stephanie: good evening. unanimous judy woodruff. th invasion intensifies. russian forces widen their offensive into western ukraine as they connue to inflict deadly strikes in other parts o the country. turning residential areas into ruins. >> invade peaceful cities. and you're killing life. you're not defending humanity. you're destroying things that are most human. >> 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 capeart and gary

abernathy analyze the domestic effects of russia's assault on ukraine and florida's restrictive new laws regarding race and sexual orientation. that you will and more on tonight's pbs "newshour." announcer: major funding for the pbs "newshour" has been provided by -- ♪ >> moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf. the engine in a connects us.

announcer: consumer cellular. b.d.o. accountants and advisors. >> john s. and james l. knight foundation. fostering informed and engaged communities. more at kf.org. announcer: 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. judy: russian forces today attacked western ukraine for the first time. launching strikes on airfields

and thus widening the 2 1/2-week war. russia also hit a major industrial city in the east nipro as it continued its brutal military campaign. also today 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 triches op russian -- tariffs on russian exports. and the large russian military convoy near kyiv had disperse as the russians made incremental advances on the city. but we again begin our coverage tonight from the western city of laviv with our foreign afarce correspondent nick schiff rip. -- nick shiffrin. >> 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 nipro. >> eh only one observation here. this is a continuation of fighting by terrorist methods. >> 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 east, in calfive the russians targeted a hospital more than positive have been -- 30 have been attacked. 5,000 miles away, rusa'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. >> those violations include indiscriminate shelling of residential buildings. today outside kyiv.

the russian military claimed in new video troops outside the capital where advancing satellite images show the 40 mile convoy that sat north of the capital dispersed to prevent ukrainian attacks a senior u.s. defense official said russian soldiers made additional advancements toward kyiv from the northwest and east. the battle for kyiv is continues tying. soldiers in the suburb are pinned down by a russian mirage. they make a run for it before opening up. ukrainian sold remembers 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. >> we will kill all from mariupol and we'll multiply them by zero. jan, a captain in the ukrainian army and killed in the battle for hostomel and filmed the

aftermath. >> i did have to make good the russians they lost the whole company. >> why do you you had that success? >> more motivated than them. they were thinking just like going -- business trip to ukraine. >> those woods in front of us, they shouldn't -- advanced from there. >> we met lieutenant fidra in 2016 when he was deployed to the front line in eastern ukraine faced off against russians -- russian backed separatists. >> the war between ukraine and russia. it's my country. i'm defending my country. >> you were proud that you had trained with american and nato techniques, do you think that that has made a difference? >> it's modern warfare not like soviet tactics. to my brothers, and right now -- >> what's that mean? >> my brothers, and we'll win. my real brother right now, he

said -- >> where is he? >> somewhere around kyiv. he's in the group -- and he's ok. he says he's ok. and like my brother. he'll be fine. >> 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. >> the greek catholic church's chief chaplain, he's seen more war th most soldiers. he spent three years on the front lines in eastern ukraine where he blessed and lost dozens of friends in battle. >> we have friends. we have close people around you.

when they leave, they take a part of you with them. and when many of them begin to leave, so a certain void in you, a certain emptiness. >> 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. it's also a dimension where human beings live which means they have their dreams and examples when people get married on the battlefield and they have their hopes for the future. the mission is to preserve humanity. and this is not an abstract thing. it's real -- in our capacity to choose good. in our capacity to seek truth and now -- in our hugh capacity to contemplate beauty. a person who was accompanying me

in one of the hottest spots in 2016, actually, i baptized him years before. we used to -- to stop and to contemplate either the sunset or the sunrise, and later on he became a hero of ukraine. and sad because he was killed last week. >> in 2016vareria won the order of the gold star the highest military honor and died laugh week in the same battle for hostamel where captain fidra fought. funerals for a five soldiers killed in the current invasion. what do you say to the families of the soldiers who have been killed in the last two weeks? >> hope that everything was not in vain. the freedom andignity are not mere words. and ukrainian destiny. >> and do you think the scars that you were just 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 in our hand as well and we can treat them and you can heal your scars but 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. >> father zelensky said his job to lean heaven toward the soldiers and has to help them maintain their humanity in the chaos of war as he was talking about. in maintaining humanity also requires experiencing pain. the u.s. estimates 2,000 to 4,000 ukrainian soldiers and national guardsmen have been killed in jus two weeks of war. and father zelensky says he expects to lose more friends and that the only way forkraine to stay resilient, judy, is to maintain its humanity. judy: oh, 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 in -- more attacks in kyiv, and in the west, where else are they making progress right now? >> the progress is mostly in the south, judy. and the progress is expanding. and let's take a look at mariupol that we've talked about so much. city officials tonight said more than 1,500 people have been killed there. but the shelling is so strong they don't actually are able to get onto the streets and actually count how many dead. and remember, this is a city that for one week has had no food, no water, and no power. a city official said today that, quote, humanity has not yet invented a word for what russia is doing to us. over to the west, in a strategic port city, tonight the russian forces opened fire after a few days of quiet. they've been trying to seize that city for weeks.

it's strategic because it is last urban area that russia needs to seize before they can reach odessa but a -- ukrainian forces have put up stiff resistance and have held that russian offensive on the city off for a couple of weeks. and judy, for two weeks now, we have seen of course so much fear among ukrainians who are fleeing the russian fighting. but we've also seen fearlessness, including among the ukrainian soldiers defending these cities and the people who support them. judy: nick shiffrin, and we have to thank you, nick, for day after day of extraordinary reporting in ukraine. thank you. and let's focus now on the international efft to pressure 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 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. reporter: in the 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. >> we need to act decisively here and in no case allow any damage to local suppliers. the russian suppliers are components and materials it's necessary to introduce external management and then transfer these enterprises to those who want to work. reporter: in moscow, shoppers lined up outside ikea after news broke the company will temporarily halt operations in russia: >> we didn't get what we planned because nothing is left. reporter: other major retailers including nike, h&m, levi's and adidas have all paused sales. on tuesday, mcdonald's which 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. reporter: paul musgrave is an sinnett 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. reporter: starbucks and coca-cola also announced tuesday that business would be suspended. in a statement, the coca-cola company wrote, quote, our hearts are with the people who are doing -- effects from these tragic events in ukraine. two of the word's largest logistics companies, u.s.-based shipping giants fedex and u.p.s. have halted delivery service. tech companies, too, are cutting ties. spotify closed its office in russ indefinitely. apple and microsoft ceased all sales including game consoles and cell phones. a move already felt by shoppers in moscow.

>> 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. judy: options for entertainment are waning. netflix suspended the streaming service in russia, warner brothers, sony pictures and disney have all paused movie releases. >> it's a lot. reporter: as part of a larger move to isolate russia financially these american express -- visa, american express and mastercard have all halted operations. for a closer look i'm joined by jeffrey sonnen field of the yale school of management and keeps a public list of these companies and has been speaking with some of the companies about the decisions to withdraw from russia. welcome to the "newshour." thanks for making the time. so that list keeps growing, right? of companies breaking operations and suspending operations, you and your team are keeping track. over 300 so far, i believe. but tell me how big of an impact

is all of this having or could all this 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, he worked to help slow this economy if not bring it to a complete stand still. already we're seeing inflation approaching 30%. we're seeing the russian ruble has plunged to a value of 80% or so and unheard of. we saw this happen with south africa when we had this great cooperation between business and government. although then like now, there are no government officials encouraging this or asking for it or pleading for t there are no mandates. it's voluntary. but bishop desmond tutu, the great civil rights leader in south africa, had told me back in that day in the late 1980's when business leaders did it then how important it was that we bring this economy to a standstill, to freeze civil

society the way gandhi did in india, the way the protesters did in romania to bring down nikolai ceausescu or erich honecker and a tyrant is not an fetch totalitarian across all sectors. that way rather than through bloody warfare to take down a despot, you can hopefully do it this way. >> what about this new threat of nationalization from the russian regime? how does this change the landscape for -- or the calculus for companies? >> well, it's -- companies confused because they don't know if those who stayed are going to be immune from these threats or if putin is going to try to expropriate all western companies. but it's going to paralyze russia even further. because you have places like i don't know, mcdonald's or i.b.m. who shuttered their operations who are still paying their workforces and still want to maintain good relations with the russian citizenry. and that's what had the consumer products from reluctant to move at all. they thought in this -- they would -- many of them were symbols of liberation and

freedom, levi's and starbucks and mcdonald's and pepsico, and coke, that people in russia, in 1990 on ward thought these were linked from the east and the west and pulling us together and 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 pa ryea and even china despite equivocating public statements has refused to send credit in to any of these establishments in russia. >> we have seen companies take stand like this before. and you have been involved in these when it comes to voting rights or to gun control. but the scope of the companies involved and 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 all the national surveys that 75%, 80% of the american public want these companies to do this and want us all to do more that there's no gray area, 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 somehow we have issues that are black and white and we'll wrestle with the gray and there's no middle ground here. you have a vicious villain and you have these innocent victims. and that's sort of the -- upsets the mindset of a lot of business leaders to get there. but they're getting there quickly. >> there are some 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 is reluctant or hesitant why they should join this list, what do you say? >> i say that this is a critical issue. a top priority. sure, there's a whole host of humanitarian and social justice and hugh rights issues that cover the world and can we address them all? that -- that slippery slope argument is the cowardly excuse for inaction used in any action. and any moral crusade. the bombing of children's hospitals is an exception, mowing down refugees fleeing supposedly in the midst of a cease-fire being machine gunned down, innocent civilians unarmed, that is 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 -- the marketing spear and -- sphere and 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 1840's de tocqueville visited the great political scientist what makes this country different isn't the legal system but the foundation of public trust which he called social capital. he coined that term. way back then as important as financial capital. and that's what we have here. the fortification of social capital. we have to believe our systems work. and save and fair for the free markets to work. so he's in -- in the interests of business and corporate reputations and the trust in our systems. >> that is jeffrey sonnen feld of the yale school of management joining us tonight. thank you so much for your time. >> thank you.

judy: for 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 chill coat who is -- chillicothe who is in moscow. ryan, hello. we are hearing that vladimir putin looking at sending more troops into ukraine. what do you know about that? ryan: so the context of that is that the russian president was having a videoconference with several officials including russia's defense minister, sergei choyguv, told vladimir putin 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 b saying look, we have all of these mercenaries from arou the world pouring into ukraine to fight on the other side with the support of as he put it the

kyiv regime's western sponsors. and in a they're doing that openly. so we should effectively facility -- facilitate the 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 keeping to this principle that he has of an eye for an eye. if the west is doing this then we're going to do it as well. send in these volunteers as he put it, especially because as he put it they won't be paid. although you could argue or some would argue that this is really reciprocal a the second thing analysts would say when they hear -- 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.

judy? judy: 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? ryan: yeah. you know, that's not entirely clear. we heard from ukraine's top diplomat earlier in the day saying that there had been zero progress. look, russia has three stated demands in ukraine. and they are that 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 agrees 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 nato. but again, they are not prepared to crede any territory at this

point. judy? judy: ryan, the other development here in the united states, president biden announcing a 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 if the g-8 follows suit that would be a much bigger issue. and we have heard that the e.u. is prepared t move tomorrow when it comes to the most preferred trading state. you know, e.u., russian trade, the russians said about a third of their exports to the e.u. as opposed to 5% to the united states. so that's something clearly we're going to have to watch. judy? stephanie: a lot of moving parts. ryan chillicothe joining us on a

very cold night in moscow. thank you, ryan. stephanie: i'm stephanie sy with "newshour" west. we will return to the full program after the latest headlines. the world marked two years since covid-19 has 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 that the real figure may be closer to 18 million deaths across the globe. three times the official count. lately, the number of new cases and deaths has fallen in most countries. but germany's infection rate has risen nine straight days. prompting a new warning today. >> objectively, the situation is much worse than the mood. the mood among the population including in parts of the political landscape is such that we hav already overcome the

pandemic. this is simply based on a misjudgmen stephanie: chairman officials say some of the increase comes from a more contagious version of the omicron variant known as ba-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 tho assisting in an abortion. the court said 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. for the time being, parents in texas who provide gender-affirming care to their children can no longer be investigated for child abuse. a judge temporarily blocked governor greg abbott's directive for the state to do so and it will be on hold until a court hears the case in july. a police officer in columbus, ohio, was cleared of any wrongdoing in the death of 16-year-old mekia bryant. bryant was killed by an officer

last april as she swung a knife at another woman. bryant was shot four times. the grand jury found the officer was justified in using force. arrests of migrants inside the u.s. have fallen sharply in the past year. u.s. immigrations and customs enforcement reported today there were 74,000 arrests in 2021. that reflected the biden administration's focus mainly on migrants who commit sious crimes. deportations reached an historic low at 59,000, down 70% from the previous year. tensions rose today between india and pakistan after new dehli 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 koch resulted in

an aviation disaster and civilian casualties on the ground. pakistan strongly protests this flagrant violation and cautions against recurrence of any such incident. stephanie: the two nuclear-armed nations have fought four conventional wars since 1947. negotiators trying to restore the 2015 iran nuclear deal have had a setback despite signs they're close to an agreement. the european union called a pause today with no timetable for resuming. it followed russian demands that sanctions imposed as a response to 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 borich took office 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. >> 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. stephanie: belrich's election came in the wake of mass protests over economic conditions. china set a goal today of creating 13 million new jobs. 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. backn 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, forcibly kissing them and other acts. eight of them filed criminal complaints. watson has denied the accusations. congress has renewed a landmark

1990's 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 men convicted of misdemeanor stalking. 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. announcer: this is the pbs "newshour." from weta studios in washington. and in west from the walter con cite school of journalism at arizona state university. judy: as the united states, european allies work in tandem to put the 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 road map for the g.o.p. this mid-term election year. to help explain another busy week, we turn to the analysis of capeart and gary abernathy columnists for "the washington post." hello to both of you. david brooks is away. we are going to start again, jonathan, with ukraine, that terrible war, griebdz -- grinds on. more suspect more casualties. the united states has been pushing back. president biden today announcing more moves against russia including revoking favorite trade status that russia had. is this seen as something that's a big deal? >> it is an extremely big deal, judy. this is -- what we have seen over the last 16 days since president putin invaded ukraine is a western aiance 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 aa minimum get to the negotiating table, take the off ramp that the west would love to talk to him about so that hostilities 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

democracy of the world unite to try to put an end to this or at least try to convince putin to put an end to this. judy: gary abernathy, how big of step do you see this? we're watching these terrible just 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 the stomach frankly for doing right now in response to this outside of ukraine. in ukraine those people are amazing, the leadership and the citizens. and 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 when they're in response to actual war. you know, putin is rolling through ukraine killing and maimingnd that's -- 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. viewedy, i think that -- judy, i think that it's so tough to think about the fact that here's ukraine that once -- wants to be in nato. but they can't be in nato and let's be honest. part of the reason we don't allow them into nato is that would trigger our responsibility to come in and actually fight this war. and we're not ready to do that. the other thing this all brings home is the importance of fossil fuels is in america, the u.s., we're conflicted on this subject because of climate change and so on. but yet heree come to lea, we've had this -- it's a wake-up call that gas and oil, particularly, are such important factors that if the u.s. pulls back on that, russia becomes more important as time goes on in the future because of supplying the world, the world

needs supply. and with energy, and if we pull back in our ability to supply it, someone else fills that void. judy: let me ask 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 step. 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 this is -- 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 are the -- do the american people believe about who's responsible? >> 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 and 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 that he used. i think it's 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 were 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 people -- putin accountable for the war he is waging on ukraine. and i think that is the right position to be in. i mean, we are sitting here in the comforts of our own home. we don't have bombs raining down on us and 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 -- 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 coronavirus -- the omicron is reseeding in the background and people get back to their everyday pre-pandemic normal lives, when they start really getting hit with knows high gas prices, will they still feel the same way about the sacrifice -- the sacrifice that they say they're willing to take now? will they still feel the same way around memorial day? don't know. but judy, i'll just say personally, i am more than happy to pay higher gas prices, to pay more at the stores if it means that -- one, if it's because of the actions taken by the united states and by -- 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. judy: what about that, gary? and i'm reminding the president called it putin's price hike: >> putin's price hike. that's what we're all supposed to be chanting is putin's price hike. putin's price hike. but i agree with jonathan. i think most americans and i agree, i am, too, are willing to pay a higher price to punish russia and to hopefully choke off his economic lifeline and we would all love for sanctions to actually work and for him to turn around and say, well, you know, i'm -- but i don't -- you know, i don't think that that putin failed to anticipate this level of sanction. i think that he -- he knew anything short of boots on the ground from nato, he anticipated and he's ready to continue going forward with his conquest of

ukraine sadly. but i think the american people understand that this is -- 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 resnse that we're doing. and part of this is inflation. was already happening in the first place. judy: only a little bit of time left. but i do want to ask you both about what's been going on in florida. jonathan, 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 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

playbook for the future nationally? >> well, 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 other 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 protect 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 -- in those classrooms who are learning a false or woefully inadequate history of this country. and what makes what's happening in flea look like child's play is what they're doing in -- what they're doing -- i'm here in austin, what they did in texas.

where the governor got gender-affirm care considered child abuse and is now investigating parents who are trying to provide gender-affirming care for their transkids. and in idaho, judy, they're going one extra step and making -- following the texas anti-abortion template, making it a felony for parents to provide -- try to find gender-affirming care for their transchildren outside of idaho and in missouri, this is not lgbtq, but this is about -- about abortion, again, using the texas template to say that you -- you can't get an abortion after a certain amount of time. but then making it a felony for someone to try to get those services, that they can't get in missouri, making it a felony if they go outside, out of state, to do so. this is the template that gotch

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 their constituents. but quite honestly, if their constituents aren't white, male, cisgender, heterosexual, it seems like they have no room for anyone like that in their states. judy: just about 45 seconds left, gary. is this the republican plan, a message for this election year? >> it certainly is a part of it. these bills are absolutely political in nature. hatch the bills that get passed in this country are political in nature. and designed to appeal to one group or the other. and definitely is that. and it's probably -- you know, kindergarten through third graders are probably not having discussions in their classroom and being talked to about gender identity or that type of thing anyway. but on the other hand, i think the critics have to be a little careful not to push back too

hard to make it seem like they think that kindergarten through third grade should be discussing these issues when most people think they should be discussing what i call the four r's, reading, writing, arithmetic and recess. judy: well, it is a huge subject. as we know. and i know that we're going to be coming about a -- back to it. gary be aer nathi, jonathan c capehart. >> thanks, judy. judy: 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 support which

judy: kara jackson is known for being the 2019 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 southern roots and how the legacy of racism continues to impact her and her communities. tonight, she shares her breech but spectacular take on what shapes her art. >> when i was a teenager making work and having the audacity to ll myself a poet or call myself an artist in any way, that troubled people when i saw older people trying to gatekeep or try to humble me or whatever, i just saw that as an invi invitation. gwendolyn brooks is one of the intertig real poets who inspired me to write poetry. 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 dosin, georgia, it's my favorite place on this earth. itabout the size of like any given pebble. i think that da -- dawson, georgia, represents the ways in which culture usually happens in like the smallest corners of our country and of this earth. and it frightens me and troubles me the ways in which we as a country feel 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 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 now 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 and every black artist should be given the space to talk about whatever they want and to articulate themselves in a way that feels natural. ♪ you think i texted back and cut your phone some slack it spies all the time are you ok ♪ are you ok ♪

>> my name is kara jackson. and this is my brief but spectacular take on writing what's under my nose. judy: and we thank you, kara jackson, and you can watch all of our brief but spectacular videos online at pb snewshour/brief. join us online and again here on monday evening for all of us at the pbs "newshour," thank you, please stay safe and have a good weekend. announcer: major funding for the pbs "newshour" has been provided by -- >> the landscape has changed. and not for the last time. the rules of business are being reinvented with the 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

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announcer: 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 performed by the. national captioning institute,. which is responsible for its. caption content and accuracy.] >> this is pbs "newshour" west. from studios in washington and viewers at -- and at walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university.

. >> tonight on kqed newsroom. california gas prices have hit record highs and they keep climbing. we speak with assemblymember james gallagher about calls to repeal kelvin's gas tax. governor newsom delivered a state of the state address but we will talk through the highlights with our panel reporters. in-depth look at kelvin's housing crisis with the cohost of kqed's hit podcast, sold out. rethinking housing in america. coming to you from kqed headquarters in san francisco friday, march 11