Skip to main content

tv   PBS News Hour  PBS  March 11, 2022 3:00pm-4:00pm PST

3:00 pm
captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc >> woodruff: good evening. i'm judy woodruff. on the newshour tonight: the invasion intensifies. russian forces widen their offensive into western ukraine, ashey continue to inflict deadly strikes iother parts of the country, turning residential areas into ruins. >> when you invade peaceful country, peaceful cities, you're not defending life. you're killing life. you're not defending humanity, you're destroying the things that are most human. >> woodruff: then, economic fallout. the u.s. bans more russian imports, and a growing number of high-profile companies close operations in russia, in response to its invasion of ukraine. and, it's friday. jonathan capehart and gary abernathy analyze the domestic
3:01 pm
effects of russia's assault on ukraine, and florida's restrictive new laws regarding race and sexual orientation. 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. >> fidelity wealth management.
3:02 pm
>> consumer cellular. >> b.d.o. accountants and advisors. >> the john s. and james l. knight foundation. fostering informed and engaged communities. more at kf.org. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions: and individuals. 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: russian forces today attacked western ukraine
3:03 pm
for the first time, launching strikes on airfields, thus widening the 2.5-week war. russia also hit a major industrial city in the east, dnipro, as it continued its brutal military campaign. also tay, president biden and other leaders of the so-called "g-7 nations" revoked russia's "most-favored nation" trade status, which will allow for higher tariffs on russian exports. and, u.s. officials said today that the large russian military convoy near kyiv had dispersed, as the russians made incremental advances on the city. but we again begin our coverage tonight from the western city of lviv, with our foreign affairs correspondent nick schifrin. >> schifrin: in a city that until now had been spared, a residential block, reduced to rubble. fires still burning where homes once stood, where families once lived. civilians left for dead, just a few feet from their front doors. it is day 16, and for the first time, russia bombed the industrial hub, dnipro.
3:04 pm
>> ( translated ): there is only one commentary possible here. this is a continuation of fighting by terrorist methods. >> schifrin: also for the first time, russian missiles struck military airfields in western ukraine. residents near the polish border filmed massive explosions. it's an expansion of the war, perhaps to disrupt supplies arriving into what had been ukraine's quiet west. in the east, in kharkiv, the russians once again targeted a hospital. more than 30 have been attacked. 5,000 miles away, russia's ambassador accused the u.s. of“ biological activities” in ukraine. u.s. ambassador linda thomas- greenfield accused the russian pot of calling the kettle black. >> russia has a track record of falsely accusing other countries of the very violations that russia itself is perpetrating. >> schifrin: those violations include indiscriminate shelling of residential buildings-- these today, just outside kyiv.
3:05 pm
the russian military claimed, in new video, troops outside the capital were advancing. satellite images show the 40-mile convoy that sat north of the capital, now dispersed, to prevent ukrainian attacks. and a senior u.s. defense official said russian soldiers made “additional advancements” toward kyiv from the northwest and east. ( gunfire ) the battle for kyiv is intensifying. soldiers in a suburb are pinned down by a russian barrage. ( gunfire ) they make a run for it, before opening up. ( gunfire ) ukrainian soldiers are defending their land. and in quieter moments, say they're motivated by revenge for this war's most heinous attacks. this soldier calls himself“ devil.” >> ( translated ): we will kill all the ( bleep ) for mariupol. we'll multiply them by zero. >> schifrin: how's your leg? >> could be better. >> schifrin: jan fidrya is a captain in the ukrainian military. he was injured last week, in the battle for hostomel. he filmed the afteath. >> i knew that i can die in that
3:06 pm
moment, but i did everything they could. the russians, they lost the whole company, including the vehicles. >> schifrin: and why do you think you had that success? >> we were more motivated than them. like, they were thinking they're just, like, on a business trip to ukraine. those woods in front of us, they're shooting at us from there. >> schifrin: we first met then-lieutenant fidrya in 2016, when he was deployed to the front line in eastern ukraine, faced off against russian-backed separatists. >> this is, like, a war between ukraine and russia. it's my country. i'm defending my country. >> schifrin: you were proud that you'd been trained with american, with nato's techniques. do you think that that has made a difference? >> it's modern warfare. it's not like soviet tactics. to my brothers who are at the battle right now: ( speaks ukrianian ) >> schifrin: what's that mean? >> "fight, my brothers, and we will win." my real brother, right now? ( laughs ) >> schifrin: where is he?
3:07 pm
>> somewhere round kyiv. he's-- he's in the reccie group. so i don't ask him when he goes. "may i just ask, are you okay?" he says-- ( emotional ) he says he's okay. like, hard, like i was worried about my brother. he'll be fine. give me a second. >> when you invade peaceful country, peaceful cities, you're not defending life, you're killing life. you're not defending humanity, you're destroying the things that are most human. >> schifrin: andriy zelenskyy is the greek catholic church's chief chaplain. he has seen more war than most soldiers. he spent three years on the front lines in eastern ukraine, where he blessed, and lost, dozens of friends in battle. >> when you have friends, when you have close people around
3:08 pm
you-- when they leave, they take a part of you with them. and when many of them begin to leave, so there appears certain void in you, a certain-- a certain-- certain emptiness. >> schifrin: above us, doves for soldiers killed since 2014. it's called the st. peter and paul garrison church. it celebrates the thousands of ukrainian soldiers who have died since russia's initial invasion. >> war is chaos. but the same time, it's also a dimension where human beings live. which means they have their dreams. there are examples where people get married in the battlefield. they have their hopes for the future. the mission of a military chaplain is to preserve humanity. and this is not an abstract thing. it's realized in our capacity to choose good, in our capacity to seek truth, and in our human capacity to contemplate beauty. a person who was accompanying me
3:09 pm
in one of the hottest parts of donbas in 2016, i baptized him years before, actually. we used to stop and to contemplate either the sunset or the sunrise. later on, he became a hero of ukine, and, sad, because he was killed last week. >> schifrin: in 2016, valeriy chybineyev won the order of the gold star, ukraine's highest military honor. he died last week, in the same battle for hostomel where captain fydra fought. this week, the church held funerals for five soldiers killed in the current invasion. and what do you say to the families of the soldiers who've been killed in the last two weeks? >> hope-- hope that everything was not in vain. that freedom and dignity are not mere words. these are cornerstones of our ukrainian destiny, i would say. >> schifrin: and do you think the scars that you were just
3:10 pm
describing will heal? >> the scars require time. nothing heals itself. my life is in my hands, and my country is there as well. so, our scars are in our hands as well. we can treat them. you can heal your scars, but you can heal the scars of your neighbor, and he can heal your scars. because only humanity can afford this gift of healing somebody else's wounds. >> reporter: father zelenskyy says his john is to lead heaven toward the soldiers and, to do that, he has to help them maintain their humanity as we heard him talking about in the chaos of war. but maintaining humanity also requires experiencing pain. the u.s. estimates two to 4,0000 ukrainian soldiers and national guardsmen have been killed in just two weeks of war and father zelenskyy says he expects to lose more friends and that the only way for ukraine to stay resilient, judy, is to maintain
3:11 pm
its humanity. >> woodruff: it just breaks your heart and you have to have enormous admiration for these individuals. nick, one other question, and that is, aside from the attacks the russians are now making, more attacks in kyiv and in the west, where else are they making progress right now? >> reporter: the progress is mostly in the south, judy, and the progress is expanding. let's take a look at mariupol that we've talked about so much, city officials said tonight more than 1,500 people have been killed there. but the shelling is so strong, they aren't able to actually get on to the streets and count how many dead. this is a city that for one week has had no food, no water and no power. city officials said today that "humanity has not yet invented a word for what russia is doing to us." over to the west mick live, the russians have been trying to
3:12 pm
ize that city for weeks. it is strategic because it is the last urban area russia needs to reach before they reach odesa. ukrainian forces pup ut a stiff resistance to the russian offensive for a couple of weeks. we have seen so much fear among ukrainians who are fleeing the russian fighting but also fearlessness including among the ukrainian soldiers defending the cities and the people who support them. >> woodruff: nick schifrin. thank you, nick, for day after day of extraordinary reporting in ukraine. thank you. and let's focus now on the international effort to pressure president vladimir putin by crippling russia's economy. even before the u.s. moved today to sever normal trade with russia, sanctions were far-reaching, and the ruble's value has plunged as a result. one new estimate suggested that the russian economy may fall so steeply this year, it will
3:13 pm
wipe out growth from the last two decades. and, each day, more companies and multinationals are walking away from doing business there-- more than 300 already. amna nawaz reports. >> nawaz: in a cabinet meeting yesterday, president vladimir putin said he backed a plan to seize the assets of western companies breaking ties with russia over its invasion of ukraine. >> ( translated ): we need to act decisively here, and in no cases, allow any damage to local suppliers, the russian suppliers of components and materials. it's necessary to introduce external management and then transfer these enterprises to those who want to work. >> nawaz: this week in moscow, shoppers lined up outside ikea, after news broke the company will temporarily halt operations in russia. >> ( translated ): we did not get what we planned, because nothing is left. >> nawaz: other major retailers, including nike, h&m, levi's, and adidas, have also paused sales. on tuesday, mcdonalds, which
3:14 pm
employs 62,000 people in russia, announced it would close 850 restaurants. >> there is going to be a little bit of a noticeable hit to mcdonald's bottom line. >> nawaz: paul musgrave is an assistant professor of political science at the university of massachusetts-amherst. >> international business accounts for more than half of mcdonald's corporate revenue. russia is a smaller part of that, but it is a real part of it. so there is a real hit. >> nawaz: starbucks and coca- cola also announced tuesday that business would be suspended. in a statement, the coca-cola company wrote, "our hearts are with the people who are enduring unconscionable effects from these tragic events in ukraine." two of the world's largest logistic companies, u.s.-based shipping giants fedex and ups, have halted delivery service. tech companies, too, are cutting ties. spotify closed its office in russia indefinitely. apple and microsoft ceased all sales, including game consoles and cell phones-- a move already felt by shoppers in moscow.
3:15 pm
>> ( translated ): i am so used to having my apple laptop, phone, ear buds, and watch. i enjoy that my gadgets can give me advice and tell me how i feel. if i lose it all, i will be very disappointed. >> nawaz: options for entertainment, too, are waning. netflix has suspended its streaming service in russia. warner brothers, sony pictures, and disney all have paused movie releases. and, as part of a larger move to isolate russia financially, visa, american express, and mastercard have all halted operations. for a cler look on all of this, i'm joined by jeffrey sonnenfeld of the yale school of management. he keeps a public list of these companies, and has been speaking with some of the companies about the decision to withdraw from russia. jeffrey sonnenfeld, welcome to the newshour. so, that list of companies keeps growing by the day-- over 300 so far, i believe.
3:16 pm
how big of an impact is it already having or could it have on the ground in russia? >> thank you very much. yes, it's having an enormous impact already. is that these voluntary business blockades, matched with governmental sanctions on certain key industries, finance and transportation, have worked to help slow up this economy, if not, bring it to a complete standstill. already, we're seeing inflation approaching 30%. we're seeing the russian ruble has plunged in value by 80% or so. it's unheard of. we saw this happen with south africa. we had this-- a great cooperation between business and government. although then, like now, there are no government officials encouraging this, or asking for it or pleading for it. there are no mandates. it's voluntary. but bishop desmond tutu, great civil rights leader in south africa, had told me back at that time, in the late 1980s, when
3:17 pm
business leaders did it then, how important it was that we bring this economy to a standstill, to freeze civil society the way-- the way gandhi did in india, the way the protesters did in romania and bring down nicolae ceausescu or reconnaitre in east germany. it shows that a tyrant is not an effective totalitarian across all sectors. and that way, rather than through bloody warfare to take down a despot, you can hopefully do it this way. >> nawaz: what about this new threat of nationalization from the russian regime? how does this change the landscape, or-- or change the calculus for companies? >> well, it's got companies really confused because they don't know if those who stayed are somehow going to be immune from these threats, or if putin's going to just try to expropriate all western companies. but it's going to paralyze russia even further, because you have places like, i don't know, mcdonalds or i.b.m., who've shuttered their operations, who are still paying their workforces and still wanted to maintain good relations with the russian citizenry. and that's-- that's what had the consumer products firms reluctant to move at all.
3:18 pm
they thought in this, they would-- many of them were symbols of liberation and freedom like levi's and starbucks, mcdonald's, pepsico and coke, that that people in russia in 1990 onward thought, well, these were a link to they were from the east and the west and pulling us together in a world of harmony. that world, sadly, is gone. but we don't know what the ripple effect is going to be of these expropriation threats. but it could make-- it will probably make them even just more of a pariah. even china, despite equivocating public statements, has refused to send credit in to-- to any of these-- any of these establishments in russia. >> nawaz: you know, we have seen companies take a stand like this before. you've been involved in these when it comes to voting rights or to gun control. but the scope of the companies involved, the mix of the companies, as you mentioned, is really something different here. why was it so different this time around? what made the difference? >> the scope and speed is remarkable. you can see in all the national surveys that 75%, 80% of the american public want these companies to do this and want us alto do more, that there's-- there's no gray area.
3:19 pm
a lot of times, business leaders are not just problem solvers, but they're always looking for that third solution, that-- a middle ground, that they're somehow-- we have issues that are black and white. we're going to wrestle with the gray. there's no middle ground here. you have a vicious villain and you have these innocent victims. and that sort of upsets the mindset of a lot of business leaders to get there, but they're getting there quickly. >> nawaz: there are some who argue that this is beyond the scope of corporate duty, right? that this is beyond just a business primary interest. so when you're telling anyone who's reluctant or hesitant why they should join this list, what do you say? >> i say that this is a critical issue. it's a top priority. sure, there's a whole host of humanitarian and social justice and human rights issues that cover the world. and, can we address them all? that slippery slope argument is the cowardly excuse for inaction used in any-- any action, any moral crusade. bombing children's hospitals is an exception. mowing down refugees, fleeing
3:20 pm
the supposedly in the midst of a cease-fire, being machine gunned down, innocent civilians unarmed. that's different than all these other causes. and then is this part of the strategic context of business? yes, it is! every bit as much as the technology sphere, the marketing sphere, the financial sphere. the geopolitical sphere is part of the strategic context of business. when i hear some critics, ideological critics, telling c.e.o.s to stay in their lane, you wonder, what lane are they talking about? the breakdown lane? of course, this is part of what a c.e.o. has to focus on. in the 1840s, de tocqueville visited this country, the great political scientist. he said, what makes this country different isn't just the legal system, it's the foundation of public trust, which he called social capital. he coined that term way back then, it's as important as financial capital. and that's what we have here, the fortification of social capital. we have believe our systems work. it's a safe and fair for the free markets to work. so of course it's in the interest of business. there are corporate reputations and-- and of course, the-- the trust in our systems. >> nawaz: that is jeffrey sonnenfeld of the yale school of management joining us tonight. thank you so much for your time. >> thank you.
3:21 pm
>> woodruff: f more now on how the situation in ukraine is being seen in russia, and the price exacted by western sanctions and other economic moves, we turn again to special correspondent ryan chilcote, who is in moscow. so, ryan, hello. we are hearing that vladimir putin looking at sending more troops into ukraine. what do you know about that? >> so the context of that is that the russian president was having a video conference with several officials including russia's defense minister, who told vladimir putin that about 16,000 volunteers from the middle east would like to go to ukraine, and said that it would be a good idea for russia to allow them to do that. vladimir putin responded by saying, look, we have all of these mercenaries from around the world pouring into ukraine to fight on the other side with
3:22 pm
the support of, as he put it, the kyiv regime's western sponsors, and that they're doing that openly. so we should effectively facilitate these volunteers' desire to go to ukraine. now, presumably, we're talking about volunteers from syria that wasn't included in his comments but, remember, that russia helped the regime in syria in 2015. now, analysts will tell you two things -- vladimir putin here clearly keep together this principal he has of an eye for an eye so if the west is going to do it, we will do it as well, sending in the vlunteers, especially, as he put it, they won't be paid. some will argue this is really reciprocal. the second thing analysts would say when they heard that from the russian president is that this is vladimir putin indicating to everyone that he has no intention of backing down in ukraine.
3:23 pm
judy. >> woodruff: and, ryan, it is also the case that putin seemed to be saying that there's been some positive movement in negotiations with ukraine. what is he supposedly referring to? >> reporter: yeah, that's not entirely clear. we heard from ukraine's top diplomat earlier in the day saying there had been zero progress. russia has three stated demands in ukraine and that are ukraine demilitarize, that ukraine recognize the territory that russia either recognizes or controls, the final pledge or demand that the russians are making, i should say, is that ukraine agree to be a neutral state. well, ukraine has indicated that they would look at some kind of pledge where they would say that they would not join n.a.t.o. but, again, they are not prepared to cede any territory
3:24 pm
at this point, judy. >> woodruff: then, ryan, the other development here in the united states, president biden announcing new sanctions on russian diamonds, russian vodka, and seafood. he also announced that the g-7 countries are going to be revoking russia's most favored nation trading status. how is all that being received in moscow? >> well, look, the russian view is that u.s. trade is much smaller than european trade, so i think, you know, if the ga-7 follows suit that would be a bigger issue. we heard the e.u. is prepared to move tomorrow when it comes to the most preferred trading state. russia said about a third of their exports to the e.u. to about 5% to the united states. so that's something clearly we will have to watch. >> woodruff: a lot of moving
3:25 pm
parts. ryan chilcote joining us on a very cold night in moscow. thank you, ryan. >> woodruff: in the day's other news, the world marked two years since covid-19 was officially declared a pandemic. since then, there have been more than six million deaths worldwide, including 965,000 in the u.s. but a new study in the medical journal "the lancet" estimates the real figure may be closer to 18 million deaths across the globe-- that's three times the official count. lately, cases and deaths have fallen in most countries. but germany's infection rate has risen for nine straight days, prompting a new warning today. >> ( tranated ): objectively, the situation is much worse than the mood. the mood among the population,
3:26 pm
including in parts of the political landscape, is such that we have already overcome the pandemic. this is simply based on a misjudgment. >> woodruff: german officials say some of the increase comes from a more contagious versi of the omicron varnt, known as b.a.-2. the texas supreme court today rejected a challenge to the nation's toughest abortion law. it bans the procedure after six weeks of pregnancy, and lets private citizens sue those assisting in an abortion. the court saidhat state officials don't enforce the law, so they can't be sued by abortion providers. opponents of the law already lost at the u.s. supreme court. arrests of migrants inside the u.s. have fallen sharply in the past year. u.s. immigration and customs enforcement reported today there were 74,000 arrests in 2021. that reflected the biden administration's focus on migrants who commit serious crimes. deportations reached a historic
3:27 pm
low, at 59,000-- that's down 70% from the previous year. tensions rose today between india and pakistan, after new delhi confirmed it accidentally fired a missile into pakistan. indian officials blamed a technical malfunction. pakistan's military said no one was hurt, but officials complained that the unarmed missile crossed commercial air space between sirsa, in india, and eastern pakistan. >> the incident could have resulted in a major aviation disaster, as well as civilia casualties on ground. pakistan strongly protests this flagrant violation, and cautions against recurrence of any such incident. >> woodruff: the two nuclear- armed nations have fought four conventional wars since 1947. negotiators trying to restore the 15 iran nuclear deal have stepped back, despite signs they're close to an agreement.
3:28 pm
the european union called a pause today, with no timetable for resuming. it followed russian demands that sanctions over the war in ukraine not affect its trade with iran. the u.s. said tehran and moscow need to make some key decisions. in chile, the leftist gabriel boric took office today, as president, pledging to attack poverty and inequality. he was sworn in before the chilean congress as the nation's youngest leader ever-- just 36 years old. earlier, he reflected on the job ahead. >> ( translated ): i'm very excited at this time, with a great sense of responsibility, of the duty that we have before the chilean people. know that we are going to do our best, the best of us, to rise to the challenges we face as a country. >> woodruff: boric's election came in the wake of mass protests over economic conditions. china set a goal today of creating 13 million new jobs
3:29 pm
this year, to reverse an economic slowdown. the premier promised $400 billion in reduced taxes and fees for businesses. the chinese economy is struggling against high debt, high energy costs, and recurring covid outbreaks. back in this country, a texas grand jury declined to indict houston texans quarterback deshaun watson over allegations of sexual harassment and sexual assault. 22 women filed lawsuits accusing watson of exposing himself, rcibly kissing them, and other acts. eight of them filed criminal complaints. watson has denied the accusations. congress has renewed a landmark 1990s law protecting victims of domestic and sexual violence. it's part of a $1.5 trillion government funding bill that won final passage last night. the violence against women act had lapsed in 2019, in a dispute over denying guns to
3:30 pm
men convicted of misdemeanor stalking. and on wall street, worries about ukraine and inflation kept stoc off-balance. the dow jones industrial average lost 230 points to close at 32,944. the nasdaq fell 286 points. the s&p 500 slipped 55. for the week, the dow lost 2%. the nasdaq fell 3.5%. the s&p 500 dropped almost 3%. still to come on the newshour: a songwriter and former youth poet laureate gives her "brief but spectacular" take on honoring her lineage. plus, much more. >> woodruff: as the united states and european allies work in tandem to put the
3:31 pm
economic squeeze on russia, many americans are also feeling the squeeze on their wallets, as gas prices hit record highs. and, in florida, governor ron desantis and the republican- controlled legislature are enacting a slew of new laws that could be a roadmap for the g.o.p. this midterm election year. to help explain another busy week, we turn to the analysis of capehart and abernathy. that is jonathan capehart, and gary abernathy, both columnists for the "washington post." david brooks is away. hello to both of you on this friday night. we are goingo start again, jonathan, with ukraine, that terrible war grinds on, more and more casualties. the united states has been pushing back. president biden today announcing more moves against russia, including revoking favored trade status that russia had. is this seen as something that's a big deal?
3:32 pm
>> it is an extremely big deal, judy. what we have seen over the last 16 days, since president putin invaded ukraine, is a western alliance taking actions unlike any we've seen before, and doing so in a united fashion. today, stripping most favored trading status from maybe not the most economically powerful nation on the planet, but certainly a nation that has nukes, with whom the united states and the west has tried to carry on a peaceful relationship. this is all part of an effort, a valiant effort to strangle russia, to hold putin accountable for what he's doing in ukraine, to try to bring him to heel and to at least at a minimum get to the negotiating table, take the off-ramp that the west would love to talk to him about so that hostilities
3:33 pm
can cease. but what we've seen over the last 16 days is that putin doesn't seem to be terribly interested, but it is important and it is vital in this battle between democracy and autocracy that the democracies of the world unit to try to put an end to this, to try to convince putin to put an end to this. >> woodruff: gary abernathy, how big a step do you see this? we're watching these terrible ju sickening pictures every day of what's going on, and we watch economic sanctions. >> yeah. well, the economic sanctions are important. it's good to be unified about them. it's really the most that anyone has a stomach, frankly, for doing right now in response to this outside of ukraine. in ukraine, those people are amazing, the leadership and the citizens. you know, that's what's tough is fighting a war. i always push back a little bit when i read about tough sanctions or harsh sanctions
3:34 pm
when they're in response to actual war. putin is rolling through ukraine, killing and maiming, and that's tough when you're the victim of that. what we're doing with sanctions is important, but it's important to remember that, you know, it's still a tepid response in response to actual war. you know, judy, i think that it's so tough to think about the fact that here's ukraine wants to be in n.a.t.o. but they can't be in n.a.t.o. and, let's be honest, part of the reason we don't allow them into n.a.t.o. is because that would trigger our responsibility to come in and fight this war and we're not ready to do that. the other thing this brings home is the importance of fossil fuels. in the america and u.s. we're conflicted on the subject because of climate change and so on, but, yet, here we come to learwe've had this -- it's a wakeup call that, you know, gas
3:35 pm
and oil, particularly, are such important factors that, if the u.s. pulls back on that, rust becomes more important, as time goes on, in the future because of supplying the world. the world needs supplied with energy and, if we pull back in our ability to supply it, someone else fills that void. >> woodruff: well, let mask you about that, jonathan. as we know, president biden this week announced the u.s. will no longer buy russian oil. u.s. only buys a small percentage, but some would argue a significant sep. but we're also watching, at the same time, the price of gasoline go up even higher than it was. president biden today again said these gas prices are going up because of vladimir putin. republicans, in turn, are saying, no, prices have been going up because of president biden. what do the american people believe about who's responsible?
3:36 pm
>> well, the american people are always going to blame the president of the united states when gas prices go up, when prices go up. so it makes sense that republicans would pounce on president biden and try to make him the reason, to put the blame on him for what's happening. president biden is trying to put the blame on president putin. i can't remember the turn of phrase he used, the putin gas hike or pump hike or something like that. but, look, last week, judy, when we were talking about this, i believe there was a "pbs newshour" poll that showed that the american people were willing and happy at that moment to pay higher gas prices if it meant that that was their part to play in holding putin accountable or at least trying to hold putin accountable for the war he is waging on ukraine. and i think that that is the right position to be in. i mean, we are sitting here in the comforts of our own home, we
3:37 pm
don't have bombs raining down on us, we don't have an invading army rolling through our streets or trying to take over our country, and i think what people were saying in that poll, and i think that still holds, is that, you know what? higher gas prices is a small sacrifice to make compared to what the brave ukrainians are going through. where the rubber meets the road in terms of this belief is, when we hit memorial day weekend, when we hit the official start of summer, and when, with masks coming off and the omicron is, you know, receding in the background and people get back to their everyday pre-pandemic, normal lives, when they start really getting hit with the high gas prices, will they still feel the same way about the sacrifice that they say they're willing to take now? will they still feel the same way around memorial day? don't know. judy, i just say personally, i
3:38 pm
am more than happy to pay higher gas prices, to pay more at the stores if it means that, one, if it's because to have the actions take -- if it's because of the actions taken by the united states and by its allies to hold putin accountable, if that is the part i can play in this, i am more than happy to play that part. and i think a lot of americans feel the same way. >> woodruff: what about that, gary abernathy? i'm reminded the president called it putin's price hike. >> putin's price hike. the world is supposed to be chanting putin's price hike, putin's price hike. i agree with jonathan, and i think most americans are, and i am willing to, too, to pay a higher price to punish russia and hopefully choke off his economic lifeline. we'd all love for sanctions to actually work and for him to turn around and say, well, i -- but i d i don't think putin faid
3:39 pm
to anticipate this level of sanction. i think he knew anything short of boots on the ground from n.a.t.o. he anticipated and he's ready to continue going forward with his conquest of ukraine, sadly. but i think the american people understand that the gas prices are going to be, in part, a response to what we're trying to do to russia, but they also realize gas prices were skyrocketing before this. i think last november, they became higher than at any point since 2014. so the american people will say, well, part of this is the russian response that we're doing and part of this is inflationary that was already happening in the first place. >> woodruff: only a little bit of time left, but i do want to ask you both about what's been going on in florida, jonathan, and that is governor ron desantis has been pushing for this, republican-controlled legislature has now given him a raft of conservative measures from what they call the don't
3:40 pm
say gay act, the stop woke act -- having to do with talking about race in school -- 15-week abortion bill. it's a conservative template, and i guess the question is does this look like the republican play book for the future nationally? >> yes, because it's playing out nationally as we speak, judy. when governor reynolds of iowa gave the response to president biden's state of the union address, she said, among others things, republican governors and legislators are showing what conservative leadership looks like and, quite honestly, it looks hideous. it is horrendous. the don't say gay bill is going to hurt lgbtq kids and their families. the stop woke act, all to potect from discomfort and anguish white kids from learning about the true history of our country, when no one worries about the black kids in those classrooms who are learning a
3:41 pm
false or woefully inadequate history of this country, and what makes what's happening in florida look like child's play is what they're doing here in austin, what they did in texas, where the governor got gender-affirming care considered child abuse and is now investigating parents who are trying to provide gender-affirming care for their trans kids. and in idaho, judy, they're going one extra step and now following the texas anti-abortion template, making it a felony for parents to provide -- try to find gender confirming care for their children outside idaho. and in missouri, this is not lgbtq, but this is about abortion. again, using the texas template to say that you can't get an abortion after a certain amount of time, but then making it a
3:42 pm
felony for someone to try to get those services that it can't get in missouri, making it a felony if they go out of state to do so. this is the template that governor desantis is following, that republican governors are following, and it's one that really they talk a lot about freedom and choice and things like that for, you know, their constituents, but, quite honestly, if their constituents aren't white, male, cisgender, heterosexual, seems like they have no room for anyone like that in their states. >> woodruff: about 45 seconds left, gary. is this the republican plan, a message for this election year? >> it's certainly a part of it. these bills are absolutely political in nature. half the bills that get passed are political in nature, designed to appeal to one group or the other, this definitely is that.
3:43 pm
and it's probably, you know, kindergarten through third dprairdz are probably not -- third graders are probably not having discussions in the classroom or talked to about gender identity or anything like that anyway, but the critics have to be careful not to push back too hard to make it seem like they think the kindergarteners and third graders should be discussing these issues, when most people should be discussing the four rs, reading, write, arithmetic and recess. >> woodruff: it is a huge subject. we will be coming back to it. we thank you, gary abernathy, jonathan capehart. thank you. >> thanks, judy. you. >> woodruff: and we'll be back shortly, to hear from a former national youth poet laureate. but first, take a moment to hear from your local pbs station. it's a chance to offer your
3:44 pm
support, which helps keep programs like ours on the air. >> woodruff: for those stations staying with us-- miles o'brien looks at efforts to tackle deadly diseases that are spread by mosquitoes. this encore story begins in the florida keys, where scientists are testing a way to kill mosquitoes, with mosquitoes. >> reporter: bud conlin won't set foot in his key largo garden without spraying on mosquito repellant. in june of 2020, he got sick, with flu-like symptoms. >> you can't move. you are so sore. everything aches, including your bones. >> reporter: of course he feared it was covid, but it turns out, he had dengue fever-- a tropical, viral illness so
3:45 pm
painful, it is commonly called the "bone crusher." >> unfortunately, there's not a whole lot you can do about it. it is time-limited, and you can weather it out. certainly made me confront my mortality. ( laughs ) >> reporter: he was among about 70 neighbors infected with dengue. the virus has been steadily spreading in the florida keys for the past ten years, and now is starting to spike. the culprit is one of the most lethal animals on the planet, a mosquito called aedes aegypti. aside from dengue, it is a vector for zika, chikungunya, and yellow fever. >> so, as long as we have these mosquitoes in enough numbers for these transmission to occur, that's when we're going to continue seeing these outbreaks. >> reporter: andrea leal is executive directorf the florida keys mosquito control district. >> we're talking about a mosquito species that, here in the keys, represents about
3:46 pm
4% of our mosquito collection, so a very small percent of our population. and it's responsible for 100% of our mosquito-borne diseases. >> reporter: a fleet of helicopters routinely spreads a bacteria called b.t.i., which kills mosquito larvae, as well as liquid pesticides that target adults. and, on the ground, 35 foot soldiers march door-to-door, on patrol for standing water, where the mosquitoes hatch. this ceramics dealer in key largo is a frequent stop for mosquito control field inspector ryan rodriguez. >> this is a prime area for them. you got water, you got shade, and it's so damp and humid right now that this is like their-- their good stuff. this is where they like to be. >> reporter: he adds b.t.i. larvicide to standing water... >> i just drop one in there. >> reporter: ...that is home to aegypti larvae. >> standing water is potentially a breeding spot for aegypti. so, no mter what it is-- it can be in a bottle cap, even--
3:47 pm
you look in there. >> reporter: they estimate they have reduced the aedes aegypti population by 50%-- but that is not nearly enough. >> if we can introduce another tool that, you know, is cost- effective and works very well, then that's something that we're really hoping that this trial will show. >> reporter: the trial. after a decade of tribulation, it is finally underway here. >> this is our release box. this is where we have our eggs and some of the food. >> reporter: entomologist rajeev vaidyanathan is director of u.s. programs for oxitec, a company that produces genetically-modified male mosquitoes with a gene lethal to females, which do all the biting. >> the male mosquitoes mate with the female mosquitoes, and when those females lay eggs, all of their males will live and their female progeny will die.
3:48 pm
>> reporter: oxitec mosquitoes first flew in the field in brazil and the cayman islands in 2010. the company claims dramatic biochemist nathan rose heads regulatory affairs at oxitec. >> we've seen in brazil a 90% reduction in disease in the areas where we released our mosquitoes, against approximately a 50% reduction in other parts of the city, where other control measures were potentially being used. >> reporter: researchers the world over are watching the high-stakes oxitec field trials very closely. >> what are we looking at in the bucket today? >> reporter: cate hill is a professor of entomology at purdue university. climate change, population growth, and travel patterns have put about half the world's population in harm's way of mosquito-borne diseases. >> human-vector contact is increasing. the chance or risk of acquiring an infectious bite from the mosquito is also increasing. and, we are-- unfortunately, we have a very limited set of tools
3:49 pm
to control mosquitoes and the diseases that they transmit. >> reporter: oxitec's trial run here is modest. they are releasing their modified mosquitoes at six locations, mostly to track their flight patterns. a second gene is added to them that makes them fluorescent, so they can be spotted under a microscope. the team uses boxes that emit the odor of stinky feet, an aedes aegypti favorite, as a way of running a real-time mosquito census. michael boehmler is a research biologist for the florida keys mosquito control district. >> we try to get an idea of how much aedes aegypti are breeding in a particular area. >> reporter: look at those tiny little things. >> so those are fresh-born, maybe a day old. >> reporter: and a mama ca produce how many, in one set of eggs? >> 100 to 300. for every female that we kill, we potentially can knock out 42,000. >> reporter: one female equates to 42,000 mosquitoes?
3:50 pm
>> it can. >> reporter: is that how you-- how you do the math? >> it can, yeah. >> reporter: wow. that's the appeal of the oxitec approach. and while a majority of people here support deploying g.m.o.'s for this purpose, the idea has its skeptics. even bud conlin. >> it would be a great alternative to spraying. you know, so often, when we mess with mother nature, there can be unintended consequences. but i guess i would say i lean in favor of that, other than-- rather than spraying a lot of chemicals and having people getting dengue. >> reporter: if all goes well here, oxitec will seek e.p.a. approval for nationwide use, hoping its randy boys with the killer genes can stem this growing threat to human health. for the pbs newshour, i'm miles o'brien in marathon, florida.
3:51 pm
>> woodruff:ara jackson is known for being the 2019-2020 national youth poet laureate from oak park, illinois, but her art is not limited to one medium or one place. she writes poems, but also essays, and music, that explore her family history, her southern roots, and how the legacy of racism continues to impact her and her communities. tonight, she shares her "brief but spectacular" take on what shapes her art. >> when i was a teenager, making work and having the audacity to call myself a poet, or call myself an artist, in any way-- that troubled people. when i saw older people trying to gate-keep, or try to, you know, humble me or whatever, i just kind of saw that as an invitation. >> gwendolyn brooks is one of the integral poets who inspired me to write poetry.
3:52 pm
gwendolyn brooks is a champion of writing what's under your nose. and so, that is the kind of ethic and the kind of practice that i apply in my own work. i think the south is just important to my work because that's where i'm from. like, i can't really explain myself without explaining my dad. my dad was born and raised in dawson, georgia. it's my favorite place on this earth. it's about the size of, like, any given pebble. i think that dawson, georgia really represents the ways in which culture usually happens in, like, the smallest corners of our country, and, like, of this earth, and it frightens me and troubles me, the ways in which we, as a country, feels so comfortable discarding that space. i mean, black people are there, and that's why it's so important to me that people understand that the south isn't disposable, because my people aren't
3:53 pm
disposable. that speaks to a larger aspect of lineage in my work. i can't really do anything without thinking about where i am in this place, and how also i wouldn't be where i am in this place without the people who came before me. so, i'm constantly thinking about the ways in which i honor my lineages, but also the ways in which i deviate from those lineages. i think that every black person, every black artist, should be given the space to talk about whatever they want, and to articulate themselves in a way that feels natural. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ray are you okay? ♪
3:54 pm
♪ ray are you okay? ♪ my name is kara jackson, and this is my "brief but spectacular" take on writing what's under my nose. >> woodruff: and we tahnk you. and you can watch all our "brief but spectacular" videos online, at www.pbs.org/newshour/brief. a texas judge has blocked the state from investigating gender confirming care for transgender youth as child abuse. and that is the "newshour" for tonight. and that is the newshour for tonight. i'm judy woodruff. join us online, and again here on monday evening. for all of us at the pbs newshour, thank you, please stay
3:55 pm
safe, and have a good weekend. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> the landscape has chang, and not for the last time. the rules of business are being reinvented, with a more flexible workforce, by embracing innovation, by looking not only at current opportunities, but ahead to future ones. resilience is the ability to pivot again and again, for whatever happens next. >> people who know, know b.d.o. >> fidelity wealth management. >> consumer cellular. >> bnsf railway. >> the william and flora hewlett foundation. for more than 50 years, advancing ideas and supporting institutions to promote a better world. at www.hewlett.org. >> supporting social entrepreneurs and their solutions to the world's most pressing problems--
3:56 pm
skollfoundation.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. captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org to amanpour and.
3:57 pm
3:58 pm
3:59 pm
4:00 pm
here is what's coming up. >> the united states and poland are united in what we have done and are prepared to do to help ukraine. >> amid u.s. warnings, russia could resort to chemical we weapons, poland a frontline nao state, is pushing for tougher action, and the poland emb ambassador to washington joins us. then -- cakyiv prepares for an attack as russia continues to shell civians and hospitals. the former commander of the american army in europe explains the latest military moves. also ahead -- >> where everything is