judy: good evening. i'm judy woodruff. on the "newshour" tonight. after the shooting -- the parents of a student who killed four at a michigan high school are charged with involuntary manslaughter. then. omicron -- the director of the national institutes of health weighs in on the uncertain road ahead. plus. supply chain woes -- we travel to the nation's busiest port to see what's causing major shipping delays. >> it's important to recognize that the supply chain is fragile. we, i think, as a country, should really take a hard look of how dependent we are on imports. judy: and it's friday. david brooks and jonathan capehart consider the future of abortion rights at the supreme court and congressional brinksmanship over government funding.

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. ♪ >> johnson & johnson.

financial services firm raymond james. >> the john s and james l knight foundation. >> 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. judy: there have been some dramatic twists and turns today in tuesday's shooting attack at a michigan high school. james and jennifer crumbley -- parents of the accused 15-year-old killer -- were charged with involuntary manslaughter this afternoon.

soon after, authorities in oxford township declared them fugitives and launched a manhunt. still later, their attorney said they had left town for their own safety, but were returning to face arraignment. john yang picks up the story from there. >> judy, the prosecutor karen mcdonald says the charges stem from what she calls "egregious acts." she says the father bought the gun used in the shooting last week for his son. on the morning of the shooting, the parents were called to the school to talk about viont images their son had drawn. >> james and jennifer crumbley were shown the drawing and were advised that they were required to get their son into counseling within 48 hours. both james and jennifer crumbley failed to ask their son if he had his gun with him or where his gun was located. and failed to inspect his backpack for the presence of the gun which he had with them. james and jennifer crumbley

resisted the idea of them leaving the school at that time, of their son leaving the school at that time. instead, james and jennifer crumbley left the high school without their son. >> the prosecutor also said that the day before the shooting, a teacher reported that the accused shooter was searching for ammunition on his phone. russ mcnamara is the senior news editor for detroit's npr station, wdet. thanks for joining us. what is the latest? we have heard there was a question as to whether the in. our officials confident they will turn themselves in now? >> i'm not exactly sure because they are attorney says they left town shortly after the shooting for their own safety and then were going to make their way back for the arraignment, but the arraignment was supposed to be at 4:00 p.m. today the u.s. marshals within the last hour have said they are hunting for the couple, as well,

as well as a fugitive task force in the city of detroit. we still don't know where this family is. >> and whether they are going to show up. we learned a lot from the news conference by the prosecutor today. there is evidence that suggests that this gun was a christmas present for this young man. >> yes, the child was there when the gun was purchased and he essentially picked it out and his father purchased it for him. teenagers cannot own a handgun in the state of michigan, so it would be a gift and the kid took it to the range and tried it out over the weekend with his mom. >> he also showed it off on social media. >> guess, he did that as well and he was very active on social media. that was part of the case karen mcdonald laid out against the parents, but this kid had a thing for guns, combine that

with the violent imagery in the drawing and the fact that he was searching for ammunition in class, at school, all kinds of red flags along the way for school officials and his parents. they should have known something was going on, i think. >> tell us more about the drawing. we heard about the drawing and the parents' reaction when this school tried to reach out for them -- to them. >> essentially, blood, stick figures, and help me in this drawing. given the fact that he was just given a gun days before, the parents at that meeting tuesday morning saw no reason to take their kid out of school. the school recommended the child seek psychiatric help within the next 48 hours. the family opted not to do that, so the child with the backpack in the room, the backpack was not searched, he goes back to class and later the shooting happened. >> in the day before, a teacher

spotted him searching for ammunition on his phone. they reached out to the parents and what happened or didn't happen? >> the mom basically texted her son saying, lol, i'm not mad, just don't get caught next time. which is kind of surprising, to say the least. that given all of that information the parents still decided to do nothing tuesday morning. >> the parents never responded to the school's calls and messages about this. >> it wasn't until the second call that morning that they both went in and met with school officials and their son at the same time and then after the shooting happened, both parents texted their son and told him not to do it. the father went home and then called 911 after he realize the gun was missing. >> russ mcnamara, thank.

>> thank you. judy: this week's shooting, the deadliest school shooting in three years, has led to fear, anger, and anxiety in school districts around the state of michigan and so have closings in dozens of schools because of threats and out of an abundance of caution. our student reporting labs and colleagues at detroit public tv talked to educators about this week -- and how they are talking to students. >> national news is hearing about oxford, they heard about parkland, they heard about sandy hook. the story that's not out there and i think a lot of people don't know about is the story of the surrounding communities and how an event like oxford high school's shooting is affecting more than oxford. >> my wife, everybody we all like took that moment to be like, wow, i can't believe this happened. it is happening very close. it's something you always see on the news, but now you see it and

you're like, wait a minute, i know they're building. i see people i know. >> we've all been just deeply, deeply touched by this, and it's going to take some time to heal. and i think the best thing i can do right nows listen to people and to help them feel their feelings. so many people are angry. >> throughout michigan that many schools in the tri county area, there were threats of violence in other schools and so scared kids stayed away. many schools in the metro detroit area were closed today. superintendents called off. we were in session and attendance was at 50 percent at best. so but for the kids that we're here, you know, we're here to support them. >> the easiest way for me to process this is not to ignore it, but just to full steam ahead in regards to, you know what my job is here. >> students want to talk about it. they want to voice their

opinions about it. they're being very smart about it. they are having pretty profound conversations. they're following facts. they're not following the social media hype or rumors. >> we've talked a lot about how important it is for them to help each other feel safe by paying attention to those loner students or the ones who are a little bit more quiet. we had some group activities going on this week and i noticed they seemed to be a little bit more open to paying attention to those kids who didn't have a group, who weren't selected for their own group. you know i too have been encouraging them to open up and pay attention to the kids around them. >> i can't tell you how many people i've talked to over the past few days that started off really angry or mad about something. and in the end, they they really it wasn't about being angry, it's about the fact that they

are so sad, sad and almost scared. you know, for what might have happened to their own child, and that's really touched me. so i think we just have to be really compassionate right now and and just listen to one another and be kind and and more importantly, have some grace because that's what people need right now. stephanie: i'm stephanie sy newshour west. we'll return to the full program after the latest headlines. a man accused of killing 10 people in colorado last march has been found mentally incompetent to stand trial -- for now. ahwad al aliwi alissa allegedly opened fire at a supermarket in boulder last march. prosecutors asked today that he be sent to a state mental facility for treatment. the news out on jobs today is a mixed picture.

the november u.s. hiring report indicates fewer jobs were added last month than expected. the net gain of 210,000 was the smallest monthly increase since last december. however, a separate survey of households shows 5 times that many people reported finding work. the unemployment rate dropped from 4.6% to 4.2% percent, the best it's been since the pandemic struck. the two surveys typically are reconciled later. in addition, average wages rose nearly 5% from a year ago. president biden signed a short-term spending bill today that averts a govement shutdown this weekend. the legislation funds federal agencies through mid-february, mostly at current spending levels. on the pandemic -- the new omicron variant has now been found in patients in maryland, missouri, nebraska, pennsylvania, utah, new jersey, and georgia. and, worldwide, omicron has now spread to more than 40 nations. at the white house, the president said requirements for testing people who enter the u.s. are sufficient for now.

>> i think i know a fair amount about this issue but i am not a scientist. so i continue to rely on scientists and asking them whether or not we have to move beyond what we did yesterday and right now they are saying no. >> the president attributed his husky voice to a cold. his personal physician confirmed he does not have covid. a recount in virginia has confirmed a republican sweep of major races in the november elections. a 3-judge panel today certified a recount that gave the gop control of the state house of delegates. the party also won races for governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general. u.s. intelligence is warning that russia may be planning a military offensive against ukraine involving up to 175,000 troops, according -- troops.

the u.s. military conducted a drone strike in syria which initial review shows may have led to civilian casualties. the strike was targeting a senior al qaeda leader and planner near idlib according to a statement. the mlitary added that a full investigation will look at whether there was loss of innocent life. in afghanistan, the taliban announced a ban on forced marriages of women. a new decree said women should be treated equally and not as property. but it made no mention of access to education and employment. a number of nations have demanded such steps before they recognize the taliban government or restore financial aid. still to come on the newshour. why a surge in spending is overwhelming u.s. ports. david brooks and jonathan capehart break down the week's news. plus much more. >> 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.

judy: the cdc director said today the omicron variant could become the dominant covid strain in the u.s. this winter. she also said delta remains a major problem. i sat down this afternoon with dr. francis collins, the director of the national institutes of health, to talk about those concerns. dr. francis collins, thank you very much for talking with us. >> judy, i'm really glad to be here and welcome to nih. glad you came out here. >> very glad to be here. as we sit here on december 3rd, we covid very much still with us, is your greater concern at this moment, the cases, the variants that are still out there or omicron, which is now arriving in this country? >> well, the one we know about is delta, and delta is still very much with us. even though we've seen some decrease in the number of cases, it's still tens

and tens of thousands every day. so while omicron, the sort of new variant that we're all focused on is a potential threat. delta is a real threat right now. we're still seeing 800, 900 people dying every day from this delta's outbreak. and sadly, almost all of those are unvaccinated. so we have not gotten to the point where we could have been in this country of being better protected. but omicron is clearly an interesting beast. this virus is throwing another trick in our direction. it's a wily virus, and it has now these 50 some mutations, almost 30 of which we haven't even seen in any previous version of sars-cov-2. >> given all of these questions. and president biden was here at nih yesterday. you were with him. he announced new initiatives, more at home testing, making that easier, more vaccination sites. there still are no major steps.

there's no shut down. people can still travel freely in the united states. are you concerned that enough precautions are being taken in this country? >> i think we're doing it about right right now. shutdowns are obviously draconian measures, and it's not clear that that much gets accomplished by those sorts of steps in communities. and there's obviously lots of consequences there for businesses, for schools. so i think the president's right to sort of take those off the table right now, but also to emphasize the things we can do. and he must be frustrated because i know i am. we have so much evidence now, judy, about what we can do as a nation to try to fight off this pandemic. and yet there are still 60 million people who have yet to get their first vaccination dose. and a lot of people who got the initial immunization haven't yet got the booster, which we also know will greatly improve your resistance to delta and probably

to omicron as well. >> i know you're saying we're still at least a week away from knowing more about omicron. my colleague william brangham on the newshour interviewed last night a doctor from the world health organization who noted that 10%, she said, of the people in south africa who've come down with omicron have had to be hospitalized. does that tell you anything? >> it's hard to make a whole lot of sense of that. i've seen those same numbers. i don't know whether those were people who were vaccinated or not. south africa's vaccination rates are not as high as ours. so it may well be that those folks who are getting hospitalized are those who are totally unprotected. but we don't know that. i will have tomorrow an opportunity for a direct interaction with the leaders in south africa who have been incredibly willing to be transparent about all of this data. they may know a bit more by tomorrow about exactly what's happening because they have 11000 cases now of sars-cov-2.

probably most of those are omicron because it spreads so quickly in their population americans in general want answers. i want answers. but we've just got to be sure they are right. >> you mentioned the unvaccinated and the doctor my colleague spoke with last night was was saying from the perspective of the who, the united states is putting too much emphasis on boosters. her point was it's all well and good, but there are still so many millions of americans who don't even have the first shot that that should be where the emphasis is, as well as around the world, rather than trying to get worrying people about getting second, especially the third shot. >> well, i don't think this has to be either or i think this has to be both and. we've seen the data that in fact, initial immunization with the mrna vaccine, pfizer and moderna, it does wanes over -- wane over time. that's why the decision was made to offer boosters now to anybody

over 18 to build that immunity back up. you know, america is not like having a small problem with sars-cov-2. we're one of the countries hit hardest. i don't know how i could justify or anybody could say, well, we're not going to offer boosters to our community when we know people are actually in trouble here. so, we have to do that. but we also have to think about the rest of the world we've already shipped out 275 million doses, we will be over one billion in the next few months. we're doing that, but it doesn't make sense to say, well, then we can't do boosters. we have to do all of those things. we got to save lives. that's what this is about. >> a question about testing. the esident announced, as we mentioned yesterday, they're going to try to make more at home testing kits available, people would be reimbursed through insurance. i'm sure you're already hearing criticism about this. people saying this is complicated, it's burdensome, bureaucratic and so forth that the united states simply should just make these test kits either very low cost or even free. what

about that? >> well, nih has been very engaged in the testing effort. we have a program called radx , rapid acceleration of diagnostics, those tests that you see on the pharmacy shelves. we had a lot to do with the fact that those got developed, expended, and distributed. and so i'm right there in this space of thinking testing ought to be available to everybody. it's a tool that we haven't fully utilized. stephanie: i'm asking because again, as you know, there's been criticism. president biden spoke early on about the importance of testing, but here we are all these months later. it's not easy to get a test in this country. >>'s should be easier. i think the fact that they are available now on the pharmacy shelves is a big step forward. judy: last question. how long will covid be with us? something that we have to think about every day? >> judy, i gave up trying to make predictions about exactly what the course of this pandemic was going to be.

i don't know where it is going, but i do know we are not powerless to determine the outcome. it's not the government that's going to fix this. it's not symmetric public health measure we haven't thought of. it is all of us taking advantage of the tools we've gotten being consistent about that. i know people are sick of this and sick of people like me who are saying you should get your vaccine, but it's true. if we had 90% of americans fully vaccinated and boosted, we'd be in a very different place. judy: dr. francis collins, thank you very much. >> nice to be with you judy. judy: the latest jobs report today offered mixed signals about the state of hiring. but one thing was clear -- more people are trying to get back into the labor force. supply chain issues are one key challenge as companies compete for workers.

economics correspondent paul solman visited one of the busiests ports in this country -- the port of los angeles -- to find out more about what's happening. >> the supply chain symbol of 2021 -- container ships languishing off the california coast, waiting weeks on average -- some, for two months --to get a berth at the ports of los angeles and long beach. this ships main use at the moment? a sea lion sunspot. >> i've been doing this for 25 years and this is unprecedented. >> port x logistics founder brian kempisty. >> containerized shipping started in 1956. we've never seen anything like this. >> pre-covid, ships rarely anchored offshore. now, they are commonplace. many dozens of them, loaded with thousands of containers per ship, each capable of holding as many as 800 artificial christmas trees, 7500 santa suits.

but there is simply no room to dock given the record cargo coming in each month. >> more than 900,000 container units on average have been coming through this port since july of last year. >> gene seroka runs the port of los angeles, the busiest in america. but never this busy. >> the cargo coming in from factories in asia is at all time highs. >> why? well, since the pandemic americans have been on a buying spree. so many goods have been getting here that the system is overwhelmed. >> once the cargo ships get here to los angeles, it's like taking 10 lanes of freeway traffic and putting them into five. you're still moving record volume, but you need even more throughput than you had before. >> but who in the supply chain is to blame for being unable to handle the throughput? depends who you ask. >> as you can see here we have stacks of containers. >> alan mccorkle is ceo of yusen terminals. >> and the stacks continue to go, mountains of containers for the length of our marine terminal. >> 17,000 containers were sitting here when we visited

more than double the usual , number. nearly half of them empty. since we export so much less than we import. yti has leased another 32 acres to make room for them all. this may look like the source of the bottleneck. but it isn't says mccorkle. ,>> so the problem we have is the boxes aren't moving out the gate as they should. and that's what's leading to the congestion that we have today. we're a three berth marine terminal, which means we can berth three ships at once. we have two here now. because the boxes aren't moving out fast enough we're not able to work the third ship today. >> so you have enough excess capacity to handle the huge tsunami of importsyou just can't get them out of the port fast enough. >> yes, sir. the imports just aren't moving out at the pace they need to to keep up with with the amount coming in off the ship. we're delivering 50 percent of what we're capable of delivering because the truckers aren't showing up to pull the boxes. >> so than are the truckers or

drayage drivers who transport the containers short distances from the terminal the main bottleneck? >> do we have enough drayage drivers? no. >> there's already a nationwide trucker shortage. nimesh modi of freight firm book your cargo says the longer waits to pick up containers are making the job especially unappealing at the ports. >> they have to be in lines for that's a huge problem they're hours. dealing with. >> like this driver we met at the port of long beach. >> there's a lot of lines, big lines. >> and you have to wait. >> yes, like two hours, when hour, depends. >> and that hurts their income, says modi. >> more they drive more they earn. if they don't drive and sit at the terminal, wait for the container, they don't make money. if my life is becoming diicult, then i'm going to look for something else. >> but a driver shortage is not the main problem, says harbor trucking association ceo matt schrap. >> we are the easiest scapegoat in this entire supply chain. >> you may be the scapegoat, but

are you actually also the main point of congestion? >> no, because we have over 14000 drivers that are operating down here daily. we have drivers right now who are not being dispatched. we have trucks that are parked because literally we don't have a chassis to move the import off of the dock. >> too few chassis. they're the wheeled metal frames that containers are mounted on to be driven away. and logistics expert brian kempisty agrees. too many chassis are now stuck under containers waiting to be sent back overseas. >> that means that chassis is unusable for 60 days, and that's the issue that we're having right now is there's no available chassis to pick up the full containers and we are coming to gridlock. >> there is another bottleneck further down the supply chain, says mccorkle. >> while the marine terminals are running predominately two shifts seven days a week, first shift, second shift. i think you're seeing some warehouses only working first shifts and partial second shifts. >> so we went to the brand new

seko logistics warehouse in carson, california, which brian baskin oversees. how much of this stuff comes from china? >> probably 70% or so. >> trucks haul containers stuffed with goods here to be off-loaded and stored or reloaded onto different trucks to be transported elsewhere. but baskin says there is no bottleneck here. >> the second we have that container in the door, we're turning that product out on the road back into the u.s. within 24 hours. the delay is not in the yard here. >> they run weekday shifts, saturday, and sunday. working more in the warehouse isn't the answer, he says. >> expanding hours does not mean you are expanding capability. >> how does the labor shortage impact what we are talking about? >> if you are talking about the general warehouse market, labor is tight, rates per hour have gone up just to attract people to come work.

>> and real estate prices more warehouse space have gone up even more, over 30% since he acquired this space in february. >> the landside real estate markets have gone crazy, so there's not a lot of available space to go into to expand any of the shoreside options that you would have normally. >> so in the end, did any link in the supply chain have enough slack to handle the surge? >> we were moving in a direction where the growth in the ports every year was getting harder and harder to manage. covid just kind of put a nuclear bomb on top of all that with the volume. >> and why so little cushion? because extra space at the port costs money, extra trucks and chassis cost money, extra inventory and extra warehouses cost money. thus for maximum efficiency, american business moved inexorably to a just-in-time supply chain. >> just in time and creating lean supply chains was the focus for the better part of three decades. >> but says the trucking industry -- >> it's important to recognize

that the supply chain is fragile. we as a country should really take a hard look of how dependent we are on imports to start with and then we have much more realistic expectations about what we're able to achieve within our supply chain to begin with. >> the good news, perhaps? importers may be changing how they operate. >> i think people are starting to look at how they source their product and move away from what has been a just in time supply chain into a let's get it way, well ahead of time >> now what we see is just in case. on our docks today, we may see patio furniture and lounge chairs. orders have been put in factories ahead of others to build up on inventories across the board. >> even so, everyone we talked to expects kinks in the supply chain well into next year. for the pbs newshour, paul solman up in the air, in and around los angeles.

judy: with the omicron variant, a near government shutdown and a major abortion case before the supreme court, it's been a busy week in washington. to examine it all, we turn to the analysis of brooks and capehart. that's new york times columnist david brooks and washington post columnist jonathan capehart. hello to both of you. haven't seen both of you together in a long time. it is good to have you here. let's start with the supreme court, jonathan. the long-awaited mississippi abortion case. intense oral argument. a lot of people are saying they think they know what is going to happen based on that. what did you make of it? >> you don't know what is going to happen based on those arguments. we have been down this road before with the affordable care act. people thought for sure obamacare was going to be declared unconstitutional in the

decision came out months later that that was not the case. what is going to happen to roe v. wade? whether it will be overturned is real and it is serious, primarily because when donald trump was ruing for president, he said he would appoint justices to the court who would overturn roe v. wade. that was during the campaign. he got three appointments to the bench. there is a 6-3 conservative majority and that is why after listening to those oral arguments i'm concerned and a lot of people are concerned that it is another verge of being overturned. that is why justice sotomayor are's question is the key one, will the court survive the

stench? >> a lot of people are quoting that line. >> i think roe is in danger at some point. i think eventually they will get around to it. i have been someone who has always supported overturning roe, because i think the court should not decide and it should be decided by the democratic process. i used to believe that if it one back to legislatures, the majority of the american people do not want to ban abortion, they want to restricted in some way and i assumed we would wind up where europe is with tighter laws, but not a ban. i'm no longer so sanguine that our political system can handle a massive debate over an incredibly hard and complicated question and i say that with the awareness that geordie's don't seem to rule anymore. polarized minorities rolled in

our politics very often. we may wind up your fro i overturned in just vicious cultural, moral, political battles at a time when our democracy is extremely fragile and that has got to be worrying. judy: what do you see is the ramifications, jonathan? if it goes in the direction it seems to be headed. even if it is something short of completely overturning roe. >> the political ramifications are huge and for part of the reason that david was talking about. for democrats, to get baldly political, for democrats it could be a way of galvanizing the base at a time when the midterm elections are coming, democratic voter turnout is lower during midterm elections traditionally, and they could possibly be another verge of losing the majority in the house. for republicans, this could be a galvanizing thing for them in 2022 and 2024.

in addition to all the things david said, the question then becomes, it is also a very personal decision. when we are talking about a woman's reproductive health, it is not whether she has access to abortion, this is one of the most personal things that she might have to endure or will have to endure. i look at the possibility of the overturning of that precedent and i look at other precedents out there that could also be in danger. i'm thinking about oberg or fell. i'm looking at a possibility where my marriage could be nullified by the supreme court. judy: upholding same-sex marriage. >> yes. what happens in the mississippi case -- we haven't even talked about texas -- we are still waiting to hear what the court has to say about that. there are even more implications for things like same-sex marriage and other precedents.

judy: david, your point about whether the country can withstand -- can the court withstand the perception that decisions are made based along party lines? justice breyer and others have said that is not what is going on here. >> of course those on the pro-life here think the court got into this in 1973 withrow -- with roe. since then, our judicial system has become hyper divided unpolarized basically because of that issue. can the credibility of the court -- justice breyer and justice barrett says we are not political creatures and from their day-to-day perspective, that maybe are to be true because there are a lot of decisions that are not these decisions. i have to say when i reflect back on the big decisions that make the headlines and shift american history from bush v

gore to what is about to come, i'm stunned by how incredibly easy to predict the votes based on their partisanship. on the big issues, the court has become quite predictable and partisan, like the rest of america. judy: speaking of partisanship, congress, i guess the democrats just barely got out of town at least for the weekend without having a government shutdown. they were able to reach an agreement over government spending, but democrats and the president still have some big agenda items before them this month. what does that look like is going to happen? [laughter] >> chaos, judy, chaos. we avoided a government shutdown a day early, but we now have a debt ceiling deadline december 15 according to the treasury secretary. the national defense

reauthorization, that is supposed to be at the end of the year. build back better, senate majority leader chuck schumer says we will get it done by the end of the year, ok? sure? if you say so? and that is just the stuff on the table. you have republicans who know all of these things are basically not there, they are not a government partner. the problem is when you have democrats talking to democrats and especially with build back better. i said chaos, i have no idea how this is going to turn out. but if it does turn out, it is just going to be messy and it will bleed into next year, into 2022, and that is a problem for democrats, for the country. once 2022 is on the calendar, everything is going to grind to a halt because nobody is going to want to get anything done. >> i saw an unnamed quote from a

hill staffer saying the odds of getting build back better this year were 20% or 25%, because you have to have cbo scoring, figure out what joe manchin wants. joe biden was selected to be competent, and longer democrats go on, the worse that claim looks. i would say one thing in defense of the democrats, it is basically a 50/50 congress, that is hard. if you look act at american history, the great society took years to pass, are system was not built for speed. what worries me most is they are capable of doing nursery school legislative activities and you feel like they are just barely doing that. [laughter] i feel like the skill level on

capitol hill is not where it should be because they don't have the experience of successful legislation. teddy kennedy did it back in those days, they really knew how to do this stuff. that is the big worry to me. judy: that is an issue -- image we will keep in our minds. members of congress may remember the nursery school level. the president has one other thing on his plate and that is the variant, the new variant on top of delta we have omicron. it is everywhere in the world. it is in multiple states. he has done a few things, travel ban, we are going to have increased testing. how does his management of this look? how much is riding on his management? >> a lot is. but i do think he is striking the right tone. when we were talking about this last week, it was like what is this thing?

it is super contagious. i mispronounced it because it was so new. judy: a lot of us did. >> the president says, don't panic, get vaccinated, get your booster, wear your mask, basically saying to the american people look, we have the tools to be protected against this. i also think that the american people, after year and a half of doing this, no one wants to go into a shutdown, not the president or the american people. we know how to protect ourselves. if the president and the administration project calm, but also clarity in what we need to do to protect ourselves from omicron, he will be ok, but everything is riding on this because if we do get to a situation where he has to come to the american people and say, we've got to lock down again, even if it is for a good reason,

i don't kno how that is going to go over. judy: that is something that they don't want to do, the nih director said. >> they said, we are not powerless. we are not where we were a year ago. the best thing the administration is done is buy millions of doses of this pfizer and merck treatment, so you get a positive test, you take 30 pills, and it has an 80 5% chance of reducing hospitalization and death. that suggests we will enter a phase where we will not kill covid the way we wish, but we will learn to live with it the way we live with the flu and we are sort of at that point. if you are fully vaccinted and under 50, your odds are quite good. it is still the folks who need the continued care. and so i think we are just going to be in the country with a lot of covid around for a long time, but we have tools to make it a lot safer.

judy: we do have the tools and director collins saying, we just need to keep doing what we do, doing what we know how to do, which is the testing. we are going to leave it there. so good to have you back again. >> great to see you, judy. judy: we'll be back shortly with a brief, but spectacular take from one of the stars of broadway's hadestown. but first, take a moment to hear from your local pbs station. it's a chance to offer your support which helps keep

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to liz johnson of kqed's producers circle. think of how much you rely on the newshour and how much kqed's wide array of programming introduces you to ideas that make you a more informed citizen. we think that counts for a lot and we hope you think so too and that you can help us with your support. >> if you have already donated, we would like to thank you for helping us meet this dollar for dollar challenge grant and we also appreciate the generous support all week from liz johnson of kqed's producers circle. but, if you haven't made were pledge yet, please let us hear from you soon. now, stay with us as the pbs news hour continues right here on nonprofit community supported , kqed. judy: for over five

for over five decades, after andre deshields, known for his recent role in "hades town", i

mispronounced it earlier, has shared his talent with new york theater audiences, with tony, grammy, and emmy awards already under his belt, he is still looking forward to what is ahead. tonight, he shares his brief but spectacular take on living his most authentic life. >> i play hermes, a messenger to the gods in the tony award winning for best musical broadway show "hadestown". this is a line from "hadestown". so, here is the thing, to know how it ends and still begin to sing it again as if it might turn out this time. i learned that from a friend of mine. i am the guy who won his first

tony at age 73. i was not surprised that it took seven decades for me to arrive at this particular genus in my career. this simply means there are many more golden steps for me to take on my journey. i have only begun. i am the manifestation of my parents deferred dreams. i made a vow to myself if i was going to have any personal success in life, the first thing i had to do was make education my beacon to master the language of those who would oppress me. why? so that i could always understand what was being said úto me and about me and i could

always make myself understood. i am a hard-working black man. all audiences enjoy hard-working black men. drop on your knee, sweat a little, smile. the legacy i am creating, the legacy i want people to embrace is black man majesty. there isn't enough of it in the world. it got smothered during enslavement. it is time for it to come back. my name is andre de shields and

this is my brief but spectacular take on living my most authentic life. >> we are going to remember that one. you can watch all of our brief but spectacular videos online at . on the newshour right now, the pandemic changed the landscape of school nutrition. main, it became an opportunty to enhance benefits for children. how the state became a model for how to provide school meals married on our website. for more on the politics of the omicron's arrival in the u.s., join washington week moderator and her panel tonight on pbs. that is the newshour for tonight. i am judy woodruff. join us online and again here

on monday evening. from all of us here at the pbs news hour, thank you, please stay safe and have a good weekend. >> consumer cellular. johnson & johnson. bnsf railway. financial services firm raymond james. >> the william and flora hewlett foundation. for more than 50 years, advancing ideas and supporting institutions to promote a better world. hewlett.org. >> supporting social entrepreneurs and their solutions to the world's most pressing problems, school foundation. >> 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 performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy.] >> this is pbs newshour west from weta studios in washington and our bureau at the wall take ron kirk -- walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. >> you are watching pbs.

tonight on kqed newsroom, covid-19 expert dr. in the latest twist in the pandemic as the omicron very atlanta in california. plus, how the state is appearing for a potential influx of women seeking abortion services as the supreme court signals it may overturn roe versus wade. and, we too are a mysterious home decked out in the holiday decor for this week's edition of something beautiful. coming to you from kqed headquarters in san francisco, this friday, december 3rd,