judy: good evening. i'm judy woodruff on the newshour tonight. challenging texas's near total ban on the procedure but leaves a lot in place, setting up another legal showdown. then, rising prices. inflation grows at its last -- fastest rate in nearly 40 years, complicate and the president's agenda. plus, democracy in crisis. personal freedoms and representative government decline worldwide as the shadow of authoritarianism roles -- grows ever larger. >> these trends are being promoted from within, parties inside democratic systems that

are pushing their own countries against the will of the people. judy: and it's friday. david brooks and jonathan pay more reflect on the legacy of former senator bobby dulle. 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, raymondjames. ♪ >> the john sf nj midnight foundation. more at kf.org. ♪ >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions. and friends of the newshour. this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. judy: abortion has been front and center at the supreme court

this term. today, the justices issued their opinion on a restrictive texas law. they are allowing abortion providers to continue challenging the measure in lower courts, but the law stays in place for now. john yang picks up the story. john: judy, this is about texas sb eight, the law that effectively bans abortion after six weeks of pregnancy and allows private citizens to sue people who help a woman get an abortion. for reaion, we went back to two advocates on both sides of the debate in texas who we talked with before. marvin sadler at a woman's health in austin, an abortion provider, and rebecca pharma from texas right to life. >> i was hoping for the opportunity today to be able to nohave to tell her. the bright spot where and feeling hope is that the fight is not over. you do still have a chance to go back and to rectify and to fix this horrible thing that has happened.

>> we are seven reading the fact that is still going to be about 100 pre-born children and their mothers from abortion every day. they need to fight for the law at the lower court but we are celebrating and we are grateful. john: for all this means and what comes next, we are joined by marcia coyle, chief washington correspondent for the national law and journal. marcia, this was a procedural issue, as justice gorsuch noted in his court's opinion. he wrote, "the ultimate question whether sba is consistent with the federal constitution is not before the court, nor is the wisdom of sb eight a matter of public policy. so what was at stake here and what happens next? marsha: john, the real question before the court, boiling it down, was the procedural question about who can these abortion providers sue in order to block the law if not permanently, temporarily, while

the constitutional challenge goes for. -- forward. that's with the court had to decide today and did decide. it narrowed who the abortion providers wanted to sue down to roughly just four people who have licensing authority over doctors and others who might be accused of violating the ban. john: so then what's next now? this case can go forward? marcia: that's right. it goes back to the federal district court that was initially trying to hear it before the u.s. court of appeals for the fifth circuit stepped in and stopped everything. the abortion providers and the others who sued to challenge the law can now know who they consume and the federal district court will hear their challenge and decide what kind of relief they should get, if any. john: and even though the basic constitutional question wasn't

at stake here, chief justice john roberts, joined by the three liberal justices, telegraphed their position on this. he wrote, the clear purpose ineffectiveness has been to nullify the court's ruling. the nature of the federal right in french does not matter. it is the role of the supreme court in our constitutional system that is at stake. back in september, this same four justices said they would've blocked law from taking effect. why did the five other justices keep it in effect, keep this law in effect? marcia: back in september, they said it was because it presented complex procedural questions about who can be sued, who the abortion providers couldn't get an injunction against. but they resolve that today, so i'm not sure. i have no special insight into their thinking why they would not block it right now except maybe they have an eye on the

mississippi abortion case, which they heard on december 1. mississippi bans abortion after 15 weeks and perhaps those five conservative justices think once that case is resolved, it will have an impact on the texas case. and then if you want to be totally cynical, you might think that these five justices don't place a very high value on the particular constitutional right at issue here, women's right to an abortion. john: some of the conservative justices have top about abortion distortion, that they feel that abortion rights get special attention sometimes. marcia: yes, they have said that over the years. we're going to have to wait and see how the mississippi case plays out. that, as you know, john, is a direct challenge to roe v. wade and planned parenthood versus casey, the landmark abortion

rights rulings. but the tenor of the arguments on december 1 don't bode well for maintaining the abortion right, at least as it now ists. john: and tell us how the court works. after those oral arguments last week, do they have a sense of where each other stand on that? marcia: i'm sure they did. the usual practice is, depending on which day they hear the argument, is to vote most immediately after the oral argument. but that can be a very tentative vote on how the case should come out. much can be done during the drafting of opinions andhoever was in the majority in that first vote, who writes the opinion. so i think it was justice ruth bader ginsburg who said dr. the affordable care act, it isn't over until the fat lady sings.

so once again, we have to wait and see how that is going to turn out. john: the newshour's very own chief justice, marcia coyle. thank you very much. marcia: thank you, john. ♪ stephanie: i'm stephanie sy with newshour west. will return to the full program after the latest headlines. inflation in the u.s. has surged to its highest point in nearly four decades. the bureau of labor statistics reported consumer prices jumped 6.8% last month over what they were a year earlier. at an afternoon event, president biden acknowledged the toll that's taken on many americans. pres. biden: it's a real bump in the road. it does affect families. when you walk in the grocery stores and you're paying more for what you're purchasing, it matters. it matters for people. when you're paying more for gas, although in some states there

down above three dollars a gallon, but hasn't gone down far enough. but i think it will. stephanie: will have more on this after the new summary. stocks rose despite the inflation report, which analysts said was on track with expectations. the dow jones climbed 16 points to close at 35,971. the nasdaq rose 13 points and the s&p 500 added 44 to close at another record high. covid-19 cases in the u.s. climbed 37% this week, with at least 25 states confirming omicron variant infections. cdc director rochelle walensky reported the number of daily deaths was also up 28%. even so, she expressed optimism that the numbers would improve. >> we do have an increase in cases. we're at 118,000 a day. but we also have more readily available tools than we had earlier this year. and it is the collection of all of those things together,

vaccinations, boosters, and preventive measures that really gives me a lot more faith in where we are, currently. stephanie: new york is tightening its covid restrictions even more amid a surge in infections. starting monday, the state will require prior masks in all indoor public spaces unless bit -- businesses or venues require proof of vaccination. the house committee investigating the january attack on the capital issued subpoenas to six people who the panel says helped organized rallies aimed at overturning the election of joe biden. committee chairman bernie thompson said some of the people subpoena it appeared to have direct munication with then president trump in the days leading up to the rallies. a father and son charged with setting the massive caldor fire in california's lake tahoe region earlier this year pleaded not guilty to all charges today. prosecutors have charged david scott smith and his son, travis shane smith, with reckless arson and weapons violations. the caldor fire learned how to

destroy about 1000 homes and other structures. at least 54 people have died in mexico after a tractor-trailer packed with roughly 200 migrants crashed into a steel bridge. the incident, which happened yesterday evening in the southern part of the country, injured at least 53 others. survivors were called to how the crash played out. >> it caught the curve. and because of the weight of the people inside, we all fell into the curve. clearly, the trailer could not contain the people because of the weight, and it toppled over. stephanie: most of the migrants aboard the tractor-trailer were coming from guatemala and honduras. wikileaks founder julian assange is one step closer today to being extradited to the u.s. for publishing secret military documents a decade ago. a london high court overturned a lower court's ruling that assange's mental health was too fragile for the american

criminal justice system. assigns, who is currently being held in london on spying charges, plans to appeal. and ree passings to note tonight. auto racing legend al unser senior died last night in new mexico after a long battle with cancer. he won his first indianapolis 500 in 1970 and went on to win three more times. he holds the record for most laps led in the indy 500, 644. is also the only driver to have a sibling and a child also win the race. al unser was 82 years old. former national football league wide receiver to mary as thomas died at his home in georgia last night. from what his family said was most likely a seizure. thomas played most of his 10 season career with the denver broncos. he earned five straight pro bowl honors and was a super bowl champion. to mary as thomas was 33 years old. and michael nesmith, the singer-songwriter and lead guitarist for the monkeys died

of a heart failure in california. he starred in a succumb about a rock band modeled after the beatles, which led to a string of hit songs. he later went on to have a successful career in songwriting and television and film production. michael nesmith was 78 years old. still to come on the newshour, a nobel prize winner discusses the need for a free press worldwide. former senator bob dole is remembered during a ceremony at the national cathedral. plus, much more. ♪ >> this is the pbs newshour, from w eta studios in washington, and in the west from the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. judy: as we reported, new data released by the labor department today showed consumer prices are surging at a rate not seen in almost four decades. inflation is up 6.8% over this

time last year, due in large part to rising food and energy prices. i spoke a short time ago with jared bernstein, a rep -- member of president biden's counsel. jared bernstein, welcome back to the newshour. so, prices climbing at their fastest rate since 1982. how big a problem for the country is this? jared: well, this is something that the president considers a real challenge to family budgets, even a moderate amount of inflation he's mentioned, can be a challenge. however, we also have to recognize that we are in the midst of one of the strongest labor market recoveries on record. that is certainly helping to lift people's job opportunities and live their paychecks. we are talking about unemployment claims that are down to a level we haven't seen since 1959, fastest falling unemployment rates on record, 6 million jobs since we got here. at the same time, price

pressures. you are absolutely right. we are doing everything we can, many more levers -- i've been in this bit -- business a long time from the white house, having to deal with reports, having to deal with taking down the price of gas, which actually has come down a bit the past few weeks, didn't make it to this inflation report, and having to make sure there's enough competition between companies that savings are being passed forward to consumers. judy: you mentioned in jobs and there's no question there is good news on the jobs front. wages are up. but we now see these inflation numbers are overwhelming wage increases. they've outpaced them. so what do you say to people out there, show people pay more attention to inflation than they do then a few more dollars in the paycheck. jared: a couple of things. first of all, again, this is precisely the kind of challenge that we are focused on with laser energy. the president has instructed his

team to do all we can to help alleviate these pressures. when you're talking on the wage site, if you look at the wages of hotel workers, restaurant workers and transportation, key sectors right now where labor demand is particarly strong, those wages are beating inflation consistently. they've done so for a number of months now. real wage gains in those sectors, same for the bottom 25%. this is part of the biden jobs boom. workers, particularly low income sectors, have real marketing power. that score. that's something the president believes he came here to help make happen. so that's part of what is happening here. at the same time, we have to make sure that those wage gains evolve from all americans. and that means we ve to try to, again, on snarl the chains and the supply chain so that the logistics can flow more smoothly, that goods can flow through the system more quickly.

we are having some success. i don't think i ever thought more about well in time in my career, which is the amount of time a container step -- spends on a port. it's down a third since i started looking at the ports to get things from ship to shelf more quickly. we talked about the gains on the gasoline side. that has our fingerprints on it as well. so, there are things we can do. we are doing them. we are going to relentlessly be attacking this problem. judy: one other thing i do want to ask you about, you mentioned built back that are sitting in the senate right now. the senate says inflation doesn't undercut the need for that. but you know there are plenty of critics out there of both parties that are saying do we really need to spend trillions more at a time when inflation is rising, even people who are on your side, who worked wi you in the obama administration, saying the ministration has just ignored inflation.

jared: i hope that you have captured from our discussion today that we are doing anything but ignoring. we are working as hard as we can to loosen these pressures on american families and their budgets. but i want to unequivocally say here for the record that building back better than merely a rates pressures in the long run by helping to build up the economy's capacity through greater labor supply on the infrastructure plan, through investments in infrastructure, and these will ease long-term inflationary pressures. in the near term, building back better does nothing to the current inflation, things we were talking about now, these month-to-month prints we're describing today. what it does do is help cut costs for lower middle income families, plus in childcare, education, housing, some of the most challenging aspects of family budgets, building back better helps ameliorate those

costs, ameliorate near-term costs, lowers inflationary pressures over the longer-term. judy: jared bernstein with president biden's council of economic advisers, thank you very much. jared: my pleasure, judy. ♪ judy: today, president biden announced initiatives designed to bolster democracy around the world. election integrity, independent media, to fighting corruption. but the president and democracy advocates admit freedoms are eroding. and authoritarianism is rising. here's nick shipman. reporter: this week, president biden hosted leaders for a virtual summit for democracy. the president called safeguarding rights and freedoms in the face of authoritarianism the defining challenge of our time. >> government of the people, by

the people, for the people, can at times be fragile, but also is inherently resilient. will we allow the backwards slide to continue unchecked? reporter: the nonprofit freedom house has tracked 15 consecutive years of decline in political rights and civil liberties worldwide. and of 146 countries, or than 2 million residents, only 39 are fully free. to discuss the summit and the decline of democracy, i'm joined by three experts. the senior director for latin america and the caribbean, the foundation promoting democratic institutions. an activist in uganda in the peace center, an organization that promotes men's rights in conflict settings. the next president of the german marshall fund, which focuses on transatlantic relations and the future of democracy, state

department official on european affairs during the george w. bush administration. welcome, all of you, to the newshour. president biden said there's a global competition between democracy and autocracy. which side is winning in latin america? >> unfortunately, i have to say that autocracy is winning. unfortunately, this is a region of the world that, until recently, praised itself on having all the countries in the democratic field except for cuba , a 60 year long-lasting dictatorship. however, nowadays, we have, in addition to cuba, we have nicaragua and venezuela and a significant slipping into authoritarian trends. both on the right and on the left. and what is really worrisome is that these trends are being promoted from within. elected officials, players, parties inside democratic

systems that are pushing their own countries against the will of the people, in many cases towards authoritarianism redeems. nick: we have seen coups in guinea, molly, the sudan, the highest number in 40 years. each have their own local causes. what is behind what secretary-general antonio guterres called an epidemic of coups? >> the democratic process in africa has had a lot of corruption. in election processes. you find politicians taking advantage of poverty, a large number of unemployed youths, finding votes during elections, making elections not credible. we've seen increasing marginalization of minority groups, ethnic groups, also increasingly social and economic inequalities that have also led to agitations by people coming

for changes in government. once people are calling for changes, it's over. when they took over, they also use elections themselves to let themselves into power, making it even worse for people. ni: how are leaders in hungary and poland, especially, challenging democracy, weaponizing cultural values? and how are other leaders in europe, frankly, taking their example? >> hungry, under the leadership, has really been a leader in establishing a liberal handbook, so restricting constitutional capabilities for an opposition to be able to express themselves , reduce media freedoms. so any media voice has to be supportive of the government. it's controlling the judicial branch, making sure there can't be meaningful investigation into a government. they handbook has now been

adopted in poland, increasingly in slovenia. in part, is to ensure that the curren government can maintain its political power and making sure that the opposition cannot do that. nick: so let's talk a little bit in each region about how some local forces are fighting through this. what do we see in terms of resistance in latin america to these antidemocratic trends? how are people fighting back? >> there is a lot of fighting back against authoritarian trends. even in the case of cuba, for the first time in six years, people took to the streets. there is a very vibrant civil society in latin america that is fighting back. they are looking for transparency and for corruption. they are looking for rule of law, for independent judiciary, for independent legislative branches. there are lots of courageous, innovative, and very committed people fighting back. nick: you talked a lot about

elections. why is it important for the world to try and support african election infrastructure? >> societies and organizations in other parties are working very hard to ensure that electoral processes are more transparent despite the nature of states. although there's been a lot of work in terms of necessity isaac the citizens or the rule of law on elections, we find that the stuff is not conducive for civil society. nick: we have seen major protests across poland. can something like that make a difference? >> absolutely. you are saying a pretty significant social mobilization. but is it enough? you have governments that have all the tools. they control the media, the funding sources, and they are able to use their majorities to pass through the laws.

but i think we're seeing some real improvements. we see this in the european union withholding pandemic relief funds from poland and hungary and the democratic backsliding may have the greatest levage in addition to strong u.s. engagements. nick: finally, let's look at the senate for democracy itself and come back to you, heather connolly. the biden administration has been criticized for inviting countries to the summit that they say are sliding back from democracy, philippines and egypt for example. do you think the biden administration held the summit in the correct way? >> my recommendation would be, let's focus on democratic activists, the freedom fighters are working very hard within these countries to fight for a different future. give them the tools, the mechanisms. when you get into the countries and the geopolitics, it starts not making sense exactly. it wasn't clear from the white house what exactly the criteria

was for those that joined the summit but did not have strong democratic conventional's. -- credentials. others were not allowed in. it was an unnecessary distraction. nick: can a summit for democracy help fortify democracy? >> i don't know to whaextent this conference is going to be able to. they're talking that changing institutions of government, changing institutions for elections. and we don't have this thnical people in the room. although i believe at a certain point, to begin to discuss how democracy can be more transparent, more effective. nick: administration says one of its goals is to promote democracy across latin america and how u.s. democracy is not immune from threats mentioning january 6. what is the impact of american democratic flaws and its abilities to spread democracy? >> to those who oppose the u.s.

raises their views and arguments, saying that is not the kind of democracy that serves as a model. but on the other hand, i think it opens the opportunity for a more sincere and direct conversation. many people, governments in the region, resented this sense of superiority, the feeling that a model is being imposed because the u.s. model was so perfect. i think recognizing that the u.s. system has difficulties opens this possibility of addressing -- say, i would say may be more sincere fashion. nick: thank you very much. >> thank you, nick. ♪

judy: the nobel peace prize's were awarded in oslo, norway. this year's winners were two journalists honored for their unrelenting pursuits of truth in a world coming less free. dimitri marotta, editor of one of russia's last independent news sources, was recognized for his work. and philippines journalists called for a reform of social media platforms. >> cover greatest need today i to transform that hate and violence. the toxic sludge that's coursing through our information ecosystem prioritized by american internet companies that make more money by spreading that hate and triggering the worst in us. judy: i spoke with maria rez a last night and i asked her if it felt all real yet. >>[ laughs]

you know that painting, the screen? it's been -- the scream? it's been more than a month. it's sinking in slowly. having to write a lecture makes you think about this. judy: what does it mean to you personally, first of all? >> judy, you know we've been under attack the last five years by our government, and having the nobel committee shined the light on what journalists are going through, personally, it's a lift. it feels lika little bit of the reprieve and hopefully i can pay it forward. i think journalists in the philippines felt this. and filipinos, as we move into our may, 2022 elections. judy: what do you think this is going to mean for the people of the philippines, for government officials? because they called you into court time and again. they charge you with libel. you had to get permission from four different courts even to travel to oslo.

>> look, i think the conditions haven't changed yet. just yesterday, former colleague was shot, hit with a bullet to the head, but also beyond that, cabinet secretary just said he would file a legal complaint against seven news organizations. and all he d was report on the corruption charges against him. that was set in a pride -- press conference. judy: do you think that provides hope of change from the current regime? >> if feels like 1986 all over again because it is against a woman. our top opposition leader is the vice president and ferdinand marcos junior is the front runner for president. and he filed his candidacy 35 years after his family and his father were kicked out, ousted in a revolt. so who knows what will happen in

our may elections? one thing is clear, you cannot have integrity of elections if you don't have integrity of facts. and that is something all democracies around the world face. judy: what more do you think needs to be done to support journalists, to support freedom of the press, especially as we see more and more averments around the world sliding towards authoritarianism? >> i think the accelerant for the attacks against journalists is technology. and part of the reason these authoritarian popular style leaders have gained power all around the world has been because the information ecosystem, the gatekeepers have changed from news organizations to technology, to social network platforms. i think the first step is regulation. we have to stop that social media prioritizes over news, over facts. and the second thing is we have

to help independent media survive. the world has gotten significantly more dangerous, i'd say exponentially more dangerous for journalists just trying to do their jobs. judy: i was looking at the committee to protect journalists. 1421 journalists from around the world killed since 1992. 293 imprisoned for their work. but you keep urging journalists to stay with it. what is at stake here? >> truth, facts, our democracy, right? i always say what has wound up happening is technology. social media prioritized the spread of lies laced with anger and hate over facts. if you don't have facts, you don't have truth. you don't have truth, you can have trust. judy: when ordinary citizens ask, why should this matter for me? what do you say to them? >> if you are on american social

media platforms, you are being insidiously manipulated. you have these algorithms of distribution, algorithms of bias that these tech platforms are actually done exponentially. and the prioritization is lies over facts. judy: so when this prize is awarded to you and you go back home to the philippines, what you think the prospects are you are going to be able to remain free? the future, for me, i don't know what it will bring. i do know that i faced and criminal charges, which could lead to about 100 years in prison. and it's almost like a high-stakes game of chicken because i know i am innocent. i know these are trumped up charges and i will fight them in court. my ability to do that will depend on what happens during our elections, whether our judges stay to the spirit of the law. but i also think it's a time

that matters. i think it's a risk worth taking. i couldn't do anything else. judy: maria rasa, being awarded the nobel peace prize, we congratulate you. thank you so much. >> thank you, judy. ♪ judy: president biden and a large number of political leaders from both parties gathered today to honor the late senate majority leader bob dole at his funeral and washington, d.c. i'm the nawaz has a report. >> forward march! amna: the late bob dole arrived at the washington national cathedral today, his casket draped in the five he honored as a soldier and statesman. the first tribute delivered by his former senate colleague, president joe biden. >> he came into the arena with certain guiding principles. to begin with, devotion to

country, to fairplay, to decency, to dignity, to honor. for the really attempting to find the common good. amna: those principles, biden said, lead dole to deep concern about threats to american democracy. >> and this soldier reminded us, and i quote, "too many of us have sacrificed too much in defending freedom from foreign adversaries to allow our democracy to crumble under a state of infighting that grows more unacceptable day by day." amna: biden hailed the dull as a man of integrity and quick wit. on display window was asked why he bucked his party, casting the deciding vote to save amtrak. >> he says the best way to get joe biden the hell out of here at night. [laughter] excuse m language. amna: fellow kansan pat roberts,

who followed dull in the senate, today recalled the deep connection he kept to his home state. >> whether we were in topeka, abilene, wichita, or dodge city, i saw bob dole connect with kansans always on a personal level. am: roberts, too, remembered dole's humor often used to break down political wills. >> it was embedded into his nature to deliver that punchline, deadpan, knowing, waiting for the room to light up, which it always did, for the barriers to come down, letting the air out of the partisan balloons. amna: former senate majority meet -- leader tom daschle, democrat, spoke of a bond born across party lines that only strengthen with time. >> i've always thought life has no blessing like that of a good friend.

and to know bob was to know the truth of that statement. amna: the final tribute from dole's daughter, robin, who saw firsthand her father's lifetime of service. >> he set a personal goal to help at least one person every day of his life. then he said, i'm not sure i've been able to meet my goal. i said, dad, you've got to be kidding. some days, you help one person and other days, you help 40,000 people. i will miss him so much. i think i will still talk to him every ght. i love you, dad. i promise, you will never walk alone. amna: after the cathedral service, dole was brought to the world war ii memorial. after tom hanks, who starred in the 1998 world war ii film, "saving private ryan," helped do

le to raise funds for the memorial, but said the senator was the driving force. tom: he pushed the idea. he corralled the votes. he made the phone calls. he listed allies. this memorial stands in this rightful site because bob dole remember. amna: dole's military service and sacrifice were front and center and remarks from chairman of the joint chiefs mark really, dole nearly died as a 21-year-old shot by a nazi machine gun. it was later awarded two purple hearts. >> continue to raise his hand, mingled as it was, to support and defend the constitution of the united states of america. we are all better off for the service of senator bob dole. amna: former senator and secretary elizabeth dole honored her husband through deeds today, not words, carefully laying a wreath in his memory. the late senator dole will now return to kansas for homestay tributes before being laid to

rest at arlington national cemetery. for the pbs newshour, i'm on the nevada's. judy: and now we turn to the analysis of brooks and capehart, new york times columnist david brooks and jonathan capehart of the washington post. very good to see both of you. i have to say i was at that service today. jonathan, i know you were there. david, i want to talk about bob dole because i was struck today at how much it was stressed that he worked across party lines. he started out as a partisan early in his career, chairman of the republican party. but then he went to go work on food stamps, the ada, martin luther king's holiday. is there a lesson in all this? david: he was a war hero, obviously.he was in kansas and some democrat said to him, you should run for office as a democrat. he said you should run as a

republican. there are 20 -- twice as many republicans. he said ok, i'm a republican. he was a dealmaker. people who worked for him, especially on the presidential campaign, were frustrated he didn't have strict ideological lines. he was good at counting votes and he wanted to know how to get a coalition and majority. and he was phenomenally good at it. people like him. he was certainly acerbic and he was certainly a tough guy. but he was funny. one of my favorite dole jokes, after he lost the election, people asked him, how do you sleep after you lost the presidential election? he says i sleep like a baby. i wake up every two hours screaming. [laughter] that's who he was. it is not a product of our age. people like that don't go into politics much. judy: and i was struck, jonathan, more democrats were speaking today, tom daschle,

former democratic senate majority leader, and president biden. jonathan: right. sitting there, i was thinking, one, it was an honor to be there. and ella sitting there thinking, i'm sure people will be talking about this as a washington funeral because of the pageantry and the solemnity. but the more i thought about it, listening to the speeches of the president, senator daschle, and senator pat roberts, as well, that this was a national funeral. this was a funeral that was saying goodbye to come as the president said, statesmen, patriot patriot was a word used many times, a national hero, someone who reached across the aisle to make deals, who put country first. i think one of the earlier ministers remarked how folks had gathered five weeks earlier to say goodbye to colin powell. and the president delivered a

similar speech then i recalled watching on television in this time we are in right now, where the ideological divides are so wide that the rancor on capitol hill is so intense, that to be in a place where we are sort of reminded of what used to be, but also what is still possible if folks could just get out of their way. my bob dole story, i was in intern on the today show. it was july, 1986, big celebration over the unveiling of the refurbished statue of liberty. my job was to escort the guests from the grounds up the steps on the elevated set. bob dole and misses dole came and i had to escort them. and there were rumors he was going to run for president. i leaned into him and asked him, are you going to run for president? and he leaned down and he said yeah, are you going to help me?

and i said, yes! it was so exciting. and when you said he just wasn't wired, ideologically, that came racing back to me because that's the person i remembered. judy: and when president biden today made what, to me, sounded like a direct appeal, reminding everybody you can't have democracy without compromise. but david, is this a bygone era we can't bring back? david: i think it will come back. we're not in that era now, but people just get sick of it. i do think people will eventually get sick of a government that seems dysfunctional. and you think of bob dole, the americans with disabilities act, all sorts of legislation he worked through, a lot of veterans affairs stuff. and the 1986 tax reform, probably the peak legislative

craftsmanship in my lifetime, people like daniel rostenkowski, and i just believe the cycle. we weren't born yesterday as a country. judy: we may be a long cycle, though. jonathan: a long cycle. who are the statesmen in the republican party now? who is the bob dole? who is the colin powell? who is going to be that person in the generation of leaders in the republican party in national office right now, we will be sitting years down the road saying the exact same thing? i can't think of anyone. judy: well, beyond even partisanship, david, we reported on the summit of democracy the president was presiding over, talking about the challenge around the world. meantime, you have people searcy concerned in this country, journalists, academics, writers

come about what's happening right now efforts to begin to affect the outcome of the next election this year, coming year, 2024. how concerned should america beat? david: i think pretty concerned. i was in russia when the soviet union fell. i was in the ukraine, i was in the middle east. and i saw in the 1990's, that sweep of democratization. ronald reagan was genuinely admired for saying so goes the evil empire. i saw america doing good in the world. we lost faith in ourselves to do good in iraq and afghanistan. and as we just heard, technology , authoritarian ideas of prestige. china has had a big effect of spreading authoritarian ideas on the world, russi and then the same forces in our own country. and so i'm glad biden did this

even though with our own failures because there's one big struggle. and i think biden is right. it is the defining struggle. it -- democracy is a fragile system. however learned should we be? there's a piece in the atlantic by barton gilman. and that peace says what is most alarming is not necessary the laws that are being passed. most alarming is there's a law from central americans, maybe only 12% or 20%, who have detached from reality. and believe everything is stolen. and you don't know what the people are going to do in 2024. judy: we talked to him last night on the newshour and he said according to the best estimates, 21 million americans, give or take, or prepared to use violence to keep donald trump in power. jonathan: right, and as he notes, i think i'm going to misremember the country he was talking about that had fewer people and spun out of control

based on 8 million people. i think it was serbia that he wrote about. but with 21 million people, he's making the point that 21 million people, that's a lot of people who can do a lot of damage in key places around the country if they turn the detachment from reality into an effort to overturn elections, not just by ransacking the capital, but going to state capitals around the country. what has been so alarming -- and i'm very alarmed about what is happening in this country, the voting bills that have been passed, they have been introduced around the country, where they are keeping people from voting and people vote. they make it possible that their votes don't count. and if their votes do count, they've now made it so that those results can be overturned. that is the key thing and that is what barton gilman is really ringing the alarm about is that we're going down a road that if

we don't do something relatively soon, we might not be able to climb back out of the hole that we're in. judy: the article that he wrote his seriously disturbing. david: the other thing that i hadn't thought about befor he likens it to northern ireland. we imagine it would be something with elections, but it could just be civil mileage. and that's terrific enough. judy: and when i said they want to keep former president trump empower, meaning a lot of them think you should be in power. most of them do. last quick thing, only a cple of minutes, but david, economic numbers out today, inflation getting even worse than it was, president's poll numbers, the latest poll has his approval at 42%, disapproval at 51%. how much is the president to

blame for what is going on with the economy? david: i don't think he's to blame for inflation rates. that's mostly supply chain issues. and the fact we have a booming economy. you could make the argument that we should have passed the infrastructure bill, but that has not affected the economy right now. it's too soon. you can make the argument that the economy is overheating but i don't think he is to blame. what disturbs me is people have become so disabused, so cynical, that they see the negative and they don't see the positive. there's a lot of really great news and there's a lot of bad news. but people have reached a point of disillusionment about our country and our system that they focus on the negative. judy: and it's all gotten mixed in. or has it gotten mixed in with out they perceive, how their daily lives are going? jonathan: i look at what is happening as a macro and micro issue. at the macro level, the economy

is great. this inflation never came out when the stock market was up 216 points today, your 401(k) is great on employment, jobless -- unemployment, jobless claims are down. gas stations prices are high, supermarket? bigs, milk, meat, coffee, you feel it at a more direct level. judy: paper towels. you name it, we got a list. but having said that, david, people will continue to look at whoever is in office and say, can't you do something out that? david: the thing that is unique about this moment, when you ask people about their personal finances, most people say good. country, that. -- country, bad. judy: all right, we will leave it there, david brooks, jonathan

capehart, thank you both. ♪ and on the newshour online right now, the descendants of enslaved people owned by jesuit missionaries in st. louis are working to amplify their ancestors lost stories. you may read more about this little-known history at pbs.org/newshour. and before we go tonight, we would like to say farewell to a special colleague, annette miller, who began with this program and its very earliest days. she joined the broadcast 46 years ago as one of two staff members in washington for what was then known as the robert mcneil report. she was a politics producer, booking guests, writing scripts, researching stories, and doing whatever was needed. she became the right hand, so to

speak the great jim lehrer as the show transformed into the newshour. she served as newshour -- editor, director of research, eventually vice president of newshour productions. with jim, robert, and our correspondence interviewed news leaders, annette was preparing and digging for information behind the scenes. and as director of research, annette was crucial in nearly every presidential and vice presidential debate, moderated by jim lehrer. at the same time, annette was a generous mentor to so many young journalists who came up through this program. we want to congratulate. we want to thank her for her years of contributions and wish her well and what sounds like a busy next chapter. we are going to miss you a lot, annette. thank you. and that is the newshour for tonight. i'm judy woodruff. join us online and again here on monday evening. for all of us here at the

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emergency planning for kids. we can't predict when an emergency will happen. with your parents. here are a few tips to stay safe. know how to get in touch with your family. write down phone numbers for your parents, siblings and neighbors. pick a place to meet your family if you are not together and can't go home. remind your parents to pack an emergency supply kit. making a plan might feel like homework, but it will help you and your family stay safe during an emergency.

tonight, the durability of plastics is why we love them. it is also the real problem in the environment. >> a special report about the impact of plastics on our environment. >> if plastics were a country úthey would be the fifth larges emitter of greenhouse gases. >> hello and welcome. tonight, we bring you a special episode that is all about plastic. is a big part of everyday lives. it is made all kinds of medical