captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc >> woodruff: good evening. i'm judy woodruff. on the "newshour" tonight, on the edge-- u.s., european and russian leaders hold separate high-level talks in an ongoing attempt to defusthe tensions wrought by russia's aggression toward ukraine. then, facing justice-- jury selection begins in the federal hate crimes trial of the three men convicted of murdering ahmaud arbery. and on the front lines-- pharmacists struggle to keep up with demand for covid vaccines and other services amid widespread staffing shortages. >> i felt like i was an octopus pulled in eight different directions, and one of them is having to give vaccines.

>> woodruff: all that and more on tonight's "pbs newshour." >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: test test test a plan with tax sensitive investing strategies, planning focused on tomorrow while you focus on today. that's the planning affect from fidelity >> consumer cellular. >> bnsf railway.

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thank you. >> woodruff: it was a day for diplomacy on the ukraine crisis, from washington to moscow and beyond. all this as more than 100,000 troops mass along russia's border with ukraine. foreign affairs correspondent nick schifrin breaks dow this busy day. >> i'm delighted to have the chancellor here today. >> schifrin: across nearly 5,000 miles from the white house to the kremlin, a day of di lom see. french president macron met with russian president putin and expressed hope war could be averted. putin called the talks useful. >> some of his ideas and proposals about which i think are too early to speak, but i think these ideas could form a basis for our further joint steps. >> schifrin: and new german chancellor met with president biden trying to present a united front. >> he has the complete trust of the united states.

germany is one of our most important allies in the world, there is no doubt about germany's partnership with the united states, none. >> it is important that we act together, that we stand together, and that we do what is necessary together. >> schifrin: but the unity rhetoric doesn't match the whole reality. germany prevents fellow nato members from sending german ammunition to ukraine. and germany refuses to publicly threaten that imer man russian pipe-line-- if russia invades ukraine. germany indefinitely paused the certification process. the white house wants to use that pause as leverage over russia. today biden was clear and shutz switched to english to try and back him up. >> the notion that north stream two would go forward with an invasion by the russians is just not going to happen. >> we will be united, we will act together and we will take all the necessary steps and all

the necessary steps will be done by all of us together. >> schifrin: the u.s. and much of nato are trying to take military steps to reinforce the alliance. today american soldiers usually based in the u.s. land in poland to bolster a thousand nato troops already deployed there. european countries are also reinforcing nato's eastern flank with european jets and european soldiers, all an attempt to deter any war in ukraine from expanding too nato but the russians continue to expand their military footprint on nato and ukraine's borders. the ministry of defense released this video nearly every day of troops practicing the tactics they could use if they invaded ukraine. u.s. officials tell pbs newshour russia has nearly three quarters of what they would need for a full invasion and u.s. officials say if russian solders-- soldiers did invade they could inflict catastrophic character euments including 50,000 civilians and cause millions to flee. the u.s. also fears that russian soldiers could capture kiey and overthrow the government in a

matter of days. >> he is in a position now to be able to invade almost assuming that the ground is frozen above kiev, he has the capacity to that that. >> biden urged americans to leave. >> i think it would be wise to leave the country, i'm not talking about our diplomatic core. i'm talking about americans who are there. i hate to see them get caught in the crossfire. >> schifrin: but nothing is containing russia's militaried whetherup-- buildup enas diplomacy continues, president macron heads to kiev tomorrow. for the newshour, i'm nick shrimp. -- shrimp. >> woodruff: in the day's other news, the fight over mask mandates in public schools reached an end in new jersey. democratic governor phil murphy announced his state's mask mandate will end one month from now.

he cited declining infections. but, murphy said those who want to continue wearing masks are free to do so. >> a district reserves the right to keep something in place, and secondly, i think most importantly, an individual based on their own health reserves that right and we cannot stigmatize a decision like that. >> woodruff: new jersey is one of a dozen states with a current mask mandate for schools. another one, delaware, announced another one, connecticut, announced its requirement will end march february 28. we'll return to this issue later in the program. a second man will plead guilty to plotting to kidnap michigan governor gretchen whitmer over covid restrictions. in court documents filed today, kaleb franks says he and five others planned to abduct whitmer. the f.b.i. arrested the men in 2020 before the plot could be carried out. four of them still face trial.

in madagascar more than 60,000 the u.s. supreme court blocked a republican drawn map of congressional districts in alabama, the 5-4 action means that the new map will goafn the november election. the lower court found the map allows for only one majority black district out of sefl enin a state where more than a quarter of the population is black. in madagascar in madagascar more than 60,000 people were homeless, with 21 dead, after a tropical cyclone struck over the weekend. the cyclone made landfall late saturday and weakened as it moved southwest across the island nation. thousands of homes and government buildings lay in ruins along with crucial rice crops. it was the second tropical cyclone to strike madagascar this year. chinese tennis player pung schway has again denied that she accused a chinese official of sexual assault or that she's in danger. she told a french newspaper that

it was all "an enormous misunderstanding." meanwhile, officials at the international olympic committee would not say today if they believe peng is under duress. >> we as a sports organization are doing everything to ensure that she is happy, and i don't think it's up for us to be able to judge in one way, just as it's not for you to judge either in one way or another her position. >> woodruff: the i.o.c. also said its president, thomas bach, had dinner with peng over the weekend. united nations experts say north korea has intensified its cyber- stealing from banks and crypto- currency exchanges. "the associated press" reports the north stole $400 million in crypto-currency last year. investigators say the funds are being used to fund north korea's nuclear and missile programs. back in this country, spotify says it will go on streaming commentator joe rogan's podcasts-- at least for now. that's after rogan apologized

for using racial slurs. he was already under fire for anti-covid vaccine comments. spotify c.e.o. daniel ek told employees on sunday that silencing rogan is not the answer. he said, "canceling voices is a slippery slope." on wall street, stocks spent the day searching for direction. the dow jones industrial average ended with a gain of one point to close at 35,091. the nasdaq fell 82 points. the s&p 500 slipped 16. and, at the winter olympics, a tough day for an american star. defending gold medallist mikaela shiffrin skied off course early in the women's giant slalom and was disqualified. the u.s. did win the silver medal in team figure skating, with russia taking gold. still to come on the "newshour," states lift school mask mandates, intensifying an already heated debate; tamara

keith and amy walter consider the latest political news; we examine the history of one of the nation's first majority black farming communities; and much more. >> woodruff: we return to diplomatic efforts underway to defuse the russian generated crisis over ukraine. nick schifrin has the story. after french president macron's meeting with russian president putin today? what are the prospects for easing tensions? and how are these talks viewed by the rest of europe? for that we turn to heather conley, president of german marshall fund of the united states, which focuses on improving transatlantic relations. she was a state department official on european affairs during the george w. bush administration.

so we heard from vladimir putin today during his press conference with emmanuel macron and put inside that some of macron's ideas could represent future diplomatic steps, is that the sign that the prospects of a russian invasion of ukraine has been lessened? >> nick, it's really unclear. we're not entirely sure what proposals president macron was bringing to moscow. he said in an interview before his departure for moscow that he was looking for a so called new balance between sovereignty and peace. president macron has been really investing in his personnel relationship with vladimir putin going back to 201919-- 2019. he initiated a strategic dialogue. he also is abouto run for re-election in april. so president macron sees a very unique opportunity here to promote a european approach to

this crisis. he has been i think very disturbed that the united states and russia were seeming to manage european affairs over his head, over european heads. so this is a way for president macron to about directly to moscow, use that investment over the last several years. but he seems to be very interested in a come-- accommodating russia's concerns about its security guarantees. but he walks a very delicate balance because he also travels to kiev tomorrow to talk to the ukrainian imoft but he can't sell out ukrainian sovereignty. so unclear what those five hours of talks produce. but it is clear that vladimir putin would like to tease this out, he continues to escalate and flow forces towards the ukrainian border to apply pressure on president zelensky and his government, meanwhile he is trying to achieve some divisions within europe and potentially some transatlantic divisions. if president macron creates a

proposal that in fact can't be accepted by other members of the nato alliance. >> schifrin: okay, well you suggested yourself that macron feels that the u.s. has gone over europe's head and that he is trying to quote utica com-- accommodate putin. that is not what the united states wants right now. so is this moment a moment of transatlantic division of macron freelancing. >> well, again we don't have privy to that, we know president macron did speak with joe biden yesterday before his trip. so hopefully there was some conversation. we know certainly that the white house is very interested in de-escalation, in diplomacy. president biden certainly reaffirmed that after his meating with german chancellor shuts. so this is certainly a moment but at what cost and again we have other european allies particularly those allies that are border ukraine, border belarus, but see this increased

military escalation. they are very wary of potentially what president macron is proposing. so i think we have to be very clear-eyed about what he is able to achieve. >> schifrin: macron is emphasizing talks between france, germany, russia and ukraine to discuss agreements known as the minsks accords from 2014, 2015 that focus on trying to reduce violence ineastern ukraine along the border. today president put inside there was no alternative to those agreements. so is that fore mat a path towards de-escalation? >> well, that has been a fore mat that unfortunately-- for mat that unfortunately has not produced diplomatic benefits. am fact if anything the ceasefire in eastern ukraine, has been violated every day repeatedly since the minsk agreements were formed. there were some moments of

promise, of prisoner exchanges and humanitarian checkpoints to allow citizens to cross between the line of contact. but unfortunately, the minsk agreement really hasn't produced, if anything, the way the agreement was sequenced, meaning the ukrainian government has to give greater autonomy, decentralization to the occupied territories of central ukraine. the ukrainian imoft has to give them a vote free or aw ten-- autonomy and then only then will other issues be as-- as reed this applies enormous pressure on the zelensky president, that he might not be able to survive. this is in part what the kremlin wants between the forced accumulation on its borders, the covert hybrid activities inside and applying a great deem of diplomatic pressure on the ukrainian government, vladimir putin is hoping that this government may topple and then he can perhaps find another

candidate that would be much more supportive in kiev of russ's goals and objectives for ukraine. >> schifrin: het ear conley, thank you -- heather conley, thank you very much. >> thank you. >> woodruff: canada is facing protests for a second week over vaccine mandates and other covid restrictions. trucks and periodic demonstrations have jammed up the country's capital, often with loud and disruptive honking. this afternoon, a judge granted a ten-day injunction saying truckers must stop that honking, but the larger protests and shutdown continue. stephanie sy has the story. >> reporter: from quebec city... to toronto... to ottawa and cities in between. protesters are taking to the streets, blaring horns, waving ( trucks honking )

signs and banners, and condemning canada's covid 19 restrictions. unvaccinated, for two years, the have been shamed and thrown under the bus in the public space. it goes against freedom of speech in canada. >> reporter: the protests are now in their eleventh da they initially started as a convoy of cross-border truck drivers demanding an end to vaccine mandates. >> i'm here for the long haul. >> reporter: on sunday, ottawa's mayor declared a state of emergency after the so-called“ freedom convoy” paralyzed the heart ofhe capital city. as of january 15, all truckers entering canada are required to be fully vaccinated against covid. the u.s. has a similar mandate. nearly 80% of canada's population is fully vaccinated. and canada's transport minister estimates about 90% of itsruck drivers are.

but the protests are no longer just about truckers. other canadians have joined in, directing rage at prime minister justin trudeau and strict public health measures that provinces have put in place, including mask mandates and limits on gatherings. >> we had enough of all those mandates that have no sense, no scientific evidence. the people are fed up. >> reporter: prime minister trudeau, who recently tested positive for covid, has not responded publicly since last week when he voiced concern that some of the protests have gotten out of hand. >> there is always a right to protest peacefully, that i and others will defend fully as part of this democracy. there is not a rht to incite violence, to perform acts of violence, or to spew hatred. >> reporter: hundreds of protesters have descended on ottawa alone. >> the protests have been incredibly disruptive and continue to impact the safety and well-being of our residents.

people have had thopportunity to voice their frustration against government policy, but as the old saying goes, "they've worn out their welcome.” >> reporter: ottawa's police chief called it a siege that he could not manage. >> it has to stop and we are doing everything we can possibly do to stop it. we need more help. we are asking for that help. we're starting to receive that help, but we need more to get this done. >> reporter: officers have begun removing the truckers' fuel supplies to try to break up the protest, after residents and businesses accused them of not doing more to restore calm. meanwhile, signs that the“ freedom convoy” movement may be spreading. in the last few weeks, dozens of organized facebook groups with thousands of members have popped up in support of the canadian truckers from around the globe. many voice frustration with their own countries' covid-19 restrictions and express other right-wing, populist causes. and some are starting to plan their own rallies, too.

for the "pbs newshour," i'm stephanie sy. >> woodruff: the decision today by the governors of new jersey and delaware to end masking mandates in schools makes them the latest states to roll back as amna nawaz explains, the debate around this has heated up in recent weeks. >> nawaz: judy, to be clear, the c.d.c. and groups like the american academy of pediatrics continue to recommend masking in schools to reduce the spread of covid. they say the evidence is clear. but several states have now either rolled back their mandates or are considering doing so. and a number of doctors have published opinion pieces, arguing that masks are difficult for children to use, detrimental to their wellbeing, and may not prevent infections based on the data in other studies. so far, it's a minority of

doctors arguing this, but we're going to hear from one of them tonight who co-wrote a piece in "usa today." doctor lucy mcbride is an internist in washington, d.c. she has written columns for "usa today," "the washington post," "the atlantic" and others. welcome to the newshour, thanks for being herincomer your latest piece you cite the alarming mental health crisis we've seen among kids in america, the learning loss that we also know is very real, but those as you note in your piece are mostly related to school closures and lockdowns and remote learning. on on masking scifically. what is the evidence you have seen that shows masking in schools is harmful for kids? >> two years of living in the pandemic have caused a lot of harm to children and it's difficult to quantity fie the losses, emotional and social toll that children have faced. it is also recognized that there is mounting data that our earliest readers have trouble when they don't see faces.

so children who are struggling with speak and language delay, children who are, have english as a second language, and every child who wants to connect with peers, mentor meanters or teachers it is really time to think about the time that masks are not a harmless intervention. when we have an intervention like masking as a mandate, it's imter-- imperative that we show that the benefiters outweigh the risks. our oath in public health and medicine is first do no harm. at this watershed moment of the pandemic where omicron is starting to recede, it is really time to froaptly balance risk and harm to our lowest risk population, and that is children. >> nawaz: so let may ask you what the cdc will say because obviously they point to multiple studies they put out the most recent data that says there are advantages to reducing the risk of transmission, to protecting

people who wear the mask and they say schools have not been hot spots in the pandemic because kids have been masking in counties where there was no mask mandate, they did see outbreaks so isn't that enough to say to you let's continue to keep as many kids as we can safe. >> right, and that's why my coauthors and i have dissected these studies again and again. the cdc studies they citing have not controlled for community vaccination rates and that is a huge variable. we also see that yes, n95 respirator type masks certainly can protect the wearer but the data on cloth masks is weak. and again,-- again we just don't are real world studies to show that masking kids in school helps reduce transmission. >> so let me ask you about vaccinations then. because it is a key part of this argument. we know the uptaik among younger kids in particular is very low t is only about 22 percent of kids age 5 to 121 are fully

vaccinated so-- dpsh 5 to 11, so before schools get rid of mask mandates do you recommend they require vaccinated. >> i don't recommend we tie unmasking to vaccination however it is important for parents to recognizize the vaccine is extraordinarily safe and effective and widely available. so as a doctor and mother myself, i do recommend vaccination particularly for children at highest risk for poor outcomes from covid-19. and if that child is particularly high risk, and is still hesitant about the vaccine, you can mask that child request an n95 respirator type mask. remember though the risk of covid-19 to moses healthy children is very, very low. and on parra with influenza. it's not the same virus but the risk is similar enough and the risk is dropping as omicron prevalence drops locally. >> let may ask about the concerns others raised about the mess arjing about the significance of covid among

children. some people believe it is-- we spoked to dr. malldonatdo of stanford. here is what she had to say about the messaging. >> tens of thousands of children have been hospitalized, more recently with omicron, we have been overrun with hospitalizations. we know that there have been over a thousand children who have died. and again not to make light of that number, we know that adults have died in many higher numbers. but that is not a reason to allow children to die unnecessarily. >> it is true more adults have died, and st different when you talk about child deaths who would have you say to the doctor. >> i am so glad you asked that question because every death of a child is tragic. no matter what the cause. there is no-- we should not be minimizing the trauma and loss to families who have lost a

child to covid-19. we also know in 2022 exactly how to protect those high risk children. we vaccinate them. we boost them if they are particularly high risk. like the adolescence who have o cease-- o beesessity or on immune suppress ent medication, and we vaccinate the adults around them. protecting unvaccinated children under five is best done by vaccinating adults around them. in other words, we need to think broadly about protecting population, so as the world health organization says in thr constitution, help is not simply the absence of disease or infirmity t is a state of mental, emotional and physical health and it's not easy in heese very, very complicated times to balance all of those risks. but right now masking children in schools when masks are not clearly reducing transmission is not the way to save those livers of those vulnerable children or

vulnerable adult. >> i have a feeling this is a conversation we're going to be having for quite some time to come. i'm grateful to you for joining us tonight. thank you. >> thank you so much. >> woodruff: pharmacists and pharmacy workers they get far less attention than other healthcare workers, but the stress and pressure has been intense. just weeks ago, as omicron was surging and many staff were getting sick, major pharmacy chains and independent stores had to reduce their hours, even close at times. while that immediate situation has improved, staffing shortages and working conditions have been a problem throughout the pandemic. moreover, pharmacy technicians earn very little. here's some of what we heard from pharmacists themselves.

>> hello. my name is dr. bled tanoe. i am a pharmacist. i used to work for a major chain pharmacy here in oklahoma city. now i work inpatient as a pharmacist. >> my name is david hale. i'm anvernight pharmacist working for one of the large national retail chains. i've been a pharmacist for about seven years now. >> hello, my name is dr. lannie duong, i'm a clinical pharmacist in california. >> hi, i'm dr. jennifer morrow. m a pharmacist. and up until december, 2021, i was working at cvs pharmacy as a pharmacy manager. >> my name is ryan and i currently live in delaware, and i've been a pharmacist now since 2004. so, 17 years. we've had a lot of influx of new customers, a lot more responsibilities, such as covid testing, sanitation procedures to keep everything safe for not only ourselves, but for the public, a lot more questions from the public, what that means

a lot more phone calls we are also doing the vaccinations, which have become a huge challenge to try to incorporate into our normal workflow of just being a pharmacist. >> having maybe think about 30 or 40 vaccines on top of your daily work with the same amount of people for my store was overwhelming. i felt that i was not living up to the oath that i took as a pharmacist to take care of my patients, but also to take care of my staff. >> pharmacists are capable of every job that we've been given and even more. we're trained to, to help people diagnose or self-diagnose so that they can get the right over-the-counter medication or if it's time to go, seek further medical help. we're capable of giving all these vaccines. i'm just not capable of doing it all at the same time. >> the burden that we put upon ourselves as healthcare providers is that we want to provide the best care for our patients. but with an increased workload

and not being adequately staffed, if we are forced to work quicker, i'm more worried that i'm going to miss something for one of my patients. >> because pharmacists are getting sick as well, we've been asked to pick up extra shifts whenever possible, which is a we've had pharmacists that have had to come to work while sick because they haven't been able to find any, anybody to cover to cover their shift. >> if you had a doctor working on a loved one or a family member performing surgery, would you want the phone ringing in the background while the doctor is providing surgery to your loved one? you want that doctor having questions thrown at them, having the drive through, being wrong, having emails pop up at you, having customers waving at you? so, it's challenging. >> i felt like i was an octopus pulled in eight different directions, and one of them is having to give vaccines. now i'm even concerned i might give the wrong vaccine at the wrong time.

the white coat that i would wear became so heavy to put on every day in the fear that i might be a danger to my patients instead of that safety net that they need. that it hasn't affected me. >> just the idea of going to work, i start to feel physically ill to the stomach, you know, back pain. and i do believe that from the anxiety and stress of having to go back into the fray, so to speak. >> i think what our world right now needs, as much as this vaccine to help us get through the pandemic, is patience and understanding that every single one of uare being affected. your pharmacists. your pharmacy technicians.

your uber drivers, your doordashers, your post office workers, your doctors, everyone is being affected by this. we understand your frustration, but when you come in and see someone behind the count working for you, try to smile and be appreciative that that person is there for you. >> woodruff: we appreciate them. cvs and walgreen's announced increases in pay last year for technicians, who earn around $35,000 a year or less. and the major chains say they are trying to hire more people and offer bonuses. but pharmacy workers say they need more significant changes-- in hours, working conditions and even better pay.

>> woodruff: jury selection began today in the federal hate crimes trial for three white men already convicted in state court of murdering ahmaud arbery, who was black. william brangham has the story. >> brangham: judy, last month, travis mcmichael, greg mcmichael and william "roddie" bryan were sentenced in a georgia state court to life in prison for chasing down and murdering arbery. this federal trial will look at whether the killing was racially motivated, which wasn't addressed in the state case. the justice department has charged the three men with hate crimes and attempting kidnapping. deval patrick used to prosecute these types of cases as former assistant attorney general for civil rights under bill clinton. he is also the former governor of massachusetts and now co- chairs "american bridge 21st century," a democratic party organization. very good to you have back on the news hour, so the d o.j. is prosecuting this as a hate

crime. and is it my understanding that the prosecutors then have to prove that these defendants had racist beliefs in their heart when they committed this murder? >> that motivated the most-- and there is evidence of this in this case, and that in itself has been deemed a federal interest, deserving of punishment. >> so is it your sense that if the state prosecutors had introduced a potential racist motivation for this killing, that the department of justice might not have been interested in pursuing this? >> you know, it is such an interesting question and i will bet it is the very kind of question that the department struggles with. because to some extent the racial animus in the state trial which is the stight prosecution for murder is not relevant. it is additional color but it doesn't make it-- it is not

outcome determinative, if you will, william. these are difficult cases in that sense. but they are important ones to bring because as i was saying earlier, the federal interest expressed in this legislation to punish racially motivated criminal behavior. and that is what this was. there was evidence of it available to state prosecutors but they made a judgment not to use it because they-- well, i am informing, because it wasn't necessary to prove the case that was before the state court and jury. >> but help me understand the concerns some viewers might have which is these three men have been prosecuted for murder. they are all going to go away for life in prison. so what is the-- what is the portant of bringing a separate case that may not add anything to their prison time? >> well, it is not just about

adding to their prison time. although sometimes it is. in this case, apparently not. but it is also making it clear that we are going to care about and we are going to enforce that federal interest in racially motivated violence. and that has been an issue in this country for a long, long time. getting these laws on the books, was a struggle for a long, long time. and you can imagine how the situations go, you know sometimes let's just suppose that the decision had gone the other way in the state court. and the defendants had been acquitted. will they then be arguing that the federal prosecution shouldn't go forward? >> brangham: you prosecuted-- did a bunch of these cases when you were in the department of justice, are these tough cases to prove, to prove the motivating intent behind a crime? >> yes. you know, beyond the fact that there is intention, a lot of

times the juries don't want to hear about the racism behind it, that has been true for a long, long time. let's just deal with the consequences, not let's deal with the reasons. for the motivation. and that's been a blind spot, if you will, for a long time in this country. these cases are really hard. they aren't at least when i what is there and i think still today, they aren't pursued lightly. they aren't pursued often. and there is a difference to state court to see whether state authorities are going to take the action and federal authorities don't have to bring a case quite as close. for example william, i can understand in this case why it is the federal prosecutor tried to reach a plea agreement. i can understand it i can also understand why mr. arbery's mother-- said no. >> this was a plea agreement

that the men had said we will plead guilty in this, myth that we had racial animus in our minds and hearts when we committed the crime, the judge threw out that plea. >> correct, correct, very, very unusual, williams to have the defendants not just agree to the plea but agree to admit to the racial animus. very unusual. as i understand it, the council for the family at least initially indicated a willingness to support the deal but when mrs. arbery learned that they would be serving their term in a federal prison, which is not a comfortable place but a lot better facility than the state facility, she said no, and the judge accepted that. within all right, deval patrick, former massachusetts governor and former member of the department of justice, thank you so much for joining us. >> thank you, william.

>> woodruff: as the republican party prepares for the midterm elections this year, the january 6 assault on the capitol and the subsequent investigation continue to loom large. the republican national committee issued a stunning rebuke of two of its own last week, censuring representatives liz cheney and adam kinzinger for their work on the congressional committee investigating the capitol attack. the censure resolution referred to the events as "ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse." the r.n.c. later said they were not defending those who violently stormed the capitol, but the comment still sparked outcry from some in the party, including alaska senator lisa murkowski who wrote, "we must not legitimize those actions which resulted in loss of life, and we must learn from that horrible event." here to help us understand the

political impact of this and more, i'm joined by our politics monday duo. that's amy walter of "the cook political report with amy walter." and "tara keith" of npr. hello to both of you, very good to have the two of you back together again. tam, i'm going to start with you and what the rnc had done at this, its last meeting. what are the political consequences of making this statement, issuing this sense sure. what kind of effect could this have on republican candidates running for office this year? >> well, at the very least that statement was political malpractice or communications malpractice. they used a phrase that can be used against them. now whether that phrase will continue to be sal yent in november is not clear at this point. but it is, part of this broader thing that is happening where they censured two republic members, the only two republican

members of the january 6th commission or committee, at the same time that they also did this resolution. and if is in line with this idea that if you are against trump, then you're not a real republican. and former president trump, anyone who criticizes him, he calls them a rhino, republican in name only which really speaks to the idea that to be republican, you have to be loyal to president trump. >> woodruff: amy, where does that leave republican candidates across-the-board this year? >> at some point, you can't-- i mean you can but it is not very politically smart for a republican up for election this year to criticize donald trump or to in anyway get on his radar because he will want retribution for th. so what we will see is something like what we saw this weekend from senator marco rubio. he is up for re-election this

year. he would ask about these very comments, judy, over the weekend. and what you saw him do was to say well, of course somebody like make pence shouldn't have been able to overturn the election because i don't want to stee somebody like kamala harris, nor should other republicans want to see someone like kamala harris making sure that joe biden wins re-election. we don't want to empower a vice president because that would mean empowering the other side. also saying of course legit mass-- legitimate discourse is different from what happened, that was violent attacks but it wasn't everybody who was there on january 7th and then bringing it back to democrats. but let's remember this january 6th commission is illegitimate s a political side show. so doing everything they can to put republicans, that is, to walk this tight rope, not saying i agree with donald trump but being able to instead put the

onus back on democrats, try not to focus so much on trump and the 2020 election. try to make it a lot more about democratting and about be-- delegitimizing the january 6th commission in and of itself. >> and when it comes to that january 6th committee, tam, we watched them for weeks, for months now, trying to get information, trying to get people to coperate and then we learn, seems we learn something every other day. about former president trump's efforts to sometimey this, that he has been tearing up, we will seen reporting of this but now we see even more detail about how the former president just ripped up documents that could be important for the investigation that they're doing. >> document preservation was never a priority for the trump administration. one might argue that destroying documents and using private

phones for the public's business was part of the system of operation in the trump white house. they were reminded repeatedly, reprimanded for not staying in line with the presidential records act. and they kept doing it. and so in some ways what we are hearing from the january 6th commite about documents taped back together is confirmation of something that was reported very early in the trump presidency about his tendency to just tear up documents. you also know that when he was in business he didn't use email. he tried not to have a paper trail. and so there is sort of parra for the course for trump. the thing that i would say that is more detrimental to the committee's work is that there are people close to trump who are absolutely refusing to cooperate either refusing to testify or taking the fifth to protect themselves. >> committee is plowing ahead,

amy but it seems as we said almost every other day there is news that they're not getting cooperation where they need it. >>s it's fair but they also have gotten a lot of information. they have texts, they have documents, they do have a lot of people who have come either because they were subpoenaed or willingly came in and gave testimony. so when you listen to what some of the committee members are saying, at least on the record is, we've got a lot of stuff here, there is a lot we can do with it. but at the end of the day when it comes to things like the reservation of records or whether there was any criminal behavior on the part of the former president, that's something that has to be referred to the d o.j., and of course we have another case going on judy down in atlanta in fulton county where a special grand jury there is looking into those allegations about the presidenreally pushing on the secretary of state and other

officers, election officers in that state to quote unquote find some votes for donald trump after the election was over. >> and some very serious legal consequences. >> correct. >> woodruff: very quickly to both of you. tam, president biden, some commentators are saying that with the start of a new year, with good jobs numbers and a few other pieces of news maybe there is an opportunity for the president to get a political reset and improve his fortunes? >> the thing is you get a couple of small wins, even small ones and you srt to have a winning record. and it is the job reports that came out on friday was very good news for president biden it included revisions of previous months that had caused everyone to say oh gosh, the recovery is lagk, when in fact it turns t job grth was strong.

and there has been something of a decoupling of job growth and jobs and the economy from the omicron variant which is different from previous waves of the coronavirus, so that is good news for president biden. >> and amy, you have a precedent for a president being able to turn thinks fortunes around? >> judy, the polling is, and the precedent in polling is not that good for president biden, at least in modern times. haven't seen a president substantially improve his standing with voters between january and november of an election year. but this president has two challenges. one is to get his base more motivated and more engaged and i think the january 6th committee as well as the supreme court nomination, that can potentially help to motivate his base and the big challenge is independent voters. they were much more receptive to

the president. they were much-- they saw him in a much better light earlier in his presidency. and that spring and summer when things were going better, but now between inflation and covid and the committee, they really soured on him, those things need to be able to turn around in order for him to win those voters back or democrats to win those voters back in 2022 mid term. >> those independent voters we just keep watching them. >> we do. >> amy walter, tam ra keith, thank you both, politics monday. >> you're welcome. >> woodruff: the wave of migration across the united states in the mi1800s included people looking to live in open spaces, with land to grow crops and the opportunity to have a better life. after the civil war, that included freed slaves and their

families. fred de sam lazaro has the story of oneansas town that was established as a result. it's part of our black history month coverage and our ongoing series "race matters." >> reporter: the kansas plains are filled with the lore of pioneers who in the mid 1800s laid the foundation of what would become america's breadbasket. less well-known is the smaller wave of newcomers for whom the journey meant something more. >> it really represents african american experience in the west, leaving, you know, the war-torn, volatile, jim crow south, and coming to experience real freedom. >> reporter: historian angela bates' anctors were among an exodus of freed slaves who left the south in the years following the civil war. nicodemus was one of several all-black settlements that sprung up across the u.s. >> it was a dream before even martin luther king was born.

and so, it was a dream that actually became a reality. >> reporter: despite grinding poverty and a harsh climate, bates says, they forged a community here. it was a hard life building a town here, right? >> it was for any pioneer would no matter what color you were. but for the african american that had endured slavery, i say it was easier. they had a choice. and so, even though the hardships, living in holes in the ground which were called dugouts, that was better than living in an environment where you had no choice. >> reporter: by the early 1880s, nicodemus had a population of about 500. it had a bank, post office, several businesses, and was poised for more growth anticipating that the railroad would soon come through-- the equivalent in those days of a town being hooked up to the internet for the first time. alas, the railroad decided to lay its rails a few miles to the south of this town. >> as soon as the railroad bypasses your town, your economic viability is definitely

in question. and then nicodemus has started to decline. >> reporter: that was the fate of other all-black towns, most absorbed into larger municipalities or simply abandoned as residents migrated in search of work. for those who stayed on here in nicodemus, in the decades that followed, life here was a struggle, as it was for black farmers across the country who were largely excluded from critical government lending and price support programs. so, all this farmland here was black owned at one point. >> at one point, all of it. >> reporter: and now? >> maybe about 10% of it >> reporter: johnella holmess director of the kansas black farmers association. >> most of them that had to give up their land and their farm, they didn't walk away with a nest egg. >> reporter: what is the condition of black farmers today? >> dismal. they're still losing acres, they're still walking away from their farming. the parents are no longer

encouraging the children to go ahead and assume the debt and, you know, and continue to farm. >> reporter: much of nicodemus lies in ruin today, but for holmes and others who call themselves descendants, there's something special about this place. that's why she moved back after retiring from hejob at kansas state university. >> both my parents grew up here, and their parents grew up here. >> reporter: angela bates grew up in pasadena california but, like her parents, felt the tug. >> and so, when they moved away, they always came back, because this is home. home being our own all black town. and very proud of that. >> reporter: in the '90s, bates led a campaign that successfully designated nicodemus as a national historic site, memorializing the little-known black pioneer experience. as school children come on field trips and others gather for annual homecoming days held in the summer, they get a different take on black history. >> too often we look at slavery,

and as we look back and only see atrocities, but out of that came great things, it created greatness in people, tenacity in people. what they were doing out here on the isolated high plains of kansas was phenomenal. i'm proud of that legacy. it runs in my veins and makes me feel that the whole world needs to know the story. >> reporter: out of a history defined by struggle, bates says she wants to create a future that can inspire hope. for the pbs newshour, i'm fred de sam lazaro in nicodemus, kansas. >> woodruff: fred's reporting is a partnership with the under- told stories project at the university of st. thomas in minnesota. and on the "newshour" online, nearly six months after a mass evacuation of afghans into the united states and elsewhere, many local organizations are stretching their resources to

provide jobs, housing, food and other needs for the thousands of evacuees in need. read about how they're meeting those challenges at pbs.org/newshour. and that's the newshour for tonight. i'm judy woodruff. join us on-line and again here tomorrow evening. for all of us at the "pbs newshour," thank you, please stay safe and 'll see you soon. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> for 25 years, consumer cellular has been offering no-contract wireless plans, designed to help people do more our u.s.-based customer service team can help find a plan that fits you. to learn more, visit www.consumercellular.tv. >> bnsf railway.

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