captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc >> woodruff: good evening. i'm judy woodruff. on the newshour tonight: is a russian invasion imminent? the u.s. issues its starkest warning yet about war in ukraine, and urges americans to leave in the next 48 hours. then, the vaccine protests escalate. ongoing trucker blockades at the canadian border hamstring the auto industry, and send ripples through both canada's and the united states' economies. >> people weren't aware of the power of these choke points prior to recent events, or, they weren't thinking about it as a political weapon. >> woodruff: and it's friday. david brooks and jonathan capehart weigh in on ukraine, the widening divide in the republican party over january 6, and the heated political debate

over mask mandates. 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. >> care.com.

>> fidelity wealth management. >> consumer cellular. >> 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 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. >> woodruff: today, the biden administration issued its most

urgent warning yet that russia could launch a war in ukraine at any time. more than 100,000 russian troops surround ukraine on three sides, and the president's national security advisor jake sullivan urged americans to leave by the end of the weekend. u.s. officials tell our nick schifrin, they fear the war could stt next week. and nick joins me now. so nick, what led to today's more stark language? >> schifrin: as you say, judy, russia has deployed one of the largest forces seen in europe in the last 50 years. and according western and u.s. officials, in recent days, the u.s. saw those forces increase their readiness for a possible invasion, and u.s. officials became convinced that the timeline is being accelerated into next week. so, those facts combined led s. and military officials

to brief their nato allies, and three western and u.s. officials told me that president vladimir putin had made the decision to invade. but now, national security advisor jake sullivan was asked about my reporting by amna nawaz, and he said putin hadn't made that call just yet. >> we e not saying a decision, a final decision has been taken, by president putin. what we are sayi, is that we have a sufficient level of concern based on what we are seeing on the ground, and what our intelligence analysts have picked up, that we are sending this clear message. >> schifrin: and that concern comes from three distinct aspects, judy-- first of all, the sheer quantity of forces surrounding ukraine. take a look at the map. from the south in crimea, to the southeast, where russia has invaded in the past, to the northeast, to the north and northwest, along the belarus border. and that's where we've seen 30,000 russian troops

exercising. u.s. officials are also worried about the capabilities of those forces. senior officials tell me russia has moved everything from advanced missiles to advanced devices that can target ukrainian telecommunications. and the third aspect is russian intent. u.s. officials fear that russian forces could assault kyiv, and try and depose the government. now, last night, president biden said, in any invasion, "things could go crazy quickly." sullivan today laid it out specifically. >> if a russian attack on ukraine proceeds, it is likely to begin with aerial bombing and missile attacks that could obviously kill civilians without regard to their nationality. a subsequent ground invasion would involve the onslaught of a massive force. with virtually no notice, communications to arrange a departure could be severed and commercial transit halted. >> schifrin: that means all communications, from cell in ukraine, internet, even g.p.s.

and that's why sullivan said americans need to leave within 24 to 48 hours. >> woodruff: well, nick, is there anything going on as a diplomatic track? >> there are two more meetings on the calendar. president biden will speak to russian president vladimir putin tomorrow morning. putin had wanted to speak next monday, but the u.s. proposed tomorrow, and the kremlin accepted, according to an administration official. and, german chancellor olaf scholz is still scheduled to travel to kyiv and moscow on monday and tuesday. the administration is trying to maintain any possible off-ramp despite the dire predictions. >> woodruff: and what moves is the u.s. military making today? >> schifrin: today the pentagon announced that an additional 1,300 soldiers from the 82nd airborne at fort bragg, north carolina will deploy to poland, bringing the total deployed from the u.s. to poland

in the last month to 3,000 soldiers. and that's in addition to 1,000 americ soldiers who arrived today in another nato eastern flank country, romania, from their deployment in germany. that almost doubles the number of u.s. forces there. judy, i should mention that today, moscow called the u.s.' increased warnings a "coordinated information attack aimed at discrediting russia's demands." u.s. officials say it is russia that is planning an information attack, ahead of any invasion. >> woodruff: nick schifrin, thank you. thank you. >> woodruff: in the day's other news, there is a new delay in approving pfizer's covid-19 vaccine for children under five.

the f.d.a. said today that it wants more data on whether to authorize three low-dose shots, instead of two, for young children. pfizer said it could be april before the data is ready. and, the c.d.c. reported on findings that booster shots lose much of their potency after about four months. it could mean that some people, especially those with health complications, need a fourth inoculation. a court in ontario, canada ordered truckers today to end their blockade of a key bridge. the protest against covid vaccine mandates has clogged the ambassador bridge between onrio and detroit, disrupting supplies to u.s. auto plants. the court order came after ontario's premier declared an emergency, and threatened fines and jail time for the protesters. >> this is critical to our economy. and i'll tell you, it's not going to be tolerated. in saying that, i want eveone to work together. i want this to be peaceful--

peaceful-- and we need to make sure that we get the goods to the facilities. >> woodruff: we'll focus on this in detail, after the news summary. president biden has ordered the release today of $7 billion in frozen assets that had belonged to afghanistan. half will go to humanitarian aid needed now in afghanistan. but, the rest will compensate 9/11 victims in the u.s., pending ongoing litigation. the taliban said the move amounts to stealing. pentagon officials say more civilians may have died than first reported in a raid that killed the islamic state leader in syria. a bomb blast collapsed his hideout last week, and the officials say the rubble may have hidden some victims. rescue workers say up to 13 people were killed. the u.s. officials say ty still believe the isis leader triggered the bomb, but cannot be certain. in madagascar, the death toll from last weekend's tropical

cyclone has reached 120. the storm brought extreme winds and downpours to the island nation's southeastern coast. it flattened entire neighborhoods in its path. back in this country, a milwaukee man pleaded not guilty today to driving into christmas parade marchers in waukesha, wisconsin, killing six and injuring scores more. darrell brooks is facing 77 charges, including homicide and reckless endangerment. he remains jailed on $5 million bail. at the winter olympics, a doping scandal erupted today on news that a russian figure skater tested positive for a banned medication. kamila valieva failed the test last december, but she is competing in beijing. if she is banned, the russians might ultimately lose their gold medal in team figure-skating. olympic officials said today they are watching for a decision by a sports arbitration court.

>> we have a 100% policy against doping. and clearly, we will pursue all doping cases to the end. but clearly, in this specific case, it is an active case, and we are waiting for it to be fully seen to the end. >> woodruff: in the day's competition, veteran american snowboarder shaun white placed fourth in the men's half-pipe. it was the final olympic competition for the three-time gold medalist before he retires. and on wall street, jitters over a potential russian invasion of ukraine sent oil prices up sharply, and pushed stocks down. the dow jones industrial average lost 503 points-- 1.4%-- to close at 34,738. the nasdaq fell 394 points-- nearly 2%. the s%p 500 dropped 85 points-- almost 3%. still to come on the newshour: a jury weighs the evidence in sarah palin's defamation trial against the "new york times."

we examine the career of a federal judge on the president's supreme court short list. former speed skater apolo ohno talks about team u.s.a.'s performance at the olympics. plus, much more. >> woodruff: as we reported, truckers and protesters blocked a key border crossing between the u.s. and canada for a fifth straight day. a court injunction ordered an end to the blockade and president biden and prime minister justin trudeau also spoke about trying to stop the disruptions. for now, the trucks are still blocking three border crossings, in montana, north dakota, and michigan. that includes most of a

crucial bridge between detroit and windsor, ontario. it has led to shutdowns of auto plants and production cuts in michigan, west virginia, kentucky, alabama, and canada. paul solman has the latest. >> reporter: a normally free -flowing u.s./canada trade artery, choked to a standstill by protestors, many from the u.s., calling themselves the "freedom convoy." it began in late january, in response to a rule imposed by both countries that truckers be fully vaccinated to cross the border. it's day five of protests at the bassador bridge, the key transit point which connects windsor, ontario to detroit. truckers have shut down the ro. >> we want freedom-- freedom of all mandates-- and that's what we are fighting for. we are canadian, and we want to be free canadians. >> reporter: canada is our biggest trading partner-- bigger than china-- and the ambassador bridge is the busiest u.s./canada border crossing.

a quarter of all trade between the two countries flowing across this one bridge. a key economic problem? auto parts deliveries, stalled; manufacturers ford, toyota, g.m., forced to scale back production, or entirely shut down plants. michelle krebs is an analyst with "autotrader." >> this is very significant because, for one, it comes at a terrible time. we are already short on new vehicle inventory because of the global computer chip shortage that occurred last year. we had a lot of plants that were shut down, could not produce vehicles. there's very little inventory to buy. so, for consumers, it may mean that they'll have to wait longer for the vehicles that they've ordered. for automakers, it's just shut down their production. >> reporter: what began as defiance of a specific covid trucking rule has now morphed into a larger protest against how canadian prime minister justin trudeau's government has been handling the virus. >> the first step is to defuse the situation by opening up

some good communication and dropping these mandates and resetting life back to normal. >> reporter: the jam got sbad yesterday, windsor mayor drew dilkens sought a court injunction to stop the protest. and today prime minister trudeau called for a peaceful resolution of therotests. >> make no mistake, the border cannot and will not remain closed. >> reporter: the biden administration has also asked canada to intervene, using federal powers. by contrast, the hard right in the u.s. has cheered the movement; words of support coming from the likes of tucker carlson and sean hannity, florida governor ron desantis, and texas senator ted cruz. >> i think the canadian truckers are standing up for freedom. i think it is powerful to watch. it is an incredible groundswell. >> reporter: a groundswell happening here in the u.s., too, it seems. the department of homeland

security said a convoy could begin in southern california as early as this weekend, and disrupt super bowl traffic. and truckers elsewhere in the world have been triggered to start protests of their own. yesterday in new zealand, people were arrested in wellington, the capital, while police in paris are deploying thousands of officers this weekend to keep a growing convoy out of that city. now of course, people have used economic boycotts for political ends going back centuries. so what's different is... ? >> what's different right now is the willingness to do this to a major choke point. >> reporter: to adam posen, president of the peterson institute for international economics, a traditional boycott is a different animal from this one. >> it's about commercial power and consumer choice. it's not about physical power. you cannot get access to needed supplies. that's a different level, and that's, i think, what we're seeing here.

>> reporter: posen also sees a connection to the recent supply chain breakdowns, like the boat that blocked the suez canal, or the covid paralysis. >> people weren't aware of the power of these choke points prior to recent events. orthey weren't thinking about it as a political weapon. >> reporter: should this protest worry us, because it shows jt how vulnerable we actually are? >> politically, this is a more extreme, aggressive form of protest, a weaponization of protest, that's potentially more damaging. and i think the police and the military in our governments have to figure out how to respond to these threats. >> reporter: for the pbs newshour, paul solman. >> woodruff: the boundaries of the first amendment of the

constitution and freedom of the press in journalism are being deliberated in manhattan, as a jury considers sarah palin's libel case against the "neyork times." william brangham has more on the trial's key moments, and what's at stake. >> brangham: judy, this case centers on a 2017 "new york times" editorial about dangerous rhetoric and political violence. it was written the day a gunman opened fire on congressional republicans during a baseball practice, critically injuring representative steve scalise. the "times" editorial drew a false link between another shooting-- the 2011 attack on democratic congresswoman gabrielle giffords, and others-- and a map that included giffords' district marked with what seem to be gun crosshairs. the map was published by palin's political action group. the editorial said, “the link to political incitement was clear”" when the "times" realized its mistake, it issued a correction the very next day. but in court this week, palin took to the stand to make the case that the main author of

that piece, former opinion editor james bennett, had political motivations to harm her, that he knew the claim was wrong, and that he published it anyway. the "times" counters, he made an honest mistake, and quickly corrected it. at stake here are free speech protections for reporters and their news organizations. deanna paul of the "wall street journal" was in the courtroom for this trial. she's a former prosecutor herself, and she joins me now. deanna paul, very good to have you on the "newshour". so, sarah palin says that she was defamed and libeled by in editorial, and she has to prove the legal term of actual malice by the "times" towards her. what is that and what is the evidence that her team cited in the case? >> so the standard of actual malice is it comes out of a supreme court case from decades ago, and it's a very high bar for public figures like sarah palin to prove. she has to prove that

mr. bennett and the "new york times" either knew the statement they were publishing was false or recklessly disregarded the truth in publishing it. and the "times," their lawyers argued today during closing argument that, as you said, it was an honest mistake and as soon as they were made aware of it, they made every effort to correct it, issued a correction, edit the editorial and issued an apology that mr. bennett said was against company policy but went to great efforts to correct it. ms. palin still sued, said she was mortified by the editorial and said she suffered emotional damage as a result of it. >> reporter: i know she also had to prove she had suffered tangible harm from this editorial. what evidence did they cite in that regard that she actually was harmed by this? >> so what her lawyers said today in closing arguments, they were asking for damages for the emotional suffering that she went through and, you know, she

talked about how she would have to go for runs to clear her head. they we not asking for financial harm but she did say her reputation suffered as a result of this. >> reporter: and i understand that she was also asked for punitive damages from the "new york times," but the judge didn't allow that. explain what happened there. >> so, this actually happened yesterday on thursday, after the jury left for the day, he ruled the jury would not be permitted to consider punitive damages. he said that the evidence of ill will on the part of mr. bennett was -- i think his words were quite modest, and, so, he didn't think that that should go to the jury. which -- >> reporter: sarah palin -- i'm sorry. sarah palin, as many people know, she was one to have the leading lights of the g.o.p., considered a possible presidential scant. how did she do? this case revols and her and

her being attacked by this editorial. how did she do on the stand? >> that's a great question, and i'm sure that's something the jury will be talking about during deliberations. as you know, credibility of the witness is very important, and that's something that her attorneys brought up as it related to james bennett today. but she was on the stand for a day and testified at length about the way it impacted her, how she responded to it and the damage and harm she said she suffered as a result of it. >> reporter: so the "times'" principal defense, as you mentioned, was this wasn't intentional. the minute they recognized that there was a mistake here, that the shooter in the giffords case apparently had no knowledge of this map put out by sarah palin's pack but the times went to great lengths to put forward evidence proving this wasn't a conspiracy. what kinds of things did they

cite? >> in the summation today, they talked about this idea that, as soon as they realized there was an error, they went to great lengths to correct it, and if this was a conspiracy or if this was really a political vendetta against conservatives that they wouldn't have done that right away, and the fact that it corrected it before ms. palin said that she was going to sue, and that really was their argument that, you know, they took all these steps. mr. bennett said this was a terrible mistake he regretted every day since and everything they could do in their power to get the correction and apology out to as many people as possible, that they did that. >> reporter: could you remind us about some of the broader context here? this isn't just about sarah palin versus the "new york times." this is a much more fundamental first amendment issue with regas to the press. >> this is one to have the rare deformation cases against a

media outlet that's actually gone to trial, we haven't seen one in several years, and it, again, goes to the idea of actual malice, a standard set forth in "times" v. sullivan and makes it hard to prevail in defamation suits against major news organizations. at this point, there's been two supreme court justices who have said they're open to reconsidering this standard and the "times" v. sullivan standard has been a target for republicans for some time. so if ms. palin does prevail in this case, it could very much change the media law landscape and make it easier for other politicians to sue for defamation against news organizations. >> reporter: all right, deanna paul of the "wall street journal," thank you so much for joining us. >> thank you for having me, william.

>> woodruff: as president biden considers his pick to replace justice breyer othe supreme cour the newshour team is taking a deep dive into some of the potential nominees reportedly on the "short list." what looks like a bipartisan stamp of approval makes a south carolina federal judge, j. michelle childs, one of the top contenders. lisa desjardins starts our series by answering the question, “who is j. michelle childs?” >> desjardins: on top of her list of firsts and stand-out accomplishments, south carolina's michelle childs uniquely has this, displayed at her 2010 federal bench confirmation hearing-- open, bipartisan support. >> desjardins: a nod republican senator lindsey graham pointedly repeated last month. >> she's one of the most decent people i've ever met. >> desjardins: born in detroit, childs moved to south carolina after the death of her father,

who was a police officer. she excelled in high school-- a lengthy yearbook entry reflecting all her accolades, the national honor society, even three years of perfect attendance. >> she's just been a person who has a work ethic and a drive that is unmatched. >> desjardins: attorney and former city councilman luther battiste has known childs since she was a student, when she won full scholarships to the university of south florida for undergrad and then the university of south carolina law school. >> she's different from many candidates who traditionally have an ivy league background. >> desjardins: from there, childs joined a privatlaw firm. >> she's unflappable. >> desjardins: leighton lord worked with childs at the nexsen pruet law firm in columbia, south carolina, where she was promoted to partner. >> i didn't grow up in the south. but i thoughit was a pretty big deal. she just made partner, like

everybody else. >> desjardins: in this 2020 virtual forum, childs said she didn't realize what she'd done. >> at the time i made partner, i did not know i was the first black female that had made partner in south carolina. >> desjardins: then, something else unusual-- childs left the firm to take high-ranking jobs at the state department of labor and then the workers' compensation commission. in 2006, she became a state judge, which requires election by the state legislature. >> for the average person, that was an arduous, distasteful process, but for judge childs, it was the easiest thing in the world. she is such a people person. >> desjardins: childs handled some high-profile cases, including a 2007 armored car heist. she made headlines for sentencing some of the young men involved to 25 years in prison. in 2010, she and a family of support came to washington, and the senate unanimously confirmed her as a federal judge. >> is there objection?

without objection, so ordered. >> desjardins: from her bench came a few big decisions. in 2014, she ruled in favor of two women seeking to have their marriage recognized, declaring south carolina's refusal a violation of constitutional rights. that was the year before the supreme court upheld same-sex marriages. amid the 2020 election and the coronavirus, childs ruled in favor of easier voter access to absentee ballots, and against a republican witness requirement. childs says, what she wants is to be fair. >> i want people to feel like, when they come before me, in that they don't feel they've been pre-judged. i want to be prepared, but i want them to feel they've had the opportunity to present their advocacy. >> for her, the law is living, and it's something that is going to affect people's rights, going to affect their lives. >> desjardins: judea davis clerked for childs from 2018 to 2019.

we talked to her about some doubts on the left, inuding this story from the american prospect charging that childs is too punitive in sentencing. or this, from the young turks, who fear she's too close to big business. >> she has a history of representing employers over the best interests of employees. >> desjardins: judea davis says thosconcerns are unfounded. >> she didn't ever weigh one side more th the other. it was, here are the impacts of this person's decisions, the impacts both on them and their family, and the impacts on the victim and their family, and the impacts on the community. >> desjardins: davis is thinking of the supreme court, and her mentor. >> on a more personal level, she's black female. she's a mother. all of which inspires me. there's obviously a lot of debate about how women can perform in the workforce so they can do it at a high level. and i think she's done that while raising a family and being a wife, being a mother. and so, those two aspects are super inspiring to me. >> desjardins: childs also likes to engage on diversity, as she

did with humor when giving feedback during a duke law school competition. >> one little critique about you. one time i asked you a question and you said, "yes, sir." ( laughter ) i just want you to know there are some women on the bench. >> desjardins: that is the final pitch for supporters of michelle childs-- that she would reshape the bench the most. south carolina congressman jim clyburn. >> i just think that it is time for us to diversify the court. not just as it relates to gender, but as it relates to color as well, and as it relates to backgrounds and experiences. >> desjardins: in any case, judge childs should be ready for a promotion. she was nominated to the court of appeals last year. confirmation is expected, if she is not nominated to the supreme court instead. >> woodruff: and lisa desjardins joins now us now.

lisa, you have done some more reporting today on judge childs' work history. what did you learn? >> reporter: you know, judge childs is unique in this aspect that she is receiving open criticism from some on the left, some progressives, as we reported, questioning her time working as a private attorney for business clients and also when she was deputy director to have the state's labor department. i spoke today to the woman who headed the labor department at the time, rita mckinney, and she told me that, in her experience, over two years with childs, that childs was relentlessly open minded to every case she heard and that, in fact, workplace situations improved under childs from the areas she managed during that time. we did our research and found it is true the two years childs was in theo job that the number of workplace injuries and diseases reported did go down for workers in south carolina and in fact, also, childs did do some groundbreaking work reaching out

to migrate workers with a task force for nonglish speakers and working with housing. she is open minded and sees both sides. progressives want someone who leans left, judge childs is someone who has clearly ruled on each case on its own, say her supporters. >> woodruff: lisa desjardins with some really important information on this potential nominee. lisa, thank you. next week, we are going to be learning more about two other potential nominees who could be -- who may be on the president's short list. thank you. >> woodruff: and now to the analysis of brooks and capehart. that's "new york times" columnist david brooks, and jonathan capehart, columnist for the "washington post." very good to see both of you on

this friday evening, although some of the news today is do you recall grim. david, i'm going to start with you, our colleague nick schifrin reporting tonight that u.s. officials are saying a russian invasion of ukraine could come at anytime, and you were telling us that you have been talking to administration officials today yourself. >> i don't know if i'm talking to the same people nick is but i'm taking to people and in the course of my career i have been in the hundreds of thousands of briefings of this sort, i'm not sure i've ever been in one as sobering as the one i was in today. over the last couple of weeks, there's been an accumulation of concern in the u.s. over the lst several days, the last couple of days, that has accelerated and they can't tell us exactly what they've learned in the last several days, but it'seen something that has caused them alarm. and, so, there is now a possibility, and i'm told even a relatively high probability, that we will see some sort of incursion into ukraine, and that would be the most significant

litary action on the european continent since 1945. it would test the n.a.t.o. alliance, and it would test the liberal order that existed in 1945. i had always assumed that what putin's objective here was just to push n.a.t.o. back a little, make sure n.a.t.o. promises never to include ukraine as one of its members, never puts western troops on ukrainian soil, but it's quite possible putin's objectives are much more ambitious, to really disrupt n.a.t.o., to take back ukraine which a lot of russians think was stolen from russia, to create a buffer in case of incursion from the west, and, so, it's scary. that's all i can say. >> woodruff: jonathan, what do you make of what's going on, what we're learning, what we're hearing. >> well, i have to say that what david just said, and, also, his demeanor has taken me from cautious to now also feeling very, very, very concerned about

what's going to happen. i was at an embassy dinner on sunday where ukraine was part of the table conversation, and lots of experts around the table, all of them wondering the same thine thing -- they didn't know what vladimir putin wanted to do. usually, in these situations, you know, the writing is pretty clear about the objectives of someone. there was one person at the table who said that, no matter what russian president vladimir putin does, he wins. but listening to david but also listening to the national security advisor today jake sullivan, who is a very sober person, to see him -- to listen to him from the white house press briefing room deliver such stark news to the american people about the intentionups, what they are seeing in terms of the intelligence about what russia is about to do, but also the warning to americans on the ground in ukraine to leave within the next 28 to 48 hours

says, to me -- and i wasn't in that briefing david was in -- but to hear that coming from the white house today should concern many americans about what is about to happen on the european continent. >> woodruff: david, what's interesting is i hear some people asking me whether the position the west has taken, the united states has taken in effect drawing a line here is truly in the best interest of the united states. they point out, well, after all, ukraine is right next to russia, it used to be part of the soviet union. they're still trying to understand why this is a fight the united states should be making. >> i think there's a consensus we're not going to send troops there, we're not going to have a direct u.s. versus russia war over this. the question is how can we rally the west to make russia face serious penalties for this h. i'd say the stakes are this -- from 1915 to 19 we had a culture and a regime in europe which was the law of the jungle,

the strong nations get to conquer the little ones. in 1945, after 150 million deaths a two world wars, we set up a rules-based order where strong nations do not get to take over little ones, that we have some sort of global international order with n.a.t.o. and the u.n. and all sorts of organizations making it a much re peaceful place and we've enjoyed a peceful land, and if russia is allowed to take ukraine, that would destroy -- that shred that international order. in 1991, in august, i was in ukraine covering the ukraine independence movement. i can tell you the ukrainians then and i think the ukrainians now feel that they are a separate nation, they are not russia, they are ukraine, and they voted that way in 1991, they have been governing themselves that way, they will probably be fighting, if this happens, they will be fighting to preserve their sovereignty and independence, and, so, our interest is not to go to war with russia, but our interest is to preserve our world where

rules are followed, and it's not the law of the jungle. >> woodruff:nd, jonathan, is it your sense that most americans understand that, that that's what this is all about? >> i'm not sure because, as we all know, you know, the american populous at large doesn't pay that much attention to what's happening outside of our -- outside of our borders, outside of our national concerns, but they should be because of what david just talked about. that liberal small "d" democrat order that grew out of world war ii, the united nations, n.a.t.o., and so on and so forth, was created by the united states and maintained by the united states and the west. and up until the presidency of donald trump, that alliance was inviolate, was solid, but sometimes part of me wonders whether vladimir putin felt it was perfectly find to surround

ukraine on three sides -- north, east and south -- with thousands of troops because he thought that the n.a.t.o. alliance and the western alliance would not stand up to him, and if anything we've seen over the last few months is that it appears that the n.a.t.o. alliance, the western alliance is pretty solid against what vladimir putin appears to be planning for ukine. >> woodruff: as we keep an eye on that situation across the atlantic, david, i want to ask you about something at home, that is the growing divide between the views of democratic governors dealing with mask mandates, dealing with covid, and the biden administration and some scientists who are saying, wait a minute, it's too soon to be lifting these mandates. how do you see th pressures on these democratic governors and,

conversely, on washington? >> yeah, i understand where the c.d.c. and some of the scientists are coming from, they have their primary responsibility is to guard the nation's health, and they see 2500 people still dying every day, high hospitalization rates and say it's too soon. on the other hand, the governors have a couple of responsibilities, one is to preserve the health, but the other is the overall flourshing of their communities, and if you look at what's striking looking at the polling data is how much the delta and omicron have dealt a psychic blow to people. people are exhausted, they're convinced omicron is never going to go away, we'll have to live with the covid, and they want some version of their old life back. now, a rising number of people think it will never come back, but, in my view, and it should be local by local, but, you know, we're sitting here in d.c. and washington area, we've seen omicron up and omicron down. i think in communities in that kind of situationing it's worth it to take some to have the

psychic pressure off and loosen some of the mask restrictions. >> woodruff: jonathan, how do you read the divide that seemed to grow wider this past week? >> right, especially with democratic governors in the northeast. i agree with david a hundred percent. when i looked at what was happening, i saw a medical and a political response. the political response coming from the governors of new york and connecticut, new jersey, massachusetts, all saying, you know, we're going to ease up on the mask mandates, we're going to try to get back to normal and echo david, they're responding to a weary populous, to a populous that's been on lockdown in one form or another for the last two years, and they just want to get back to some semblance of their old life. but you've got the white house, which has the medical response, and very cautious response for the reasons that david said, they're following the science, they're still looking at the high hospitalization rates, the high -- well, the increasin death rates.

they're not nearly as bad as they were during the big peaks of the pandemic earlier. but the president and the administration, they don't want to, you know, say lift all the mask mandates, everyone get back, go back to your lives as they were before, because they tried that last year, and then had to tell everyone to put masks back on because omicron came around. so the conk, i think, is worth it, but i also wouldn't be surprised if, a month or two down the road, the administration and the white house follows the lead of the governors simply because the science and the raging of the pandemic will have abated. >> woodruff: well, speaking of politics, another question i want to raise with both of you and that is the move by the reblican national committee last weekend, david to censure two of its own, congresswoman

liz cheney and congressman adam kinzinger because ofnary role on the investigative committee and the question of what happened on the capitol january 6th was normal political discourse. we saw serious pushback from mitch mcconnell, other prominent republicans. what's going on in the republican party? >> i think what jonathan and i do is normal political discourse but we may be living in another century. what struck me the most about that was institutional decay. the rnc is supposed to be the institutional basis of the republican party, and, so, if you're an institutional builder for a party, you want to unify your party, you want to keep it together, you want to be the center of gravity. indeed the r.n.c. picked an unnecessary fight to divide its own party. so it shows nee the republican party are a lot of people who are not about the party or institutional, they want the fight, and this comes at a time

when used to be most republicans would say i'm primarily loyal to donald trump and not the party, and most now say to the party and not donald trump, so there's weakening but the r.n.c. is not saying let's distance ourself from president trump. >> woodruff: what do you say, jonathan? >> wow is all i can say that r.n.c. are saying insurrections were engaged in legitimate political discourse, told me that the r.n.c. lost its mind, that you had mitch mcconnell and other republicans stepping forward and saying, no, no, this does not speak for me, this is not who we are as a party, you know, goes against what we've seen in the pst which is they used to just pretend like it didn't happen. i don't see anything that's happening over there in the trump wing of the republican party. but, you know, the fact that they came out publicly and slammed it is terrific. but there's another thing that i want to bring up quickly, and

that is about the stranglehold of trump on republicans. you know, fundraising numbers were released, and the seven republicans who voted for donald trump's second impeachment, who he has gone after to try to get them out of congress with his own candidates, they raised -- they outraised their trump-backed or their primary challengers. congresswoman liz cheney, who is the number one target for donald trump, she raised $2 million in the fourth quarter of 2021. she's got $4.7 million in the ba. the person she's running against harriet haigman -- i'm pronouncing her name wrong -- raised $443,000 and has $380,000 in the bank. if money is speech, it looks like the establishment wing to have the republican is being heard loud and clear. >> woodruff: well, we're going to go off and count or money

right now. (laughter) thank you both this friday night, jonathan capehart, david brooks, we appreciate it. >> thanks, judy. . >> woodruff: we are just about at the midpoint of the winter olympics, and it's been one of the stranger and more controversial games, given covid and china's record on human rights. even so, athletes are trying to compete under enormous pressure, at the highest levels. amna nawaz gets the perspective of an olympic great. >> nawaz: judy, this first week has seen its share of disappointments for the americans-- but there have been electric moments as well, featuring chloe kim, nathan chen, and lindsey jacobellis, to name just a few. and there's also a lot of attention on eileen gu, who was born in the u.s., but is competing for china, where her mother is from. for more on the games from an

athlete's perspective, i'm joined by former speedskater apolo ohno. he is the most decorated winter olympian in u.s. history, with eight medals, including two golds. apolo ohono, welcome to the "newshour". thanks for taking the time. >> thanks for having me. >> reporter: how does the most decorated olympian of all time watch the olympics? can you kick back or are you screaming at the tv? >> i'm watching them the same way everyone else watches, when i'm on the road, in transit, flying, when i have access to consume this as mch as possible, i wake up in the middle of the night sometimes to watch the events live and i cheer and scream and cry and smile and shout at the screen like everyone else does. i think the difference now is i'm no longer obviously on the field to play, i'm on the opposite side, so i know what it feels like pre-competition, when they're about to go down, you know, a slope or do something,

it's pretty spectacular. but i get involved just like anyone else. a lot of this happens when i'm alone screening at the television which is really fun. >> reporter: apolo ohono, just like the rest of us. who have you been watching? what have been the standout moments? >> i've watched everything so far. all the speed skating, the snowboarding, the skating. obviously because of my bias with short track and long track speed skating is something i love to see. these games are unprecedented, unlike anything these athletes have ever experienced and the last two years have been unprecedented, unlike anything all of us have ever experienced before. this is a dramatic olympics. you know the geopolitical tension that exists there, a lot of different conversations happening anderson what can and cannote said on the podium or even there inside a foreign country. but make no mistake, these

athletes want to perform their best and they're having more open conversations about how they feel, how they're performing, the stress and the pressures associated, and how the athletes can really rise to be their best versions of selves. >> reporter: i want to unpack some of the points you made but i wanted to ask you about the other unprecedented moment which is just the asian-american excellence, you heard me mentioned them, chloe kim, nathan chen, eileen gu, why do you think it's this moment before they're mentioned in the game. >> i had some semblance of a fraction of percent to do that when athletes are looking for someone who's biracial, growing up in a single parent household. at the end of the day, this is a something a long time coming. representation, no matter where you're from, what you look like, who you identify as, is a really important aspect of making sure

these athletes are going there to be their best, and it does take a few cycles of the olympic games, for example when i competed in my first games in 2002, eight years later in 2010, there were kids who were on my olympic team who started skating because they watched the 2002olympic games. and, so, this phenomenon and dream is very real where we identify with someone who looks similar to us, they have some kind of background and story that resonates with us and/or they understand the olympic moment is pretty spectacular. so i think it's important to recognize what's happening in terms of the asian-american reparation, but these athletes are representing as athletes to be the best versions of themselves. >> reporter: we're hearing about athletes' backgrounds which gives us a bigger picture of them but also about mental health and credit due after the tokyo games and what simone

biles talked about openly and bravely, it's very much a part of the beijing games as well. i'm curious if you can tell us what most people don't understand about the unique pressure faced biolympickians? >> well, i think it's challenging to see or understand why someone would dedicate five years, ten years, 15 years of their life for a race that lasts 40 seconds long and, in that race, at a particular olympic games, the difference between first place, being on the cover of "wheaties," getting the commercial attributes associated, being celebrated, recognized, effectively your recognition being changed overnight to being in fourth place just off of the podium, no one knows or watched, no one remembers after a few days olympic games are finished, and that difference between gold and off the podium is two claps. so this entire pressure around these athletes who are going to the games, everything is riding on this one moment and being so married to the outcome and the result is challenging.

i think it is a different time. we're talking about mental health, the associated challenges with microtrauma and trauma that exists throughout the experience of a human whether sport and/or not is important and it's good and we should int having these open conversations. more importantly, to me, how we identify with the word "strength" and "champion" and what that means to us. when i grew up, doesn't matter how you feel, doesn't matter your emotion, your job is to churn medals and perform und the highest amounts of pressure possible. and that's what you have to do at all costs even if it comes down to your own internal unhappiness and now we're moving toward a society that says i can be strong, be performent, win medals, and also be vulnerable, show empathy and that i'm human, and i have the same type of insecurities and self-doubts and maybe missteps everyone else does who's watching.

>> reporter: do you ever look back and say, man, i wish i had that kind of support and ability to talk about that when i was coming up? >> it's easy to say yes to that type of a question. i think life has been a gift to me in every essence, and good, bad, right or wrong, a fight, i always stand back up. i do my best to dust myself off and recalibrate. and life is hard. one of my favorite quotes of all time is good timber does not grow with ease. the stronger wind, the stronger trees. everyone carries their own pain and experiences throughout life, but those are mere chapters and the way you respond and react to them are really important. do i wish i had an outlet to speak about? i don't know if i would have. i don't know if i was comfortable enough to let people into my mind. so it's easy to say yes but i take everything i've had with impence gratitude and i'm grateful for the challenges i have been able to shoulder.

and as i grow and hopefully become a more wholesome human, maybe we can deliver the insights to the next generation, so they can be better and show up for the communities, find purpose and ultimately show up fully on a daily basis. >> i can't think of a more inspiring message to end this week on whether an olympian or not. apolo ohono, i can't thank you enough. thank you so much for your time. >> thanks for having me. >> woodruff: inspiring for sure. thank you. and for more now concerns over ukraine, on former president trump's handling of white house records, splits in the g.o.p. over the capitol attack, and concerns over a russian invasion of ukraine, don't forget to join moderator yamiche alcindor and the "washington week" panel, tonight on pbs. and tomorrow on newshour weekend, how comedian alex edelman is using humor to combat anti-semitism and white nationalism in his one-person show. and that is the newshour for tonight. i'm judy woodruff. join us online, and again here

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hello, everyone within and welcome to amanpour and company. here's what's coming up. the bipartisan effort to fight human trafficking in the united states. congresswoman karen bass talks about leading charge. also ahead. how the warmer weather might affect any conflict between ukraine and russia. we have a special report from the scene. then -- >> are you td to do the workout. >> what linked jane fonda and hippocrates. we take a jog through the originen of of exercise with bill lays then. >> politics with a short memory. egregious things can happen in one