from senators with white house officials trying to explain what was inhis

package. several senators say they like some of what is here, they like what the president is trying to do with regard for moneyrom our vaccine distribution, but they are still concerned about the $1400 direct payments. they are saying it is not targeted enough to people at the lower end of the income scale. is the white house prepared to compromise? heather: i think it is still early days. important thing is to make sure we get the support out to all families who need it. part of the reason direct payments can be so powerful is, you have unemployment benefits that go to those out of worth -- work. direct payments go to family struggling with additional costs. we want to make sure we reach everyone. making sure they are really focused on those with the most need is important, but we want to make sure everyone who needs

help gets access to it. judy: we also heard from my colleagues reporting, there is opposition among senators to the $15 minimum wage. how integral a part of the packages that? we heard president biden say today he is prepared to negotiate. could they be prepared to break this up into smaller packages? heather: raising minimum wage was one of the promises candidate biden made to the american people. it has not been increased in quite a long time. especially as we saw in 2020. so many essential workers, grocery store clerks, orderlies, lowest level folks in medical facilities, childcare workers, disproportionately minimum wage

workers who would be affected by this increase. this is mission critical this economy that we value them and show them how much their work means. it is too early to say what the compromise is, but minimum wage is an important piece of the puzzle. judy: another comment we hear, more conservative commentators, but people from the business community, it is well and good to help those in need, but you have a number of people who own businesses who are struggling, who are looking at their businesses dissolved or about to go under, and they complain there is not enough in here for those struggling small business owners. i think we may have an audio -- can you hear me, heather?

apologies. we will try to figure this out. are you able to hear me? heather: i am able to hear you now. the internet. [laughter] judy: apologies. i will try to make it briefer. small business owners, the argument is they are struggling, they need help too, the argument that there is not enough help for them. heather: there were extensions of small business aid in the prior package. the goal of the incoming administration is to make sure those benefits get out andeach all small businesses that need help. small businesses all across the country, especially focusing on businesses owned by women, people of color, actually get the benefits this time around. there is also a connection to the buy american order the president signed today. he will make sure small manufacturers have an

opportunity to participate in government procurement. judy: we are having a little difficulty. i will ask you one other question. hopefully we will be able to hear each other. you and to the president both said it is important to go big. the mistake would be not to do enough. yet the pushback you are getting from congress is to go smaller. how much smaller can you be prepared to go with aid and still make the difference you need to? our apologies. we are dependent on the internet and sometimes i is not there for us. heather, thank you so much for joining us. ♪

stephanie: good evening, i am stephanie sy with newshour west peewee where people turn to the program after the -- west. we will return to the program after the headlines. articles of impeachment, setting the stage for a second impeachment trial. a solemn walk across the capitol with documents in hand. trump is charged with incitement to insurrection. president biden told cnn he believes the trial has to happen, but he does not think enough senators will vote to convict trump. the u.s. senate confirmed janet yellen to be treasury secretary, the first woman to hold that post and was previously chair of the federal reserve. president biden suggested the nation could soon vaccinate 1.5 million people a day, up from one million a day now.

the u.s. death toll has reached 420,000. the president warned the total could hit 600,000 before the tide turns. a lab in minnesota confirmed the first known case of a highly transmissible covid-19 variant spreading rapidly in brazil. dr. anthony fauci said earlier on the today show the current u.s. surge has begun to ease. >> what i think this really is is just the natural peaking and then plateauing and coming down. the number of vaccines that we've gotten into the arms of people, you know, good start. we want to keep going, get a lot of people vaccinated. but i don't think the dynamics of what we're seeing now with the plateauing is significantly influenced yet, it will be soon, but yet, by the vaccine. stephanie: in california the governor lifted regional stay-at-home orders. future restrictions will be targeted to counties. california officials say over

$11 billion in unemployment benefits were stolen last year, 10% of total claims. the labor secretary said security failed to prevent hackers, identity thieves and overseas criminal rings from exploiting the expanded benefits tied to the pandemic. dominion voting systems is suing former president trump's lawyer rudy giuliani for defamation. the suit asks for more than $1.3 billion. dominion is a manufacturer of voting machines and said giuliani falsely claimed they helped wrigley election. giuliani says the lawsuit amounts to intimidation. in russia, president putin -- demonstrators clashed with police and more than 100 russian cities. 3700 people were detained. during a video call with the students, putin branded the protests illegal. >> all people have the right to

express their point of view within the framework of the law. beyond that is not only counterproductive, but stephanie: the president of brazil, bolsonaro, is facing criticism for his handling o the crisis. thousands of brazilians took to the streets in several cities over the weekend, riding in socially-distanced motorcades. they demanded that bolsonaro be impeached. more than 217,000 brazilians have died in the pandemic, second only to the u.s. death toll. backing this country the u.s. supreme court dismissed lawsuits accusing president trump of illegally profiting from his businesses and washington, d.c. hotel while in office. the court ruled the cases moot as he is no longer an office. the biden administration said there will be an american sign language interpreter. jen psaki was joined by one today.

previous presidents used interpreters occasionally. still to come, covid infections and deaths rise as the vaccination campaign lags behind projections. hundreds of thousands of farmers protest laws deregulating agriculture in india. our team breaks down the changes made by the biden administration, and much more. >> this is the "pbs newshour" from weta studios in washington and in the west from the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. ♪ judy: there has been better news about the pandemic of late with 2/3 of states reporting a decline in new cases. the country is averaging 170,000 new cases a day over the last week. more than 100 30,000 people are hospitalized. vaccine distribution has

improved some. as concerns over new variants of the virus loom, omnibus -- amna nawaz looks at how far we have to go. amna: more than half of the vaccines, 22 million, have been administered to people. the pace has increased to 1.1 million shots a day over the past week. as a whole, the country has given out nearly 7 doses for every 100 people, according to bloomberg. the rates of vaccination and how much supply is going out, vary widely. states like west virginia with darker shading, have the highest percentage of vaccines given out. the lighter colors around much of the u.s. reflect lower rates of distribution. so what's driving these disparities and what does mean for the country as a whole? jen kates of the kaiser family foundation joins us again to dig

deeper into all of this. kates, welcome back and thanks for being here. let's start with differences we are seeing state-by-state. why are some states getting -- better at getting the vaccine out the door and into people's arms than other states? jen: it is a complicated labyrinth and it is different everywhere. there is no similar experience in any county compared to the next county. part of the challenge, states are starting at different places and dealing with a range of issues to figure out the most complex mass vaccination campaign ever. we are already operating from a deficit, having challenges just dealing with covid. states are pushing out doses to different eligibility groups, using different systems to alert people and it is complicated. amna: the first eligibility

group, those in nursing homes and long-term care facilities, there is a program with walgreens and cvs. governor pritzker of illinois was asked why his state was lagging. he blamed that program. he said they removed hundreds of thousands of doses from the state supply and they are slow to deliver them. is that a problem you have seen in other places? jen: in some places there are complaints about how slow the program has been. it is not clear where the bottleneck is, but there are bottlenecks. this rollout has not been smooth yet. there has been a lot of catch up being played. most long-term care facilities are participating. some are well along the way and others are lagging. amna: we're hearing about vaccine shortage, people saying they will run out of supplies soon. why is that? are they not making enough, or

is the federal government not distributing fast enough? jen: there is definitely a supply issue, short-term issue. provided to states is not enough to vaccinate eligible groups. states are expanding who is eligible. they are casting awider net, but have limited supply. part of it is the delivery schedule. they are not due to deliver a large amount until march, but there are more people eligible now. even long-term there could be supply challenges. amna: president biden said today the girl was 100 million shots in the first 100 days. they said today they think they can ramp that up to 150 million shots. he said the country could be on its way to herd immunity by the summer. based on what you have seen, is that a reasonable goal? jen: ramping up to 1.5 million a

day as possible, getting to vaccinate more people than the original goal. the original goal was a bit of a floor. getting to herd immunity by the summer will be tough. part of the challenge is, unless there is another vaccine authorized, or the federal government can get more, we may not have enough to reach the number of people who need to be vaccinated. in addition to the pace needing to pick up, there may be a supply challenge. i think it will be a stretch. amna: with all the fus on the vaccine, something else a world health official said today caught my attention. if countries bet everything on the covid-19 vaccine, they will lose. you have to keep doing testing, distancing, tracing, that the u.s. has not been good at so far. are we working against of the efficacy of the vaccine? jen: the lesson we learned, the

basic interventions that work, testing, masking, social distancing, are still needed and needed now and to some extent, later. already there are examples in the u.s. of counties are sitting having to take staff from covid testing to deploy them to covid vaccination. that is not the best way to achieve the goal .thank you. -- goal. we could be in a lot of could -- trouble if we forget that language. amna: jen kates, thanks. jen: thank you. ♪ judy: india celebrates republic day tomorrow, a holiday observed with elaborate military parades. is year, hundreds ofhousands of protesting farmers are planning their own tractor parades.

for months they have camped just outside the capital, delhi, demanding the repeal of new laws that deregulate agriculture -- which directly employs nearly half of the country's 1.3 billion people. special correspondent fred de sam lazaro has our report. it's part of his series, agents for change. reporter: the police have used tear gas, batons, and near freezing temperature water cannons to keep protesting farmers from entering central delhi. still, they traveled hundreds, even thousands of miles and encircled a capitol, protesting the end of a season of subsidies and price guarantees that for decades have provided certainty, though hardly a comfortable livelihood. most visible in the crowds here are sikhs from the breadbasket state of punjab. their turbans more evident than

face masks. >> they are sleeping in their trolleys, their trucks. they don't have resources. reporter: he is with united sikh s, a u.s.-based relief system that has provided medications, blankets and issues to protesters. they have worked disasters from the pellet -- from the philippines to the horn of africa. but this is a man-made disaster and profoundly affects farming. >> farming is a legacy, what your forefathers bequeathed to you. i am an engineer. whatever you are, you owe it to the seeds planted in the soil that allow you to flourish. reporter: the vast majority of india's farmers own fewer than three acres.

for decades, they sold their produce in-home states, government sanctioned markets, a system that guaranteed minimum prices on key commodities. new laws take a deregulated free-market approach and make no mention of minimum support prices. farmers can sell to anyone, anywhere, but small farmers say that is meaningless to them. >> we don't have the ability to take our crops to different country, a different state. this was designed for the corporates. it is not in our favor. >> they did the same thing with phones. now they are doing the same to agriculture. they are totally against the farmers. reporter: they fear conglomerates would take over agriculture and put small farmers out of business. they accuse prime minister narendra modi of doing the

bidding of wealthy industrialists. >> this country is ours. he is not the prime minister of corporations. he is fighting for the rich. we are fighting for our children. >> there was a huge conspiracy to frighten farmers. they are confused and believe farmers' lands will be snatched by others. reporter: prime minister modi says it will boost farmer income and productivity, and lower investment into a sector seen as costly and inefficient with outdated infrastructure. >> these people, who are in opposition, they are in favor of these reforms. they could not make the decision during their government and made false promises to farmers. reporter: despite modi's reassurances, there can be hard truths facing indian farmers.

i reached out to a effexor of political science at indiana university. >> the family farm in the u.s. is kind of a romantic ideal. it is unsustainable. but, this is how the world has evolved. i am afraid that evolution is coming to india. over the longer haul, one could see a more successful agricultural bounty, but it will probably come at some cost. a number of these small farmers probably get wiped out. reporter: unlike industrialized countries or china, india does not have factories to absorb displaced farmers or social programs to train them. united sikhs share these

worries. >> there is no safety net, no planning. unbelievably, this was done without any consultation, any studies, any engagement with those you will impact. reporter: his group is standing behind the protesters and helped organize huge rallies as far as london and san francisco. outside delhi as they huddle in camp-like vigil, farmers insisted they will stick it out until their demands are met. >> until we win and the governments take this back, whether it takes six months or a year, we will sit here. >> i will tell you one benefit of this law, they have brought us together. it has made us all brothers. we have become one. reporter: as the impasse drags on, talks are held to end it in

delhi, and perhaps the largest pushback of the modi government has faced. small farmers may be facing a reckoning on their future, but for now, they have formed one of the vigorous voting blocs in the world's largest democracy. judy: fred reporting, a partnership and the under told stories partnership at the university of st. paul, minnesota. ♪ judy: it is the first full week of the biden administration. here to analyze an ambitious set of goals, our politics monday team. that's amy walter of the cook political report and tamara keith of npr.

good to see both of you. i say it has been the week. it has been only five days. i am already going to be asking both of you to size up what we see. you have the new president doing exactly what he said he was going to do. he's rolled out a big economic proposal to the congress and already, he's getting pushback. what do you make of this, of these first days? amy: it's a great point, judy. it's like, well, how much can we read into something that has only been going on for four or five days? what really seems to be coming to the fore is the question about how both sides, democrats, republicans, define some terms, terms like bipartisanship and unity and compromise and what th means to one group of legislators or voters and what that means to the other. for example, does something become bipartisan only if it passes with democratic and

republican votes, or can bipartisan mean just reaching out to the other side? does unity mean, we have to agree all the time, or does unity mean we're just going to be more civil? that is where congress and the white house and sort of official washington seems to be at loggerheads about this. we are also seeing that with voters. the pew research center released a poll earlier this month, and it had some fascinating looks at how voters see the issue of compromise. we love to talk about compromise, this concept of people working together, whether it's in politics or anywhere else. but where you sit, whether you sit on the democratic side or republican side, also defines how you see the word compromise. and what's interesting is, when they ask the question of democrats and republicans, do you think it's a good idea for president biden to work with republicans, even if it means,

in compromising with them, he disappoints some of his voters, almost two-thirds of democrat said they'd be willing to do that. they thought that was a good idea. but when it was reversed, asked republicans, do you think republican leaders should compromise with biden, even if it means disappointing republican voters, only about 40% of republicans agreed. the incentive structure right now is very much tilted against, if you're a republican officeholder, compromise. judy: how do you see this, tam? you have the president doing exactly what he said he would do. even when he was asked today about how he views the term unity, he pretty much characterized it as an absence of vitriol, rather than saying he expects the republicans to climb on board with everything he wants. tamara: the reality is that the republicans are not going to

climb on board with everything that he wants. this $1.9 trillion covid relief legislation that he wants is not going to be what he gets. he essentially admitted that today in talking to reporters, saying that you don't want to give up at the beginning. but, certainly, there is a realization in this white house that that was an opening offer and they will be discussions. there are elements of that legislation that there is bipartisan agreement on. but there are other areas, like a $15 minimum wage, that may not have as much agreement. the $1,400 direct payments to individuals may not have full buy-in. and there are a number of elements there. obviously, state and local government aid is something that was battled out in the winter --

or in when the house and senate december, and president trump came up with a bill. there are a lot of challenges to this package and there is a deadline looming. it is not immediate, though. it doesn't come until march, when those unemployment benefits expire. judy: exactly right. amy, i'm gog to come back to you with a question you sort of left hanging there at the end, which is, what is the incentive for republicans to go along with any of this? amy: what democrats are hoping is that republicans are going to go along, especially on issues that relate to covid and health care and some of those other issues that have wide bipartisan appeal. especially in states among people who are really suffering at this moment in time, being seen as the obstruction to those can be costly politically, right? what's the bigger cost to you,

as a republican incumbent? fear of getting primaried on your right because you were willing to work with democrats, or fear of losing a general election because democrats painted you as, you know, standing in the way of getting stuff to voters? now, it's hard for that latter to work. usually the party in power in a midterm election, it's a referendum on them. but what we're going to find out in this next year is how much of a role donald trump is going to continue to play on the republican side, both looming as a figure out there, endorsing certain candidates or speaking out against others. but, also, of course, we know that there is this impeachment trial coming up, which is going to be a recorded vote. that is another thing sort of looming right now for so many republicans. judy: very much looming as

president biden -- yes he put , out this economic agenda, but he's also putting out, as you pointed out today, a lot of executive orders, executive actions, i guess sting a record for the first week for a new president? tamara: absolutely setting a record, exploding a record. when president trump put out 14 executive actions in his first week in office, his team was describing that as shock and awe.awe. well, biden already, not a full week in, has more than doubled the number of executive actions taken by president trump. now, part of this is simply that president trump -- and he followed president obama in this -- ultimately decided or was forced to decide that he had to govern through ecutive action, that getting things through congress simply wasn't happening on a schedule that he wanted or in a way that he wanted. but when you when you legislate by executive action, it is much

more easily reversed than when there's actual legislation. it's not a law. it is an executive action that can be reversed just as easily by another executive action. and so a lot of what biden is doing is keeping the promises he made during the campaign and reversing what trump did over the course of his presidency. for people who require stability or want stability, or, say, people who are affected by immigration policy, where there hasn't been some significant legislation since the bush administration, for people who want stability, this sort of ping-pong of executive actions is not helpful. judy: it also lowers expectations for what people can today expect a president to get done in the way of big, sweeping legislation. amy: that's exactly right. what these executive actions do,

do, as tam pointed out, there there's the ability to go in and reverse instantly what your predecessor had put forward through his own executive actions. it also puts w's up on the board and turn to your supporters and say, i told you, within minutes of taking office, i would do these things. look, they're done. what they are not saying is the , next president could roll those back. but we won't talk about that right now. let's just talk about the fact that we got these things done. about a third of all of the executive actions that have been taken have been focused just on rolling back things that the trump administration put in executive orders during their time. judy: no question, the transgender ban on the military, the paris climate accords, building the wall, the list goes on, the pipeline issue.

quickly, when it comes to impeachment republicans all over , the map at this point, but no clear path to that 67 majority that it would take. tamara: right. and house republicans are being punished for their votes. on the senate side, it is notable that minority leader mitch mcconnell is not telling his members what to do. he's saying it's a vote of conscience. judy: we will be watching that february the 9th, the trial starts. we get a chance to see the two of you a couple times before then. tamara keith, amy walter, a lot going on. thank you both. ♪ judy: we want to raise the curtain on an experiment to keep

theater alive while propping up a local economy during the pandemic. miami has been hit hard by covid and the travel shut down. officials at miami international airport, where 90% of tourists arrive, say traffic is off by half and that affects hotels, restaurants and hot spots like miami beach. somehow, live theater is happening. in fact, miami is home to the largest live production in the country right now. jeffrey brown has our luck for our ongoing arts and culture series, canvas. >> he said he had taught you to value money over everything else. reporter: making theater in the time of pandemic. it's the goal of miami new drama, in a project called “seven dead sins,” seven ten-minute plays presented to a limited outdoor audience, performed by actors inside empty storefronts. venezuelan-born michel hausmann is the company's co-founder and

artistic director. >> it was a moment of reckoning for the whole industry, but it was also a moment for us to realize, ok, what it is that we do, right? are we in the business of filling venues with people? or are we in the business of live storytelling? and i think the paradigm shift opened up the way we were able to see the possibilities of what we could still do. reporter: the described by five-year-old company described by hausmann as a 'theater of color', proudly representing its diverse city, normally performs a lively mix of new plays and classics in the “colony theater”, a restored 1935 art deco gem in miami beach. when covid forced its closure, hausmann had a revelation while riding his bike along nearby lincoln road -- miami beach's famed pedestrian street of shops

and restaurants. >> i saw all the empty storefronts on lincoln road and i thought, hmmm, there might be something there. reporter: empty storefronts the , impact of the pandemic and earlier economic shifts. now a new kind of theater, performed twice during the evening. audience members gather at an outdoor bar aptly named purgatory. they're divided into small groups of no more than twelve, each with a guide and move storefront to storefront, play to play, with a socially distanced to seating and earbuds that connect to wireless receivers. there is a kind of screen involved, but hausmann wanted to get beyond the virtual experience. >> i think it's as close to the real thing as you can get. the actors are seeing the audience and they're seeing the audience response to the work. i think this is theater with a capital t.

reporter: it is also an artistic outlet and source of income for artists in need of both. hausmann commissioned seven acclaimed playwrights -- five latino, two black -- to write short plays performed by one or two actors. when michel hausmann first >>when michel hausmann first called me to tell me about the idea yes, sign me up! ,i was like, reporter: playwright, filmmaker and actor carmen pelaez, a miami native, performs in one play, 'memories in the blood”, written by dael orlandersmith. >> they say i'm to be placed in a center of study of learning -- reporter: and she wrote another titled straps. >> i was excited to get my creative juices flowing again. i thought it was ingenious. i thought it was a huge relief for me not only to be able to address some of the things that i'm seeing going on and feeling artistically, but that i was going to have a paycheck strict -- paycheck. reporter: strict protocols are followed, including weekly covid

tests. backstage, actors prep in 'pods' with their own ventilation system. those performing in pairs are also isolating together. >> if you come to the red district at this hour, you must have a need. reporter: the writers picked one of the classic seven deadly sins and created many dramas. some, more personal, like pulitzer winner nilo cruz's amsterdam latitudes. >> it only takes one shattered storefront window for you to shake your heads in condemnation. reporter: others directly address current events. carmen chose pride as her sin and wrote a piece performed by stephen g. anthony, in which a statue of the 19th century politician john c. calhoun, a defender of slavery, comes to life as he's being pulled down. >> now you want to gather here today and try to take me down. go ahead. my foundation is 400 years thcik . -- thick.

reporter: you are watching the same new stories, these statues being torn down and then the , playwright in you thought, what if one of those statues could actually speak now? because if one of those statues >> could actually speak and be full-throated in the defense of themselves, we would also actually see what they were defending. when you see the banality and the cruelty of what they were actually defending, are you willing to still see that statue up? reporter: artistic expressions, but also an economic engine. sold-out performances with cket prices at $60 and are $75 covering the non-profit theater company's costs. and for lincoln road, an upscale commercial center all about shopng and cultural experience a new sign of life. , miami's mild climate helps, of course. michel hausmann points out that theater has always adapted and changed. >> the way i look at it, theater has been around for 2500 years,

and even at the most horrible moments of humanity. there are different and new ways of telling stories that don't necessarily mean we all need to gather in a building with the lights dim and there is intermission. theater is a vast art form that is very generous and big and we need to keep exploring the outer rims of it. reporter: it's no sin at all to hope for the success of this and other experiments in live theater. for the pbs newshour, i'm jeffrey brown. judy: that is the "newshour." join us online and again here tomorrow evening. for all of us at the "pbs newshour," thank you, please stay safe and we will see you soon. >> major funding for the "pbs newshour" has been provided by -- ♪ >> consumer cellular. johnson & johnson.

bnsf railway. the kendeda fund, committed to restoring justice and meaningful work through investments in transformative leaders and ideas. ♪ >> the alfred p. sloan foundation, driven by the promise of good ideas. ♪ >> supported by the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation, committed to a more just, verdant and peaceful world. and with the ongoing support of these institutions -- ♪ >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you.

thank you. ♪ ♪ >> this is the "pbs newshour" west from weta studios in washington and from our bureau at the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. ♪ >> you are watching pbs. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy.]

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -welcome to "america's test kitchen" at home. today, i'm making an easy recipe for pan-seared strip steaks, adam's showing us how to be nice to our nonstick, lisa shares her favorite cleaning tools, and dan's making a beautiful beet salad. we've got so much in store for you today, so stick around.