captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc >> woodruff: good evening. i'm judy woodruff. on the newshour tonight: a tense moment. the u.s. delivers more military aid to ukraine, as fears of a russian invasion remain high. we discuss the tenuous situation with the ukrainian ambassador. then, dring the lines. the fight over re-apportioning congressional districts grows more intense, amid lawsuits, vetoes, and widespread gerrymandering. and, a painful choice. under taliban rule, the lack of oprtunity for afghan girls rces one doctor to choose between her patients and her children. >> ( translated ): my caer and me are one person, but my kids are three, and they should have

bright future. and because of them, i can leave everything. >> woodruff: all that and more, on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> architect. bee-keeper. mentor. a raymond james financial advisor tailors advice to help you live your life. life, well-planned. >> for 25 years, consumer cellular has been offering no-contract wireless plans, designed to help people do more of what they like. our u.s.-based customer service team can help find a plan that fits you. to learn more, visit www.consumercellular.tv. >> johnson & johnson. >> fidelity wealth management.

>> the john s. and james l. knight foundation. fostering informed and engaged communities. more at kf.org. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions: and individuals. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: today, ukraine's leaders tried to reassure their population, despite more than 100,000 russian troops deployed

near the nation's northern and eastern borders, and despite new announcements of russian training exercises. the u.s. and western countries consider an invasion as possibly imminent, and that fear is being felt on ukraine's frontlines. nick schifrin begins our coverage. >> schifrin: on the frontlines of an eight-year-old war, the defenses are centuries-old trenches. and the target practice? the man who has this site in his targets. ( gunfire ) in eastern ukraine, ukrainian soldiers skirmish daily with russian-backed separatists. since the spring of 2014, 14,000 soldiers and civilians have died. that toll leaves troops, already fighting a generational conflict, in fear of a new invasion. >> ( translated ): russia is not interested in talks. they have their own plans and tasks to execute. they won't stop; there's no negotiating with them. ( gunfire ) >> schifrin: there's no sign of russia stopping its buildup. today, the russian defense ministry released new video of soldiers training to fight near

the ukraine border, and deploying precision-guided, medium-range iskander missiles that could successfully target ukrainian airfields and bases. the u.s. is sending its own military messages. for the second day in a row, american ammunition arrived in kyiv, and the u.s. made sure to highlight it by organizing a press conference with the u.s.' top diplomat in kyiv, kristina kvien. >> let me underscore that russian soldiers sent to ukraine at the behest of the kremlin will face fierce resistance. >> schifrin: in parliament, british prime minister boris johnson warned a new ukraine war would be as deadly as any in europe since world war ii. >> ukrainians have every moral and legal right to defend their country, and i believe their resistance would be dogged and tenacious, and the bloodshed comparable to the first war in chechnya or bosnia, mr. speaker, or any other conflict that

europe has endured since 1945. >> schifrin: but ukraine's present says he does not believe invasion is imminent, and he released a video today urging the country to remain calm. >> ( translated ): protect your body from viruses, your brain from lies, your heart from panic. >> schifrin: in washington today, for the first time, president biden warned he would endorse sanctions against vladimir putin. >> would you ever see yourself personally sanctioning him if he did invade ukraine? >> yes. >> you would? >> i would see that.

>> woodruff: in the day's other news, pfizer began a clinical trial of an updated covid vaccine designed to ward off the highly-contagious omicron variant. final results could take months to come in. but, the company said the trial won't affect its pledge to produce four billion doses of vaccine this year. there is new evidence that the omicron surge is slowing the world economy. the international monetary fund today slashed its growth forecast, citing omicron and other factors. it now estimates global growth of 4.4% this year, down half a point from the last forecast. the so-called pandemic "party-gate" scandal in britain has broadened. london's metropolitan police said today they will investigate gatherings held at the offices of prime minister boris johnson during a covid lockdown in 2020. in response, the prime minister told parliament he is cooperating fully, and his

office denied violating covid curbs. >> i welcome the met's decision to conduct its own investigation because i believe this will help to give the public the clarity it needs, and help to draw a line under matters. >> woodruff: johnson is already facing calls to resign over the scandal. russia's crackdown on opposition leader alexei navalny and his allies intensified today. authorities added them to a list of terrorists and extremists-- freezing their bank accounts. navalny is already in prison for violating terms of a suspended sentence. north korea has fired off more missiles, for the fifth time this month. south korea's military said they appeared to be two cruise missiles that landed in the sea off north korea's east coast. the u.n. security council has banned north korea from launching ballistic missiles, but not the lower-flying cruise models. major roads and highways re-opened in greece and turkey today after severe winter storms

dumped more than 30 inches of snow. flights resumed at istanbul airport, in turkey's largest city, where hundreds of people had been stranded. in athens, crews cleared fallen trees and freed people who had been stuck inside their cars overnight. >> ( translated ): it's unacceptable that so many were trapped for so many hours with no help. it's not enough that they became trapped. aid came after dark. it's unacceptable. >> ( translated ): they could have at least managed the roads, they could have predicted it. i've known for the last ten days about this weather forecast. for ten days now, we've known that the weather was going to be like this. >> woodruff: it is the second year in a row that a severe winter storm has struck athens. the greek capital rarely receives heavy snowfall. in pakistan, for the first time, a woman has taken a seat on the country's supreme court. 55-year-old ayesha malik was sworn in monday in islamabad.

it is an historic move in an islamic nation where men dominate the judicial system. back in this country, nancy pelosi, the speaker of the u.s. house of representatives, announced that she will run for a 19th term in office. the san francisco democrat is 81, and is the first woman to serve as speaker. it is not clear if she would try to remaidemocratic leader in the house, if she is re-elected. a second new york city policeman has di, after being shot last friday. he and his partner were attacked by a gunman during a domestic disturbance call. just yesterday, the city's new mayor, eric adams, detailed plans r ending gun violence in new york. the u.s. commerce department warned today that the nation's shortage of semicondtor chips has reached alarming levels. it said that companies are down to less than five days supply. the department's survey of producers suggested the shortage will last at least six more months.

the s.a.t. college entrance exam is going digital. the college board administers the test. it announced today that it will shift away from paper and pencil by 2024. the s.a.t. is trying to stay relevant, as more colleges make standardized testing optional for admissions. and on wall street, worries about inflation fued another volatile day. the dow jones industrial average lost 66 points, after dropping more than 800 earlier in the day. it closed at 34,297. the nasdaq fell 315 points-- that's more than 2%. the s&p 500 shed 53 points. still to come on the newshour: hospitals continue to struggle with the nationwide influx of covid patients. the fight over congressional districts grows more intense amid multiple lawsuits. california's largest utility company emerges from legal

probation, after a string of deadly incidents. and much more. >> woodruff: we return now to the crisis over ukraine. as we reported, ukraine's leaders are urging their citizens to remain calm, even as russia poses a massive threat to the u.s. ally. nick schifrin has more from the view of ukraine's government. >> schifrin: thank you, judy. we turn now to oksana markarova, ukraine's ambassador to the united states. ambassador, welcome to the newshour. today, we heard president zelensky say that ukrainians should not be panicked, but from comments by president biden last week, all the way to prime minister johnson today, it is clear that the west thinks an invasion could be imminent.

are you downplaying the threat in order not to cause panic? or do you see the threat differently? >> actually, we do see the threat exactly the same way our partners are seeing it. so, russia attacked us in 2014. we know what they are capable of. we know that they illegally already occupied crimea and part of donetsk and lugansk territories. and we know that there's 100,000 troops around our border. it's not there just to be there. so yes, ukrainians are worried. but as our president said, we should not panic. we should get ready to defend r country, and this is what we are doing. so in addition to the military offensive that russia is playing and portraying, they also are doing a lot to destabilize situation in the country. so all the cyberattacks, this

disinformation attack, they want us to panic. and we will not panic. we will get prepared. we will also do everything in order to continue to build our country, to reform our economy, and we are resolute to defend our country. >> schifrin: do you believe, as the u.s. does, that an invasion could be imminent? >> well, again, with the neighbor like russia, this is a reality with which we live for the past 400 years. we know the threat is there. we know the threat is very high. and the diplomats, together with all the government, with the president, and together with our international partners and allies, especially with the united states, we are working hard in order for the option a. as we say, the diplomatic solution, to be still possible. and we are working very hard to dissuade russia from making this mistake. >> schifrin: in terms of trying to persuade russia not to make this mistake, as you put it, trying to prevent war, the ukrainian government is calling

on the u.s. government to impose sanctions now on russia, while the administration says that they are waiting for sanctions in order to maintain sanctions' deterrent value. why do you disagree with that? >> we are trying to prevent russia from further aggression and further invasion of ukraine. and that calls for next level of sanctions. and we are working very closely with our partners and allies here on what this sanctions could be. and yes, ukraine is advocating that this sanctions should be very strong, and we are very pleased to hear from the administration, from president biden, that the cost and the sanctions are going to be nothing that russia ever saw. and yes, there are also grounds for the sanctions to be applied now. so, both as the deterrt, the future sanctions, and the

sanctions for what russia already did, until it changes in behavior, are well supported by ukraine. >> schifrin: the ukrainian government has also been asking for more weapons from the u.s. government-- anti-ship weapons, surface-to-air weapons, even beyond what the u.s. has been providing this week. if-- do you think if the u.s. provided more weapons, it would deter russia? >> absolutely. last year, the united states support system for military assistance to ukraine has been the highest since 2014, more than $650 million u.s. dollars. and during the past three days, we see on a daily basis how flights are coming in from the united states, delivering their military assistance from the $200 million package that has been authorized by president biden in december. so again, it's very much a united front that thcivilized world is putting together, helping us-- because this is

not a fight about ukraine; it's fight about values and principles. so anyone who treasures freedom and democracy and believes that those values and principles are worth to fight for, are standing together with ukraine these days. >> schifrin: do you acknowledge that there are weapons the ukrainian government is requesting, that the administration is refusing to provide? >> of course. i mean, if you ask me, do we ed more javelins or do we need more weapons? yes, we do. i mean, we are only rebuilding our capabilities after we started building institutions in our country after the revolution of dignity there in 2014. but i think already we have large progress there, and our american friends and colleagues are the ones who we have to thank for it. >> schifrin: the u.s., as i mentioned before, believes the

threat to your government could be existential, including an encirclement of kyiv, and regime change, as the british government said in its intelligence release this weekend. given the level of threat, are you willing to consider any concessions to moscow, from more autonomy for the regions under the control of separatists in the east, to your future in nato, in order to try and avoid invasion? >> there arerincipal issues which are very important for ukraine, as i said, to be independent, to be sovereign, to decide our future by ourselves, to be part of the european union and nato, and to be whole again to restore our territorial integrity. so we are peaceful people. we never planned any offensives and we never attacked anyone. but we are not ready to give up on our sovereignty, on our on our principle, values and

beliefs. so, you know, we hope that together with all of our partners and allies, we will send a very clear message to moscow and that moscow will realize that ukraine does not pose any military threat to russia. and if they're afraid of us to be successful and democratic, then, you know, they can-- they can, theyan feel that. but it's not a reason in the 21st century to attack a sovereign country. and no, we are not ready to give up because we know that when we are given up on something, like it happened in the previous century, the result for ukraine is devastating. while we were occupied by the viet union, ukraine suffered from horrible tragedies.

we went through a series of wars and so we can only be successful when we are independent and when ukrainians decide what do we want to do in ukraine and how do we want to live? >> schifrin: ambassador, thank you very much. >> thank you very much. >> woodruff: all across the country, states are busy at work, with new 2020 census data in hand, redrawing congressional lines that will help determine the balance of power in washington for t next decade. to check in on the status of this reapportionment in some key states, i'm joined by an expert on the subject: david wasserman of the cook political report. david wasserman, welcome back to the "newshour". so, at this point in this process, which party has an

advantage? >> well, it depends how you measure it. the redistricting process is going better for democrats than initially expected because decrats did get favorable maps out of commission states, in california, new jersey and michigan. they also could benefit from the states where they got to redraw lines in illinois and oregon and new mexico, whereas republicans have drawn several defensive gerrymanders where they've focused on shoring up own incumbents in places like texas. but we're also watching a number of court battles unfolding and this will be the determinate of who comes out ahead, and democrats have been suing to overturn republican-drawn maps on state constitutional grounds in ohio and north carolina, and they just received a favorable ruling on racial grounds in alabama. >> woodruff: just a couple of basics -- what is this reapportionment supposed to

accomplish? it's every ten years after the new census numbers come out. what's it supposed to accomplish, and in most cases it's done by the legislature and in some by an outside commission? >> that's right. this happens in two steps. the first is reapportionment, which the census determines how many seats each state gets in congress for the next ten years. we found that back out in april. texas picking up two seats. five other states picking up one seat each. seven states losing a seat including california for the first time since gaining statehood, but the bigger impact is how the lines are then redrawn inth every state to redraw population according to the census data to the bloc level. republicans have more control over the process than democrats in states where partisan legislatures draw the lines republicans hold 20 states totaling 187 districts whereas democrats have the final say in eight states totaling 75

districts. ten states have independent or bipartisan commissions, six states where control is split between the parties and courts may need to step in. >> woodruff: let's talk about wh it looks like so far. of the states that have dealt with this and had their maps, they are redrawing lines approved, i think 33 of the 50 states at this point have had their maps approved. >> that's true, and some are pending litigation. but for the most part, because geographic polarization is so high and straight-ticket voting is so high, how lines are drawn pre-determines election outcomes. and, so, you know, if you have a district that's drawn -- that trump would have won with 55% or that biden won with at least 55%, you can be reasonably sure that that district is going to go blue or red. and, so, parties who are redrawing these lines, they have every incentive to draw safe

seats so they don't have to keep spending money on them. we could see the numbeof competitive districts decline by as much as a third this cycle. >> woodruff: as you mentioned, dave wasserman, the courts have gotten involved in a number of these states. one of these states, alabama, you mentioned it a moment ago. tell us what's happening there. >> this is a surprising ruling because the federal panel that issued this ruling blocking the republican-drawn map, two out of the three judges are trump appointees, and, yet, the federal court decided that the map was a racial gerrymander because it failed to create a second black opportunity or majority seat. keep in mind that both the current republican-drawn plan and the one republicans in alabama adopted for the next ten years only drew one majority black seat out of seven, even though black residents make up about 26% of the voting age population. so this could be a landmark

case. it's going to be appealed to the supreme court directly by the state republicans, and the outcome at the supreme court could have reverberations across the deep south in situations where the voting rights act is open to interpretation. >> woodruff: all eyes are going to be watching this, as you said a minute ago, democrats doing better in some cases. but we will see what happens in that particular instance. one other example i did want to ask you about, dave wasserman, is nework, where there was supposed to be a bipartisan commission drawing these lines. >> that's right, and in a number of states, there were reforms undertaken that resulted in an advisory commissions but ultimately, the legislature has the final say. and this is a way for partisans to kind of get around the desire for reform. in new york, it's likely that democrs who already control 19 out of 27 congressional seats there will end up drawing the map in albany, and they could

seize as many as 23 of the 26 seats that new york will receive for the next decade, if they're able to gerrymander the boundaries the way they'd like so. so these decisions over maps in s.a.t. capitals will have enormous implications in the race for control of congress, not only in 2022 but the entire decade. >> woodruff: enormous complications and only two-thirds of the states have their maps approved,o it's very much a live process still working its way through. dave wasserman. we'll be checking in with you later again this year. thank you. >> thank you, judy.

choice. >> reporter: long before the taliban seized power in afghanistan, dr. najmussama shefajo's expertise stood out. one of the country's top

gynecologists, she offered a crucial service to thousands of women, advised the government, and from the clinic she built in the capital kabul, pioneered advanced medical technology for expecting mothers. >> for the patient, we reach to the diagnosis soon, and there is no need to go out of the country. >> reporter: so it saves lives? >> yes, of course! this is the nose, this is the mouth. >> reporter: to dr. shefajo, interaction with her patients is important. >> here the mother sees the baby, her own ultrasound. >> reporter: and how do they react? >> they are very happy. right now, they know this is the head, this is the heart, this is the stomach, because i teach them. >> reporter: that was dr. shefajo in late 2019, speaking with us in her clinic. her calling card: a passionate, collaborative physician. she began her career delivering babies in secret, on mud floors, when the taliban was last in power in the mid-1990s. when we first spoke with her in 2019, that all seemed like a

fading memory. when you were working under taliban rule, did you ever imagine that one day, you would have a clinic like ts, equipment like this? >> i had hope. >> reporter: that hope faded overnight when the government of afghanistan collapsed last year. on august 15, 2021, president ashraf ghani and his aides fled the country, and the taliban overtook the capital city. thousands of panicked afghans, ny who worked with u.s. and allied forces, rushed to the airport, as chaotic american-led evacuations took place. among them, many professional afghan women. not dr. shefajo. she was here at her clinic. >> all the patients who came to me on that day, they really, really needed people, needed women, they needed heah care services.

and some people with very severe depression, even when they lay on the bed, they started to cry. it was really terrle. >> reporter: fearful the country's medical care would collapse under taliban rule, women begged her to induce labor right there. >> so, most of the women, even their pregnancy period was not completed, they pushed me to do cesarean and take the baby out from the womb. otherwise, if the situation deteriorates, there will be no doctors, and who will do the delivery for us? >> reporter: so they were asking you to push the delivery forward? >> yes, yes, by force the delivery. >> reporter: because they were afraid of? >> not having the doctors, not having the services. >> reporter: when we first met dr. shefajo, the trump administration was in talks with

the taliban about leaving the country. at the time, women like her were worried about what might happen to them should there be a peace deal that could bring the insurgent group to power. >> we want our rights, as a woman, as a doctor, as a mother, and as an afghan, as a muslim. >> reporter: you have daughters. what do you hope for their future? how do you picture it? >> for my elder daughter, i want her to be a pilot. she is also interested to travel a lot. but for the others, they are interested to be a doctor. >> reporter: like their mother. we returned to kabul several months into taliban rule, to find dr. shefajo changed, her spirit diminished,nd the futures she dreamed for her daughters? gone. after their takeover, the taliban banned all girls from attending public school. a few months later, they relented, allowing those under age 12 to go for an education. dr. shefarjo decided to send none of her girls, encouraging solidarity among the sisters.

you're an educated woman, working in an elite field, with a 14-year-old daughter who's not allowed to go to school. how does that feel? >> my two kids are small, and they are allowed to go to school. they are under sixth grade. but my eldest daughter is at eighth grade, so she is not allowed to go to school. that's why i do not allow the two youngest ones as well. she will feel that "i am at home and not allowed to study, and my sisters are at school," and she will be disappointed. >> reporter: she encourages them to study independently at home, but knows an even more painful choice lays ahead. >> although i love my country, i love women, i love my

patients, and i love my job a lot, and a lot. a lot like mkids, my heart, my body. but still i have to go out of the country because of myids. >> reporter: d shefajo never feared the taliban, and chose to stay in kabul to provide services to her patients. but she fights two battles now: a mother's love for her children and dedication to her patients. >> i love both of them a lot. but in comparison, my career and me are one person, but my kids are three, and they should have bright future. and because of them, i can leave everything. >> reporter: it's impossible to overstate what she leaves behind, as an afghan, as a doctor, and as a self-made professional. >> it took 48 years to reach my goal, and i will not have this much life to start from zero and

reach my goal, so it will take so much time. one of my friends went to canada and she was very good, very famous and very professional doctor in afghanistan. over there, she is nothing. but she went because of her kids. >> reporter: that is all too common for many here, fleeing for western countries. once top specialists in their field, now trying to get qualified for assistants' work: >> right now, also, i am depressed and i take medication for depression. my condition will deteriorate a lot. and i know, i know, i will lose everything, because i invest a lot-- invest all my money in my hospital. i do not have anything in my hand, but still, i am thinking about my kids.

>> reporter: dr. shefajo doesn't know yet when or where she will go. getting visas to move abroad is tough for afghans, but she is resolute about getting her daughters out of here and into a classroom, anywhere. the choice she is maki-- the sacrifice-- is one countless afghan men and women will continue to make, as they flee for the sake of their children. surrendering their whole life's work, in hopes their sons and daughters will never have to make the choices they did. for the pbs newshour, i'm jane ferguson in kabul, afghanistan. >> woodruff: as climate change's impact grows, so does the risk of ever-larger and more frequent wildfires. no state knows that better than california. but, the golden state is also grappling with the role of one of the country's largest

utilities in all of this, and whether the company will do what's needed to prevent or stop fires. stephanie sy has the story. >> sy: it's beenive years since the california utility pg&e was placed under criminal probation for its conviction in the explosion of a natural gas pipeline which killed eight people in 2010. the probation ends today, but pg&e remains a "continuing menace," wrote the supervising judge in a concluding report. federal judge william alsup says pg&e has failed to rehabilitate itself, and says californians remain "trapped in a tragic era of pg&e wildfires because, for decades, it neglected its duties." by the judge's accounting, while on probation, pg&e has set off 31 wildfires, killing 113 californians, burning nearly 1.5 million acres, and destroying almost 24,000 structures.

the utility is blamed for some of the biggest fires in the state's history, including last summer's dixie fire in northern california, which burned more than 963,000 acres and destroyed 1,300 structures. the utility is also charged in the zogg fire in 2020 that burned more than 56,000 acres and killed four peop. the coany pleaded guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter in the deadly camp fire of 2018, which destroyed the town of paradise. >> my house, and all my things that i've been saving and collecting from family members that passed away, and pictures, are all gone. and that kind of hurts the most. it really does. but otherwise, what do you do? >> it's kind of surreal. it's hard to believe this was once a beautiful place and i lived here and loved it, and

now it looks like a war zone. >> sy: the company filed for the judge wrote that systemic problems at pg&e remain entrenched. the company has failed to inspect and maintain outdated transmission lines. the judge deemed "inadequate" its reliance on outside contractors to clear vegetation around its power lines. judge alsup has recommended that the company be split into two separate utilities. pg&e spokesperson james noonan said in a statement, "we acknowledge that we have more work to do," but added that they "have become a fundamentally safer company over the course of our probation." the majority of the survivors, the judge noted, are still waiting to be compensated, and some remain in mobile homes. only $7 million a $13.5 billion fire trust fund have been disbursed to date. joining us to talk about pg&e's troubled history is brandon rittiman, he is an investigatorrive reporter with

abc10 in sacramento who has covered extensively pg&e's role in california's wildfires. brandon rittiman, thank you so much for joining the "newshour". your reporting s really focused on the power of pg&e politically california, so i want to start there. as we talk about what wasn't done in this probation period according to this scathing final report from this judge, how does that power play into the lack of change we've seen in improving safety when it comes to california's wildfires and this company? >> wl, thanks for having me and thanks for the question. the power of the company is really difficult to overstate. it has a natural monopoly over electricity to 40% to have the state of california, one out of every 20 americans. and because they own the infrastructure, they have this monopoly certificate from the state, and that's really not been challenged in any

meaningful way. in fact, the state government has taken very much the opposite approached and helped prop up the company's oks in response to these calamities, which happen to be criminal. and that's sort of where the rubber meets the road. this is criminal behavior, criminally negligent behavior by thismassive company that 16 million people have no choice but to buy their product. >> you know, the judge really has a long rap sheet of not only what they did before the probation period but during the probation period. so i guess one question is why isn't the probation period being extended if any dividual criminal was to reoffend during their probation period in the ways this judge describes in this report, they'd stay locked up. >> yeah, that's absolutely true. i mean, legal experts i've talked to say if pg&e was a person, it might be looking at a death sentence by now if not a life sentence, but prison isn't an option for a corporate

entity, so even though we have corporate personhood baked into our laws, this idea that a corporate entity can be held accountable for crimes just like a person can, the fact is on the punishment side of that, there are no prison bars, there are no handcus. if the corporate entity is the one found guilty or pleads guilty and pg&e has done both, trials and pleaing guilty >> reporter: pg&e said it will let state regulators monitor its practices for years. the judge said there seems to be an engrained culture of keeping meters turning, even during ose power shutoffs thatpg&e has done in the last few years in an effort to prevent wildfires from being sparked. does that suggest to you as you read the report that this is a company that is putting profits ahead of safety and that california's regulators are allowing it to do so?

>> well, it -- what really suggest it to me is they stood in a courtroom and pled guilty to 85 felonies and said they would stop putting profits over safety and a federal judge says they haven't lived up to the commitment they made. that's what's troubling to everyone. >> reporter: pg&e often says climate change is really to blame and, you know, there is evidence that climate change changes the behavior of wildfires. does pg&e get any allowance, given the impact of the change in climate on california, and does the judge address that in his concluding remarks? >> absolutely, the fires are worse because of climate change and also because of overgrown, you know, conditions out in the wildland. we've suppressed wildfire for more than 100 years in the west, so there's a big bonfire up there, everything is dryer and warmer and we have more days where it can burn. all of that is drew and the reason why criminal negligence has to be snuffed out so that we

don't have a fire spark that is utterly preventable and lose more lives for mo reason. >> reporter: finally, brandon, where do payments stand for the many victims of these wildfires and why has it taken so long for them to get relief? >> yeah, so most but not all of pg&e's wildfires were rolled into its bankruptcy which it emerged from back in 2020 around the time it pleaded guilty to the camp fire. the scheme proposed to the victims, they got a yes or no vote, there weren't other choices, was take your settlement half in cash, half in stock to be held by a trust which would then sell the pg&e stock and use the money from the sale to pay you. so you have the people who have lost their, you know, livelihoods, loved ones' homes in pg&e disasters essentially being put in the position of owning a big chunk of the company that burned them out. it's never been worth the amount they were told. some of them have gotten their

first payments but none have been paid in full and they may y not be for years. >> reporter: the judge writes mean while p pg&e management pas itself handsome bonuses and salaries. wall his reports can be found at firepowermoney.com. thank you so much for joining the "newshour". >> thank you. >> woodruff: as students across the country continue to experience the many changes the pandemic has brought, some are struggling to adjust to their "new normal." as a part of our student reporting labs, student reporter teri bell followed up with school counselor edith porter at caesar rodney high school in

camden, delaware, on her predictions for students' mental health in 2022 and what schools can do to help. >> reporter: hi, mrs. porter. thank you for speaking with me today. >> hi, teri. thank you for having me. >> reporter: last year, student reporting labs interviewed you about teen mental health during the pandemic, and your predictions for this school year. let's take a listen. >> there will be more check-ins. i'm predicting that parents will be more open to resources, that we can have open conversations about race, about gender, about the pandemic, about mental health. i predict that when we come together, we've learned something-- we've learned how to treat each other a little bit better. >> reporter: so, what have you seen this school year, and are those things still happening? >> yes.

so, this school year, i have seen more students referring themselves to mental health therapy. tehers emailing. more parents coming into the school looking for help r their children. i've seen a lot of children bring their peers down, slipping i'm finding that the conversations about grief have increased, because, as you know, teri, you know, during the pandemic, there was a lot of loss. a lot of the students have lost family members. they haven't been able to ieve properly, and they haven't had any grief counseling. >> reporter: what mental health issues are you seeing students struggle with this year, and is it the same as last year? or are new issues becoming more common? >> you know, our kids are worried about what just happened and how to have a new normal. a lot of kids are struggling with how to stay organized, making classes, how to balance work life, being introduced back into having friends, and socializing with a mask on in the school. some kids have struggled over

covid with substance issues. you know, smoking, vaping, drinking, things like that. and parents have contacted me to sort of give resources and help those kids. >> rorter: what do you think students need most right now to improve their mental health? >> one of my favorite things is, people need to be held, heard, and understood. so, a lot of times, we need to ask young people like yourself, wh do you need? how are you doing? how does that feel? and not be afraid of what the answer is. because sometimes you guys can say some interesting things to us. and as an adult, my job is not to judge you in mental health, it's to hear you and to understand what's going on, and allow you to say it, and express yourself, and know that you're okay. because of the internet, everyby's already diagnosed

themselves. so sometimes, i have to kind of stray them away from that and just focus on-- on yourself. if you're anxious about this, let's figure out a solution. so, what's the problem that we can handle right now? can't handle what will happen in five months, right? let's get you focused on, let's get back to class. i have a test. i'm anxious. okay, let's breathe. let's focus. let's see if we can get you back 30 minutes into that, and we're going to do one thing at a time. so, it's teaching them how to be present. >>eporter: so, i'm a senior. what advice would you gi seniors that are getting ready to lve high school, but missed such a critical part in their social development due to the pandemic? >> involve yourself in clubs, introduce yourself to more people, less social media. sorry! but, you know, more face-to-face engagements as possible, because

when you go to college, there is going to be a lot of interaction with new people, and you want to feel confident about that. >> reporter: if you could give one piece of advice to schools around the country to help their students with mental health, what would it be? >> mental health therapists, knowledgeable people that can provide resources in and out of school, able to train the staff in the importance of mental health, and understand that this is something that's not going away-- that it's something that we need to continue on for years to come. >> woodruff: to hear more about how students are adjusting to life during the pandemic, tune into student reporting labs' special, "our new normal." you can find that right now, on our website, pbs.org/newshour. and that's the newshour for tonight. i'm judy woodruff. join us online, and again here tomorrow evening.

for all of us at t pbs newshour, thank you, please stay safe, and we'll see you soon. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> fidelity wealth management. >> consumer cellular. >> johnson & johnson. >> financial services firm raymond james. >> carnegie corporation of new york. supporting innovations in education, democratic engagement, and the advancement of international peace and security. at carnegie.org. >> the target foundation, committed to advancing racial equity and creating the change required to shift systems and accelerate equitable economic opportunity. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions

>> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org

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