captioning sponsored by wnet >> sreenivasan: on this edition for saturday, february 12: high-stakes talks, as tensions mount over the russia and ukraine crisis. ukraine's volunteer defense forces prepare for the unknown. and, confronting antisemitism with humor. >> “you can't have that, dovid. we're jewish.” and i said, “what does that mean?”“ it means you'll never be happy.” ( laughter ) >> sreenivasan: next, on pbs newshour weekend. >> pbs newshour weekend is made possible by: sue and edgar wachenheim iii. bernard and denise schwartz. the cheryl and philip milstein family. the anderson family fund. the sylvia a. and simon b. poyta programming endowment to fight anti-semitism. the estate of worthington mayo-smith.

leonard and norma klorfine. the rosalind p. walter fodation. koo and patricia yuen, committed to bridging cultural differences in our communities. barbara hope zuckerberg. we try to live in the moment, to not miss what's right in front of us. at mutual of america, we believe taking care of tomorrow can help you make e most of today. mutual of america financial group: retiremt services and investments. >> for 25 years, consumer cellular's goal habeen to provide wireless service that helps people communicate and connect. we offer a variety of no-contract plans, and our u.s.-based customer service team can help find one that fits you. to learn more, visit www.consumercellular.tv. additional support has been provided by: and by the corporation for public broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the american people.

and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> sreenivasan: good evening, and thank you for joining us. president joe biden held a high-stakes phone call with russian president vladimir putin today, as the u.s. picked up intelligence that wednesday may be russia's target date for an invasion of ukraine. the white house released a readout of the call, which lasted over an hour, saying,“ president biden was clear that, if russia undertakes a further invasion of ukraine, the united states together with our allies and partners will respond decisively and impose swift and severe costs on russia.” the president made the call from camp david where he is spending the weekend. a senior administration official told reporters there were no breakthroughs on either side and that while the u.s. has made diplomatic offers-- president biden did not present any new offers to president putin today. earlier today, the u.s. state department ordered the departure of all non-emergency personnel at the american embassy in kyiv, ukraine's capital. the department said that, as of tomorrow, all consular services

at the embassy would be suspended, though it will maintain a small presence in the western city of lviv. it also advised all u.s. citizens in ukraine to leave the country as soon as possible. yesterday, private satellite images showed part of the build- up of more than 100,000 russian troops amassing along ukraine's borders. today, the defense ministry of belarus, which borders ukraine, released video of joint russian- belarusian military drills. russia's defense ministry released its own videos of russian naval exercises off the coast of crimea, which russia annexed from ukraine in 2014. this morning, u.s. secretary of state antony blinken held a phone call with his russian counterpart, sergey lavrov, during which lavrov reportedly called warnings of russian military action a “propaganda campaign.” during a diplomatic visit to fiji this morning, secretary blinken warned that “a russian invasion of ukraine could start at any time.” >> we and our allies have made

this crystal clear to moscow. if president putin decides to take military action, we will swiftly impose severe economic sanctions in coordination with allies and partners around the globe, we'll bolster ukraine's ability to defend itself, we will reinforce our allies on the eastern flank of nato. >> sreenivasan: npr correspondent frank langfitt has been reporting from ukraine. earlier today he joined us from kherson, near the crimean border. frank, we've had more and more indications over the past 24 hours that this is getting more serious. we've had calls for evacuations, we've had notices that embassies are starting to pare down their people. what are you hearing on the ground? >> well, i think what i'm hearing on the ground is exactly that, hari. the united states embassy is going to be sending a lot of its stafout. it will keep some staff. i think the sense that i have is, some western embassy staff may move to the west of-- the west of ukraine, not that far from the polish border. but i'm down here in kherson,

this is t too far from the border with russian-occupied crimea, and what's really interesting among ordinary folks heres, not a sense of panic, and there's no sign of anyone really fully being prepared for the kind of invasion that the americans say they think is coming. >> sreenivasan: what kinds of planning-- what kind of preparation are they doing, where you are? >> yeah, what i found out today, a number of us journalists went to see exercises-- they were anti-terror operations. and so we saw a case where a bunch of, you know, faux terrorists were going to try to dynamite the dam, to have water flow from ukraine down to crimea, where there's not anywhere near enough water. we saw another one where russians would instigate, you know, basically a riot, and try to take over, get local people and using provocateurs to take over a local police station and a city hall. and then, you know, special natial guard police came in

and stopped them. and so, actually a lot of people in the crowd watching this. and what the ukrainians are very concerned about is not just an invasion, but what people refer to as hybrid warfare-- as you know, cyber attacks, disinformation, and terror acts, to try to create enough panic that it will actually destabilize the government here. >> sreenivasan: even though this was a drill, did it seem like security forces had a handle on what was happening? >> well, i got to say, i've been to these things before, i've seen nato do them, and they all have a very theatrical, you know, element to them. they are, sort of-- they are-- they are, in part, for show, and people did come out to watch. they have been dealing with these kinds of events since 2014; certainly since the invasion of crimea. but as i drove around-- i was driving around this area in a bus with the military, and with the police-- i didn't see any evidence of, you know, major military movements or anything by the ukrainians, where if we lookt twitter, of course, we see lots of video coming out of

belarus and places like that, with lots of russian armaments coming in. >> sreenivasan: is there a sense on the ground from people there that the tensions are rising, that this conflagration could be imminent, at least as the u.s. describes it could be? >> it's almost a parallel universe, hari, in that, what you hear in the white house is so completely different than you would hear in small villages where i was today. of people there, many of them say they don't think the russians will come. they think that it would be too punishing for them, and a large occupationakes no sense. there's also, at a human level, they love their country, they love their land, they don't want to leave. i spoke to a 17-year-old today, a young man who wants to get and study in i.t., in university, and he did say, "i am scared," and he was thinking of perhaps going to kyiv, where he might stay with a family member, or germany. of course, kyiv could also very much be a target for the russians.

>> sreenivasan: what does the leadership in ukraine have to say about what's going on? >> actually, president zelensky came to the exercises that we attended, so we watched all of these sort of faux attacks and then the president showed up in front of a bunch of microphones. and what he said is, his intelligence does not match what we're hearing out of the white house and the pentagon. and he said, the best friend of our enemies is panic in our country. and so, he's very concerned, as he said all along, that some of these-- these concerns that the west is raising, particularly the united states, plays into vladimir putin's hands, because, in terms of a hybrid warfare kind of model, wants to sow as much, you know, fear in this country and hopefully, from his perspective, help him destabilize the government. that's certainly the way the ukrainians see it. >> sreenivasan: frank, the united states says that conversations are continuing. any expectations? >> i don't know that there are. i mean, i think that things have been deteriorating, in terms of diplomacy.

the russians have asked, you know, they asked for things like ukraine not being allowed to go into no, a guarantee of that. the west has not agreed to that at all. and so, the sorts ofhings that the russians have asked for, it was very unlikely that nato and the united states would ever grant it. and i think the sense is that the opportunities for diplomacy, that window, is continuing to close. >> sreenivasan: npr's frank langfitt joining us from ukraine tonight, thanks so much. >> good to talk, hari. >> sreenivasan: the truck and car blockade of the busiest bridge between canada and the united states began to clear today. canadian police lined the roads near the ambassador bridge early this morning after handing out warnings and enforcing a court order issued late yesterday. the convoy was one of several over the past few weeks in canada protesting covid vaccine mandates for truckers and other government restrictions. vehicles moved out slowly, and as of noon, police said there were no arrests. 25% ofll trade between the u.s. and canada crosses the ambassador bridge, which is a vital link in the auto industry

supply chain. in paris today, anti-covid mandate protesters attempted a vehicle convoy, but encountered thousands of police officers. some drivers made it into the french capital, waving flags, shouting “freedom,” and honking horns. police arrested several hundred peopleand used tear gas to clear streets. the protesters said they were inspired by canada's so-called“ freedom convoy.” the drivers were protesting covid restrictions, including a vaccination pass france requires to enter restaurants and many other locations. officials said at least 500 vehicles were stopped before entering the city. france mobilized about 7,000 officers, created checkpoints, and deployed armored personnel carriers in advance of the planned weekd protests. secretary of state anty blinken said today the u.s. will open an embassin the solomon islands, in a move to counter china's growing presence in the south pacific region. during his visit to fiji after meetings in australia, blinken called all pacific island nations, “a vital part

of the region.” the solomon islands switched allegiance from taiwan to china in 2019. last november, violent protests erupted in the capital city, in part because of the ties to china. the u.s. opeted an embassy in the solomon islands for five years, but closed it in 1993 >> sreenivasan: for more national and international news, visit www.pbs.org/newshour. >> sreenivasan: as russian troops mass along ukraine's border, no one can say for sure whether there will be a shooting war. but, many in ukraine are taking no chances and are training in civil defense, just in case. the relative calm and beauty on a brisk winter morning in the ukrainian capital of kyiv belies the tension that is building, as russian troops amass along the country's borders. for citizens here, the question of what to do if russia invades is never far from mind. >> ( translated ): i am slowly

preparing food for my family, stocking up on water if the water is turned off. we brought a stove, just in case the gas was turned off, so that the children could cook something for themselves. >> sreenivasan: for 52-year-old mariana zhaglo, a market researcher and a mother of three, it means facing an ominous reality. she has bought a rifle, and she has signed up as a volunteer reservist, doing many hours of makeshift military training. she is one of thousands who are participating in the ukrainian territorial defense forces. every saturday morning, ordinary citizens gather near the lisova metro station in kyiv. these are the civilians that ve signed up for weekly aining in the forests just outside the city. their numbers have grown since more than 100,000 russian soldiers have mobilized on the country's borders.

>> ( translated ): in short, all the people who come here love ukraine. they are ready to defend it and want to know how to do it, and what can be useful in this russian-ukrainian war to protect our state. in fact, the golden rule taught here is how not to die in the first minutes of battle, so that later, you can continue to serve and be useful. >> sreenivasan: ukraine's territorial defense forces are not new. they have been organizing weekend military training for civilians for several ars now, and have battalions of experienced reservists ready to help the ukrainian army if needed. what is new is growing participation, fueled in part by social media, and attention to russia's aggressive stance. newcomers are easy to recognize by their everyday clothes and wooden guns. >> ( translated ): there are

more and more new people coming to our organization, because people are trying to find their place in this new reality. and those who decide they should defend their country, they find the territorial defense forces for that. >> sreenivasan: today's drills will take at least six hours, starting with the nuts and bolts of basic training: how to stand at attention, how to hold a gun, and how to move with a weapon in their hands-- new skills for many who hold traditional jobs. >> when you have, like, a rmal week, you think partially abt this invasion but, the most time, you are working, and it's okay. and on the weekends, you think oh, what should i do, what--

how to, how to be prepared. and that's why i joined here. >> we are here to learn and to train in order to know what to do and where to go in case of events, and who to communicate with, who to work with to defend the land, city, the family. >> my plan is to defend, and my family also knows what to do. we are prepared. i have instructed, and they know what to do. we are ready. i think ukraine now is ready, and every week we are much better ready for the possible invasion by russia. ( instruions ) >> ( translated ): two people will be in the building at 12:00 a.m., two at 9:00 a.m.,

and two at:00 p.m., 30 meters away from the building. >> sreenivasan: the instructors are mostly veterans from the ongoing war in eastern ukraine, where separatists, abetted by russia, have carved out political enclaves. 48-year-d serhii grim is one of them. he has been training civilians for the territorial defense forces since 2018. >> ( translated ): we live every day expecting to be attacked. we have no choice but to do so. that's why we get people used to the idea that we'll all have to live this way. that's why we train, we prepare. we train people, we pull people up, we constantly coordinate, we work constantly. >> sreenivasan: mariana zhaglo says the training has made her calmer and more confident, as

she navigates the uncertainty about peace and war, her nation's past and future, and, quite literally, life and death. >> ( translated ): that's exactly why i'm ready to fight, so that my children can live in a ukraine without the problems that exist now. without the russian-backed occupation, without the bad economy, which is very much strained by this war. and with a free, free, independent, prosperous country. >> sreenivasan: between 2018 and 2020, the u.s. saw the most antisemitic incidents in more than 40 years, according to the an-defamation league. in his one-man show, “just for us,” stand-up comedian alex edelman tries to understand this disturbing statistic in a way

that might make you laugh. the performance's sold-out run was just extended at the soho playhouse in new york. newshour weekend's zachary green reports, as part of our ongoing series “exploring hate: antisemitism, racism, and extremism.” >> i'm, like, five or six years old. i'm at a children's birthday party, at a chuck e. cheese in watertown, massachusetts. and i reach for a slice of pizza that had some sausage on it. and my grandfather was there, and he just slapped my hand away. and he said, “you can't have that, dovid, we're jewish.” and i said, “what doethat mean?” and with a totally straight face, he just went, “it means you'll never be happy.” ( laughter ) >> reporter: comedian alex edelman's new off-broadway sho“" just for us,” examines two parts of his life. one is growing up in an orthodox jewish family in boston. the other is the evening in 2017 when he went to a meeting of white supremacists in queens, new york. >> someone said to me, like, "oh, my god, why'd you go?" and i was like, "think really hard. are there people in your life

who share, like, most of the viewpoints?" who think that jews, like, actually do, you know, quietly run the world. or who think that, like white people are being replaced, or that people don't want white people anymore. like, that is not an extremely difficult viewpoint to find. it's sadly become, like, very mainstream. also, it's, like, something that really is-- i'm curious about. like... you know, what is the thing that people who don't like jews say when they're hanging out with each other? >> reporter: in exploring antisemitism, edelman al examines his own jewish upbrinng, and his desire to assimilate into mainstream white culture. >> the wasps. the white people. the sort of-- the brahmans, the mayflower whites. and that is the whiteness that-- like, the sort of, like, "cucumbers go in little sandwiches" white, or, like, "any country club you want" white, or, like, "i can't read, but i got into harvard!” like, that is the whiteness that

i aspire to. >> reporter: when did you first start to realize that you were different from the other white kids? >> i was-- honestly, ice hockey. i always played ice hockey with kids, and i was one of the few jewish kids on the team, and i was the only observant jewish kid on the team. they played games on shabbos, and i wasn't, you know, allowed to do that. and, you know, there were guys who would-- i had nicknames that indicated my judaism, and i wasn't, like, super psyched about that. and-- and also, it made me not want to see myself just as a jew. i started whitewashing myself a little to appear slightly less“ jew-y” as soon as i was old to choose how i was identified. like, the name that i went by as a kid, my full name, it's not“ alex edelman.” my real name-- get ready-- is dovid yosef shimon ben elazar reuven alexander halevi edelman. ( laughter and applause ) you don't need to clap for me remembering my own name, but that's very nice of you. >> reporter: as an adult jewish person now, how do you reconcile being both a white person and also a member of a minority group?

>> i mean, i think of it as not a binary. a friend of mine has a podcast. wonderful rson. and they said to me, "you know, we only have women and people of color on the podcast. we'd love to have you on sometimes, maybe." and i said, "what do you mean, 'maybe'?" and they said, "well, we're not sure if jews qualify." after the synagogue shooting in pittsburgh, they called me, and they were like, "you know, you, we might-- we, maybe-- would you come on the podcast?" and i was, like, "is it because this week, you think that jews are oppressed?" and they were,e, "i mean, yes, kind of." and i was, like, "would you have on in nine months?” and they said to me, like, "i don't know." and i tell my friends, and they're like, "that's horrible." and i'm, like, "that's okay." like, it's not great, but it's not about that person's prejudices-- it's about us not really understanding, like, where jews fit in, in our, like, binary-based systems of oppressor and oppressed. like, that's really what it is. here's how you know if jews are white--

if you think being white is awesome, then jews denitely aren't white. if you think being white is horrible, then jews are the whitest people who've ever lived. they're whiter than white people. it's a lose-lose situation. >> reporter: white supremacist often claim that jews are, like, actively trying to destroy the white race. ( laughter ) but in other political spaces, as you were kind of alluding to, jews are kind of also seen as the epitome of whiteness. like, how do you explain that paradox? >> antisemitism is, like, actually very diverse. socialists and fascists, capilists and communists, like, they've blamed stuff on jews. and so, jews are a convenient bogeyman. they're a convenient scapegoat, because of, like, that thing i just said about whiteness, right? like, the thing that that has in common, if you take whiteness out of the equation, is, whatever you don't like, jews are a part of that. like, online, you see antisemitism in, like, all these different corners. like, that is a really... you know, maybe it's the thing that-- that those folks can

unite around. you know, if you want to get a white nationalist to agree with, like, a farakanite from the nation of islam, like, it's possible that they share one big thing in common that they really don't like. and it's not pineapple on pizza. it's jews. >> reporter: you talk about while you were at this meeting, that, as you were listening to these people, you kind of-- you, a, felt kind of sorry for them, and b, you actually found yourself wanting to be liked by them. >> yeah. well, i think there are two things. one is about internalized antisemitism, is that, when you grow up jewish, you do have this desire for assimilation. in terms of feeling bad for them, i do feel bad for people who are white nationalists. white supremacistsren't happy. like, you go online? like, you can find all this stuff online. like, they are very upset. like, there are very few happy racists, iould imagine. at least i haven't been exposed to them online. like, you know, "the sun is shining, it's a perfect day,

i hate mexicans." like, that's not going to be-- that's not going to be a social media post you se my own frustration at the limits of those person-to-person interactions, the limits of human empathy, are well on display in the show. but i really do think that, like, it's the best tool that's available to us. if you're watching this and you have a problem with jews? like, look into one jew who is a person online that you don't already hate read a little bit about mel brooks. if you're still anti-semitic after five minutes thinking about mel brooks, then, like, i mean, i probably can't help you! but, like, there are certain people who think all jews are zionists, or leftie, or righty, and, like, they're not. we're not. like, we are an extremely diverse group of people. and so, i think that understanding that on a person-to-person level is the way to, like, fix all of it. >> sreenivasan: that's all for this edition of pbs newshour weekend. for the latest news updates, visit www.pbs.org/newshour. i'm hari sreenivasan. ks for watching.

stay healthy, and have a good night. captioning sponsored by wnet captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org >> pbs newshour weekend is made possible by: sue and edgar wachenheim iii. bernard and denise schwartz. the cheryl and philip milstein family. the anderson family fund. the sylvia a. and mon b. poyta programming endowment to fight anti-semitism. the estate of worthington mayo-smith. leonard and norma klorfine. the rosalind p. walter foundation. koo and patricia yuen, committed to bridging cultural differences in our communities. barbara hope zuckerberg.

we try tli in the moment, to not miss what's right in front of us. at mutual of america, we believe taking care of tomorrow can help you make the most of today. mutual of america financial group: retirement services and investments. additional support has been provided by: consumer cellular. and by: and by the corporation for public broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the american people. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. you're watching pbs.

- coming up, matt and the team take a bite out of the big apple when they help a couple of lifelong new yorkers pack up their precious belongings and say goodbye to the city they love. - we really can't keep two houses anymore. we just have to downsize. - they'll visit historic landmarks. - so this is one of the rooms don worked on. - that's incredie. - and learn about the couple's deep connection to the city that never sleeps. - i'm matt paxton. - i'm matt paxton. - let's do it, man. - my team of specialists, jaime, mike, and avi help me help people downsize their homes and settle estates. downsize their homes and settle estates. as the largest population of baby boomers in american history transition towards retirement, they and their families face the overwhelming task ofmptying their homes to move. we help them sift through a lifetime of possessions,