judy: good evening. i'm judy woodruff. on the newshour tonight. steering the economy -- president biden nominates jerome powell to a second term as chair of the federal reserve amid increasing concerns over rising prices. then. parade tragedy -- new details emerge on the man suspected of driving through a christmas parade in wisconsin, killing five and injuring dozens, many of them children. and -- the pandemic in europe -- protests erupt across the continent as countries struggling to contain the virus implement new restrictions. >> europe at the moment is certainly seeing a big upsurge in cases and deaths this autumn. we are certainly the epicenter of activity at this point in time.

judy: all that and more on toght's "pbs newshour." ♪ >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by -- >> it's the little things. the reminders of what is important. it is why fidelity dedicated advisors are here to help you create a wealth plan. a plan with tax sensitive investing strategies, planning focused on tomorrow while you focus on today. that is the planning effect from fidelity. >> consumer cellular. johnson & johnson. bnsf railway.

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>> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. stephanie: i'm stephanie sy at newshour west. we'll return to the rest of the program after the headlines. president biden has ended weeks of speculation over who will chair the federal reserve amid mounting worries over the economy. he nominated jerome powell today to a second, 4-year term. and he cho lael brainerd for vice chair. we'll get details, after the news summary. a town outside milwaukee is in mourning after a man plowed his vehicle into a holiday parade, killing 5 people and injuring nearly 50. tonight, we're learning more about the suspect and the victims. a child dancing on main street -- a red suv hurtles by, just missing her. this was the moment everything

changed at the christmas parade in waukesha, wisconsin. that suv stormed past barricades, plowing through a crowd full of little kids, grandmas, and parade performers celebrating the return of the beloved tradition that covid had cancelled last year. this year's parade theme -- comfort and joy. >> people were crying. i'm sure -- i saw some people who saw their family members get hit. that really shook me, too. because i can't imagine having to see that. stephanie: cellphone video's captured the panicked moments. >> he got hit? >> he got hit. yes. >> oh my god, ok, take care of him. there's paramedics outside. stephanie: 19-year-old jaden singsime and his mother jodi are still in shock. >> it happened so suddenly and so quick and the truck came out of nowhere and all of the sudden you just hear the sound of people getting hit. >> the sound was crazy. >> the sound was scarring and so was the image of it and just seeing that happen to innocent people and seeing the aftermath,

just what goes through your mind is just really pure confusion and anger. stephanie: a police officer opened fire on the vehicle, but then stopped when he realized he was shooting near crowd. police arrested darrel brooks not far from the scene. >> i want to dispel some rumors. there was no pursuit that led up this incident. this is not a terrorist event. stephanie: brooks has a lengthy police record and was out on bail on two criminal cases, including a charge that he deliberately ran down a woman with his car. they say he was fleeing a domestic disturbance when he careened through the parade. brooks faces five counts of intentional homicide, for each person that died. the victims range in age from 52 to 81. virginia sorenson, leanna owen, tamara durand, jane kulich, and wilhelm hospel. waukesha mayor shawn reilly faced his grieving community. >> i saw all the happy children sitting on the curb.

i saw all the happy parents behind their children. today, our community faced horror and tragedy in what should have been a community celebration. stephanie: tonight, a number of children are in hospitals in critical or serious condition. and main street is a crime scene. a jury in georgia is set to begin deliberating tomorrow on murder charges against three white men accused of killing ahmaud arbery last year. during closing argument, the panel heard from prosecutors who painted the shooting as racially-motivated. the defense insisted it was self-defense. >> all three of these defendants made assumptions. made assumptions about what was going on that day, and they made their decision to attack ahmaud arbery in their driveways, because he was a black man running down the street. >> it is absolutely horrific and tragic that this happened.

this is where the law is intertwined with heartache and tragedy. you are allowed to defend yourself. stephanie: once the state murder case is resolved, the 3 men also face federal hate crimes charges. a congressional committee wants to hear from more allies of former president trump, as it investigates the january asslt on the u.s. capitol. alex jones, the far-right conspiracy theorist of "info-wars," was subpoenaed today. so was longtime supporter roger stone, who issued a statement denying any knowledge or involvement. former president trump's longtime personal lawyer coleted his 3-year prison sentence today. michael cohen served most of it in home confinement after admitting he broke campaign finance laws and lied to congress. he said he will continue cooperating with investigations related to mr. trump. another major investigation has concluded that former new york

governor andrew cuomo sexually harassed multiple women. the findings -- by a state assembly panel -- reinforce those by the new york state attorney general. this was the deadline for the federal work force to be vaccinated at president biden's directive. white house officials announced this afternoon that the vast majority of federal workers complied. >> the federal government has achieved 95% compliance. and 90% of the 3.5 million federal workers are already vaccinated. so we are successfully implementing vaccination requirements for the largest workforce in the united states, with federal employees in every part of the nation and around the world. stephanie:eanwhile. a nationwide lockdown took effect in austria to slow a spike in infections. other parts of europare facing violent protests over new covid restrictions. we'll return to this later in the program. in sudan, re-instated prime minister abdalla hamdok said

today he will be allowed to form an independent government. he's signed an agreement with military leaders after they ousted him last month. sunday's deal drew pro-democracy protesters into the streets. they said it just provides a cover for the military pow grab. chinese tennis player peng shuai re-appeared in public over the weekend, but that did not stop questions about her safety. she also had a call with the head of the international olympic committee thomas bach, where she was said to have confmed she was safe and well. but the women's tennis association and others are still calling for china to provide proof of her whereabouts and are asking for an investigation into her accusations that she was forced into sex by a former top chinese official. families of those killed in the shootings at a parkland, florida, high school in 2018 have reached a settlement with the federal government. sixteen families of 17 killed had sued over the fbi's failure to stop the gunman. the confidential settlement will pay out about 130 million

dollars. a wave of robberies at high-end stores in california's bay area over the weekend has business owners on guard as the holiday shopping season approaches. thieves on friday ransacked a louis vuitton store and other luxury retailers in san francisco's upscale union square, before quickly fleeing. today, california governor gavin newsom promised to prosecute the culprits and said these were very well organized crimes of opportunity. still to come in of the newshour, why the rittenhouse and arbery cases are sparking questions about self-defense laws. former new jersey governor chris christie discusses the state of the republican party. singer songwriters robert plant and alison krauss reunite for a new album. plus, much more. ♪ >> this is the pbs newshour from weta studios in washington and

in the west from the walter cronkite school of journalism at izona state university. judy: as we reported, president biden has nominated jay powell for a second term as the reserve chairman. the president's chairman comes -- decision comes at a tricky moment. job growth has been better-than-expected. inflation is at its highest in decades. both are concerned that powell and leo brainard will have to valance if confirmed. avgas guess joins us now. david, welcome back to the newshour. we know that chairman powell was reportedly looking seriously -- i'm sorry, president biden and was looking seriously at powell and brainard. why is it thought that he went with powell? >> i think the president said it quite clearly this afternoon.

he said he was looking for stability and independence. stability in that given this tricky time with the economy, having a familiar face, someone who has a track record now was a plus. secondly, jay powell stood up to donald trump and president biden made a point at saying he is popular with democrats and republicans. he was confirmed as chair 84-13 with nine democrats voting against him and for republicans voting against him. judy: the first go around. >> this time, i suspect they will get enough republicans to push him over the edge. judy: there has been this air of uncertainty hanging over the fed, while we are waiting to see what president biden was going to do. how is it now expected that policy is going to change or stay the same? >> i think the fed is under a

lot of pressure to change policy, to move more quickly to pull back on the bond purchases, what is known as the taper, and raise interest rates somewhat sooner than they had anticipated, because inflation has been high. i think the fed has been a bit paralyzed by indecision at not knowing who the chair was going to be. the team will be powell as chair, brainard abs vice chair, it gives them more flexibility if they want to speed up the process of tightening policy or taking their foot off the accelerator, if you will. i think both powell and brainard have made clear that they will be very patient. they are not panicking about this increase in inflation. they are not taking larry summers' advice. they are saying we will wait and see because we believe inflation pressures will abate. judy: what gives them that confidence?

>> i think they are a little less confident than they were. you are beginning to see them change their words. the former vice chair made a comment the other day that suggested that maybe they would speed things up. i think they look at the data and they are thinking that much of the inflation is covid-related and they expect it to abate and they are willing to be patient and take a risk. there is pressure from inside and outside the fed to say how much more do you need to see before you begin to tighten? judy: what effect is that likely to have on ordinary americans? >> i think the brainard-powell team is likely to go very slow on raising interest rates and to be very much aware of the fed's maximum employment mandate. i think it means the economy will run hotter, but i think it also means that now that they know that they have their secure positions, they are not confirmed, but they have the president's blessing, it gives

them the freedom to pull back on the accelerator a little more than they had planned because inflation has been so tough. both powell and brainard said in their comments, they know there is a lot of public attention on inflation, it is not just some bond market vigilantes, it is ordinary american. judy: if you are sitting at home and looking at this and thinking how is this going to affect me? >> it means there will be very little abrupt change at the fed. it means they will probably be raising interest rates in 2020 two, but very gradually. judy: let's talk about lael brainard. a lot of speculation as to whether president biden would maker the chair. she has been named vice chair. she is known to be in favor of stricter bank regulation. what role as she expected to play? >> i think the biden

administration decided the most important thing the fed does is manage the economy, manage interest rates and in this no role, brainard will be one of the three people who really coordinates monetary policy. the chair, the vice chair, and the president of the new york fed. it looks like she chose to not take the other vice chair job for bank supervision, so i suspect when the president announces his choice for that job, it will be someone who is similarly tough on banks and the fed will have this two vice chairs, one responsible for banking supervision and one backing up the person being tough on the banks. there was some relief on bank stocks, relieved that brainard will not be the vice chair for supervision -- i think that is going to be a mistake. biden will appoint someone tough on banking, he will have to. judy: all in all, a move that sends a message to people who watch the markets and the economy of continuity. >> continuity.

the fed is operating under a new framework and it is one that brainard and powell both wrote. the fact that they came out together as a leadership team looks to me like both of them will be confirmed. it removes one big uncertainty that has been looming over the markets and the economy and it gives the fed is little more confidence that they can make the moves they need to make. judy: david, thank you very much. >> you're welcome. ♪ judy: a stark warning from the outgoing german chancellor on the fourth wave of covid-19 sweeping her country. it is "worse than anything we have seen" she said. winter is coming across europe and with that, a spike in infections, alongside a spike in anger about restrictions put

back in place. trent murray reports. >> rolling up the welcome mat today in salzburg. in the birthplace of mozart, silence filled the air, as austria went into its fourth covid-19 lockdown. the virus is surging again on the continent, leading to renewed restrictions and across europe this weekend -- renewed resistance. in the run-up to the lockdown, austria's main far-right party drew tens of thousands into the capital, vienna, to denounce the measures saturday. >> i want my freedom back. one would think we live in a democracy but now, this is a coronavirus dictatorship. >> sunday was no day of rest in the belgian capital, brussels. riot police ringed the headquarters of the european union and used water cannons on protesters. and for a third night straight, violence last night in the

netherlands. a week into a new, modified lockdown, and restrictions on covid passports to only the vaccinated. prime minister mark rutte bluntly denounce to the rioters as "idiots." all this, as many in europe try to make this new abnormal livable. it looks like business as usual at the lur cha blanc restaurant in central paris. lunch service is well underway. like many venues aoss the french capital, the restaurant is seeing a return of regulars after a tumultuous year of taxing lockdowns and forced closures. but between serving diners and polishing silverware, manager jeremy's shift comes with a new set of responsibilities, making sure the business doesn't breach covid-19 control measures. that includes using government software to confirm diners are safe to be seated. >> during the week, we are

losing a bit of time to check everyone in. we need to have it all set up, get the app, and check every qr code. >> forming part of france's health pass app those qr codes , indicate one of three things - - whether a person is vaccinated, has previously been infected with covid-19 or tested negative in the past 24 hours at an official testing site. with almost two thirds of the european union's population of nearly 450 million now fully vaccinated, those types of rapid tests have become much less common. testing facilities which once swelled with crowds now largely sit empty, as authorities move away from subsidizing testing costs. as covid-19 mounts a major resurgence across the eu, member states are now rethinking that strategy -- a reassessment backed by the world health organization's richard pebody.

>> europe at the moment is certainly seeing a big upsurge in cases and deaths this autumn. we are certainly the epicenter of activity at this point in time. >> through many regions, the recent resurgence of covid-19 can be directly linked to lower than anticipated vaccination rates. and as cases rise, convincing those who are vaccine hesitant to comply with new restrictions remains a challenge. in germany, the government has now backtracked on its decision to remove free rapid tests and return to a policy of actively encouraging testing in order to help monitor infection levels in the population. health workers say government subsidies can be a big influence -- difference on whether people come forward to get tested. >> we have had a roller coaster

of ups and downs. lately, it is rising back up again. we are in the next period of the covid-19 pandemic. >> the return of free testing has been a politically divisive issue with criticism directed towards unvaccinated people using the negative result certificates to circumvent vaccine passport requirements at bars and restaurants. but german lawmaker dirk weisse says now is not the time for that debate -- given the crisis unfolding across the country. >> it had been thought that people might consider getting vaccinated because of the financial burden of regularly paying for tests. it did not happen that way. that -- that way. >> the back-and-forth over testing policies comes as governments across europe brace for a potentially long and difficult winter ahead. already some hospitals are saying they are having to cancel elective surgeries because of the pressure on their intensive care units.

and in some regions with particularly high case numbers, lawmakers are rolling out new restrictions designed to safeguard the hospital system against the resurgence. germany has extended its coronavirus state of emergency into early next year, paving the way for fresh rules like newly announced vaccine passport plus. it is a measure that will require citizens to show both proof of vaccination and a negative test before being allowed into many public spaces. it is a policy criticized by some business and hospitality groups is unworkable, but one many politicians say is needed. >> if i know i've been double vaccinated and i have a negative test, than i can go on with my activities with peace of mind. >> as europe fast approaches the two-year anniversary of its first covid-19 restrictions, it is becoming increasingly challenging to persuade people of the dangers still presented by the pandemic.

for the pbs newshour, i'm trent murray in berlin. ♪ even as many are still assessing the kyle rittenhouse trial verdict, another closely watched legal case is expected to go to the jury tomorrow -- that's involving the three men charged with the murder of ahmaud arbery in georgia. the two homicide trials are different in many ways, but as william brangham reports, both touch on fundamental issues for the country. william: claims of self-defense are central to the defense in both of these high profile cases. but what exactly constitutes a self-defense claim? when can you legally use lethal force against another person? stephen salztburg is a law professor at george washington university. in his career, he has served as both a prosecutor for the department of justice, as well

as a defense attorney. very good to have you on the newshour. obviously, these cases are very different, but they both have central to their defense a claim of self-defense. when someone makes that claim, what in essence are they arguing? >> they are arguing that they have a right under the law to protect themselves when they reasonably believe that their own life is in danger and that if they don't act, they could in fact be killed. william: there is some similarity between these cases, both of the shooters made that claim, that they felt they were threatened and had to use deadly force. but there are also meaningful differences. could you explain those differences? >> sure. the similarities -- in both instances, kyle rittenhouse injected himself into a demonstration knowing there could be violence.

he brought a high-powered rifle with him and said he did it for self protection, even though he did not expect to use it, he said. he had it there because he knew he might have to. he got into a situation in which he thought that the first of his victims was trying to take away that gun and if that happened, the victim would use it against him. so he fired. he continued to fire and kill one more person and wound another, paul because he said he feared for his own life. in the arbery case, the shooter, mr. mcmichael who testified in the case, basically said that he was trying to make a citizens arrest, which came out for the first time really at trial, and that in the very end when he struggled with mr. arbery, they were both struggling for a gun and mr. mcmichael feared that if mr. arbery got the weapon,

mcmichael would be the one who would be shot, so he feared for his own life. william: it sounds like in both of these cases it is the person who uses the force, it is their testimony that says i felt threatened, thus i acted. >> they do not have to testify in their own defense, but when they raise self-defense as a defense, it is much harder to make out that kind of a defense if you don't get on the stand and explain how scared you really were. that is why at least the shooters in both cases, mr. rittenhouse and mr. mcmichael, both chose to testify. william: does the circumstances that got you into those circumstances matter at all? does it matter that you are a teenager and took a semi automatic weapon and went to what was a violent protest? doesn't matter if you were trying to execute a citizen's arrest again someone? does anything about those circumstances that gets you to the point of a conflict matter

in a self-defense case? >> if you are the first aggressor. if you put yourself in a situation where the person that you shoot is acting because that person really has no choice, you put that person in such danger, you bically can't make out a valid self the clients -- self-defense case. in the rittenhouse case, he said he was there to do good, to protect a car dealership, so he wasn't trying to do anything wrong, he said, and therefore when he felt under attack, he could fire. in the arbery case, the defendants claim is that they thought there might have been a burglary and that they were also responding, not intending to put anyone in danger, mortal danger. william: some people have argued that the rittenhouse decision, while it may fall under wisconsin's self-defense claim, that it could create something of a slippery slope, or more

people feel emboldened to go into tricky, potentially violent circumstances armed, knowing that the law has their back in some way. do you agree that is a concern? >> i regret to say that i do. my belief is that the rittenhouse verdict is going to have ramifications, regardless of what happens in the arbery case. that means there are more people who are going to say, i'm going to be like kyle rittenhouse, if i have to shoot somebody to protect the community, i will. i don't think they will say that about arbery, because it is a very different case. it really looks like three white men going after a black jogger and whatever happens, people will never accept that as being a reasonable thing to do. william: thank you so much for your time. >> thank you. ♪

judy: debate over the future of the republican party is underway ahead of the 2022 midterm elections. and while both parties are formulating their midterm strategies, former new jersey governor chris christie has some advice for his party. he says it's time to end the focus on grievances and conspiracy theories -- strategies that helped to propel former president donald trump to the top of republican party leadership. governor christie's new book is titled "republican rescue" and i spoke with him a short time ago. governor christie, thank you very much for joining us. the book is a prescription for the republican party to recapture its glory and win electis again, as you put it. but this is a moment when the republican party looks to be doing well, analysts are saying, it is probably going to pick up the house of representatives next november, pick up seats in the senate.

president biden's poll numbers are down. so why at this moment are you trying to save the republican party? >> we lost the house, the senate, and the white house in a two-year span from 2018 to 2020. it is the only time that has ever happened in our party's history, except for the first time, which was 1930 to 1932 under herbert hoover. then the democrats took the white house for 28 of the next 36 years. we are still a year away from this election and we have to make sure we are laying out a smart, positive vicks -- vision for the future. we've got to move forward and lay out an alternative vision to a joe biden and vice president harris are doing in washington. that is not going to change in the next year and we are not going to win those seats by magic. we better have an alternative to put out there, because if you run the last election and the next one, you are bound to lose.

judy: your central point is that republicans need to let go of this allegiance to former president trump's argument that he lost the 2020 campaign, because there was a lot of fraud and that it was unfair and that he should be president. you say the party needs to move on, but when you look at the polls right now, 60% of republicans today believe former president trump. they say they agree that he should be in the white house. how do you persuade tens of millions of republicans that former president trump is wrong? >> i think that you lay out the facts. that is what we do in the book. the facts do not support that allegation and that is why over 60 courts have rejected the argument over the course of time since the election, but here is the bigger issue. no political party wins campaigns by talking about yesterday. you have to talk about tomorrow.

if donald trump wants to talk about the future issues and critiquing the biden administration in laying out a thoughtful and for what we do next, he will be a powerful voice in the debate going forward. but if we continue to look backward, that is not what we need to do. judy: one question is why is chris christie the right person to be making this argument, because you are one of the first people to endorse former president trump? you stuck with him through the 2016 access hollywood scandal. you were with him even after he was impeached in early 2020. you helped him in the debates. and yet you are saying you are the person to argue that he is making the wrong argument? >> exactly the right person, judy. trump voters are not going to listen to this argument from someone who is a never trumper. i think donald trump did a lot of good things for this country. taxes and affordability. on regulatory state. on conservative justices and justices through our courts.

i think there are a lot of good things to talk about and we need to give the president credit for operation warp speed. but i think someone who has been his biggest supporter of president trump as i have been, i say this has to stop, this grievance politics and looking backwards as to stop, and we have to move forward as a party to help our country. i think someone like me has even more credibility than someone who never thought donald trump did anything good. i don't buy that. i believe he did a lot good for the country. what he is doing right now is not good for our party and it is not good for the country. judy: i hear you saying you think donald trump was a good president when he was in office. do you think the country would be better off if he had been reelected? >> i voted for him, judy. i think his policies are much better for this country than the policies being pursued by joe biden, vice president harris, and the democratic party.

it is why i supported him in 2020 and 2016. he was not my first choice for president in 2016, i was, but that didn't work out and i thought he was a better choice than hillary clinton. that is why i voted for him and helped him and i felt like he was the better choice than joe biden. but after the election, when he said it was stolen and continued that argument, that is not something that is good for the country at all and it is not good for the republican party. judy: i know other interviewers have asked you this, but the question is are you trying to have it both ways? you are saying the country needs to move away from former president trump and his claims that he won the election. on the other hand, you are saying you could support him for reelection if he runs again in 2024, if you are not running. >> what i said was -- and i can't say who i would vote for in 2024 because i don't know who

the opponent would be -- i couldn't vote for bernie sanders under any circumstances. i couldn't vote for elizabeth warren under any circumstances. we don't know who the last two people are going to be in 2024 and i can make any decision today not knowing who both of those choices will be. judy: but you left it open that you could vote for former president trump if he is the nominee in 2024. >> i have of course left it open because i think there were very positive things that happened during the trump years from a policy perspective, but this is not a vote in a vacuum. you present the question is if it is a vote in a vacuum. there is never a vote in america in a vacuum. you have to evaluate who the choices are before you, both in a primary and a general. if the choice were donald trump or bernie sanders, i'm not voting for bernie sanders under any circumstances. judy: so if it were former president trump versus joe biden? >> not the way biden has

performed, i could not vote for joe biden. the failure in afghanistan. 6% inflation. failures on crime. all of these things that have happened so far. huge, enormous spending. we could go through a whole list. i don't think that is really productive, but the fact of the matter is elections or choices and in 2024, i will make whatever choices available to me , but i'm certainly not going to predict that in 2021 and that is a trap people like to give you an play politics with. judy: governor chris christie, thank you very much. the book is "republican rescue." governor, thank you so much. >> thanks for having me, judy. appreciate it. judy: last week started with a major bipartisan victory and ended with inflamed political

divisions on issues like race and gun control. amna nawaz brings us analysis on what to expect this week. amna: that's right. major advancements for the biden agenda on covid and the economy were almost eclipsed by a controversial verdict in wisconsin on friday. where does that put the president and his white house going into this holiday week? with me to discuss is amy walter of the cook political report with amy walter. and tamera keith of npr. let's start where we left off. the interview with governor christie, a lot of prescriptions about the way forward for the republican party. >> in essence, he is tying himself in a bunch of knots, trying to figure out like so many republicans are how to navigate a republican party where donald trump is still a dominant force. he is trying to speak truth to trumpism. at the same time, he can't reject trump because he can't be

a never trump are because then he would lose all credibility with the people he claims he is trying to persuade. it is a quandary that many republicans who could see themselves running for president in 2024 find themselves. amna: it is a quandary? >> an enigma. amna: maybe eight or dokken? >> very appropriate for this time of year. >> in essence, trying to find trumpism without trump's what he also seems to be saying. you can keep the policies that everybody loved, let's just leave the conspiracy theories and the tweeting and all of the behavior stuff that people didn't like, leave that on the cutting room floor, except that that part of who trump is is what made trumpism appealing to a lot of voters. so that is alsohe challenge for republicans. it is not just about policy.

it is not just that we liked taxes and judges and have trump's endorsement or a little bit of what made him special, i can succeed, but nobody else can fill that lane. what we are going to be thinking about for the next few years is not just what are republicans doing about trump, but also what are democrats thinking as they lead up to 2024 because a lot of the consternation in that party right now is also driven by what happens if we once again are facing up against donald trump. amna: we will see that play out in advance of the midterms as well. let's turn to president biden. going into the thanksgiving holiday, huge gains on the vaccination front, i think that is fair to say when you take a look at where the numbers are right now. 70% among all americans eligible have at least one vaccination does. children ages five to 11,

already 10% have at least one dose. big legislative winds? the bipartisan infrastructure bill has passed, the build back better is moving forward. and yet, take a look at the approval rating. 44% approve. 49% disapprove. this came out after infrastructure past, but before build back better passed the house. why is that number where it is? >> it comes down to voters feeling as if things have not gotten nmal. they were given a little bit of a look into normalcy, we all were in the spring and early summer. the mask mandates were lifted. covid vaccines were going out in an efficient way. economic optimism was rising. and then that all kind of got pulled out from under us.

it is interesting, i was listening to a focus group of voters the other night and the moderator asked the group, what makes you hopeful? one man said, there are too many unknowns right now for me to feel hope will. he is citing the worries about covid, by vaccinating his young children, the rise in costs for his grocery cart, and filling up his gas tank, and just this overall sense that things are not back in a track that he would like to see, including the disunity that we continue to see in this country and the anger and the vitriol playing out on line and behaviorally in all different aspects of our lives. amna: is uncertainty what is behind it? >> certainly the pandemic just not being over, the numbers of cases on the rise again. the white house just today and the cdc director and dr. fauci were trying to encouge people to have a good thanksgiving,

2021 is not 2020, but the level of uncertainty is pretty high. this time last year, everyone was looking at these vaccines coming, thinking maybe the vaccines will be the end. then it turns out they weren't the end. the biden white house is having difficulty messaging what the future looks like, in part because it is really hard to predict what the future is going to look like, so they haven't built -- not everything is about messaging, but a lot of people just want answers and there aren't answers. >> we had a look at what normal was going to look like and that is almost harder to recover from than just slogging through and saying eventually we will get to the end. we had this glimpse and then it was taken back. i think that is the bigger overlying thing. you can't discount the inflation piece, which is a really big piece of all of this.

amna: i want you to quickly weigh in on we had the president's reaction to a court verdict last week. this was kyle rittenhouse on trial for the murder of two people in wisconsin last year. not guilty on all counts. we have reactions from the currenand former president. president biden issued a statement saying the verdict will leave many americans feeling angry and concerned, myself included. former president trump said, congratulations to kyle rittenhouse, if that is not self-defense, nothing is. what does this say about where we are right now politically? >> the reactions to that verdict and he was determined to be not guilty on the basis of self-defense, the reactions to the verdict point to how divided the country as. democrats look this verdict and say conservatives could all be running around with guns unchecked and conservatives look at this and say, liberals set a narrative that wasn't reality

and persecuted this kid without justice. so, it is just another piece of evidence among many that we are pretty broken right now. >> and i think too the question about the stability of our institutions and the lack of faith in institutions, so if you are on the right, what you say is police and the justice system are not working because of some of the things tam pointed out -- i have to protect myself now and my family. i have a gun and i can do these things. liberals are saying, yes, the justice system is broken, it has been broken for a long time, if you are somebody in this country who is not white, it has never worked for you. we have two separate ways americans are saying the current system is broken, but the answer to it is of course very far away

because the priorities are so very different. >> you are projecting your own political views. another high-profile in georgia, closing arguments today in the death of ahmaud arbery. we will talk about them more another time i hope. always good to have you here. >> thank you. >> you're welcome. ♪ judy: robert plant and alison krauss with over 40 grammies between them have teamed up again for a new album with plans to tour internationally. for the first time in 12 years. we went to nashville to talk about the magic behind the musicmaking as part of our arts and culture series "canvas." ♪ >> a visit to sound in emporia, one of nashville's most renowned recording studios. alison krauss and robert plant recorded their new album "raise

the roof" a got to admiren the cover for the first timed. ♪ it is a musical marriage of two legendary voices and two very different worlds. >> where i come from, the blend is what you are always going for. you try to match how you say your vowels to have it be one voices the goal and this is the complete opposite. >> from a vocalist's point of view at the sharp end of the various kinds of adventures i've had, the whole thing is about go and we will worry about it later. >> he is rock 'n' roll royalty, the quintessential howler and bare chested british growler was the lead singer for led zeppelin.

he has long since established a solo career and in a 2017 conversation told me how he learned to keep the temper, the energy of his youth. >> it is bridled, it is contained more, it is a good place to go, and it is a bit of a surprise. >> she, 50, has long been one of the biggest figures in bluegrass, known for her gorgeous voice and multiple part harmonies. i first met alison krauss with her band union station in 2002, when they were part of the old brother where art thou phenomenon, a major moment for bluegrass. >> we walked into some of these places and have gone, who is playing here tonight? because it has been a bit of a shock to see these numbers of people coming out to see this. ♪ >> in 2007, krauss and plant

recorded "together" and offbeat pairing that became an unexpected hit. there album "raising sand" sold morehan a million copies and won five grammies, including album of the year. i'm assuming it was a surprise? > a shock. in this very room, we were shocked. >> there wasn't any expectation about any of it, like hey, if this is fun, let's do this, and if we enjoy it, let's keep going. >> we had to go to a place musically that would challenge me and would challenge alison. we needed to find new paths, something where it is a gamble and it is also incredibly stimulating and quite frightening. >> their musical collaborator and ultimate guide, t-bone burnett, the man behind so many hit albums for numerous music stars. >> when t-bone got involved, we

knew that all bets were off as far as what we were going to expected then. ♪ >> they are together again, backed by a group of all-star musicians, for raise the roof. they have found and remade songs across several genres. can't let go written by randy weeks, first recorded by lucinda williams. ♪ ♪ >> you are coming from the close harmonies where you sort of have to stick to the plan. that is not him exactly. >> that is not him at all. >> how was that for you? >> painful. [laughter] >> the way that you grow up

singing in bluegrass, it is very regimented and planned out because you are always singing harmony. i always make the joke, you didn't have any other life because you were just singing harmony all the time, trying to perfect that to make it sound like one voice. his whole life of music is off-the-cuff. i always say it is a bit like hanging off the edge of a cliff trying to match him and try to predict where he is going. >> but when we play live, that kind of wandering, then we get going and we are standing side-by-side singing and i'm looking at her and she is looking at me and she is saying, where are you going to go? eyebrows up, let's go, and off we go somewhere neither of us had land -- planned. >> plant says he enjoys that since of danger. >> i'm singing alongside a

singer who expresses herself in a totally different way. for me, the adventure is everything. to be free to fail and to be able to walk away is crucial. ♪ >> the original version of "the price of love" written and recorded by the everly brothers surrounds its painful lyrics with upbeat pop energy. >> ♪ that's the price of love ♪ >> now, it is something else. > you make it lustrous and perhaps a little more occasionally vague, sometimes more dramatic, yes, the price of love is a great pop song, but by the time these guys had finished with it, it was like, i'm

frightened. >> it is a haunting song. >> i'm worried about falling in love again. >> i thought it was beautiful. the everly brothers especially in that time, such terrible, sad, heartbreakingly >> along with a really happy melody. i think the way we presented that really uncovered the lyric. >> uncovered means what? >> kind of brings the focus out a little bit more of that part of it. >> call it a different kind of harmony from different styles. even how they approach recording a song in the studio. >> i like to wear it out in the studio. i like to wear it out, singing in a million times. >> i like to think that by take three it is all done. you can't do any better than that becse i really mean it, up to about take four. >> at take four you got it in you? >> i haven't got it. i think i've got it. [laughter] >> somehow indeed, they together

have got it. for the pbs newshour, i'm jeffrey brown in nashville. ♪ >> ♪ i'm in a world of trouble ♪ judy: making magic. on the newshour online, first lady jill biden wrung in the holiday season by excepting the white house official christmas tree. you can watch the festivities at pbs.org/newshour. and that is the newshour for tonight. the season begins. i'm judy woodruff. join us online and tomorrow evening. for all of us, thank you, please stay safe, and we will see you soon. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by -- >> the rules of business are being reinvented for the workforce by embracing innovation, by looking not only at current opportunities, but

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this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributis to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> this is pbs newshour west from weta studios in washington and from our bureau at the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy.] ♪ >>

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -today on "cook's country," i'm making a bacon-wrapped pork roast with peach sauce... adam's revealing the greatest graters... toni's telling us the history of german immigrants in texas... and morgan's making texas potato pancakes.