judy: good evening. i'm judy woodruff. on the "newshour" tonight, the war grinds on. russian forces strike an aircraft facility in western ukraine as civilians continue to come under attack and as western sanctions against russia hamstring its economy. then, imprisoned. a russian court extends american basketball star brittney griner's detention, raising broader questions about political prisoners. >> what is often termed as wrongful detention or unjust detention is really just foreign governments taking u.s. citizens hostage. judy: and it's friday. david brooks and jonathan capehart consider the united states' ongoing response to the war in ukraine and the congressional fight over covid funding.

all that and more on tonight's pbs "newshour." ♪ newsho has been provided by -- ♪ moving our economy for 160 years, bnsf, the engine that connects us. ♪ consumer cellular. bdo, accountants and advisors.

>> the john s. foundation, fostering an and engaged communities. more at kf.org. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions. ♪ and friends of the "newshour." this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting, and contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. judy: president biden spoke with china's leader xi jinping today for nearly two hours about the war in ukraine. the white house said mr. biden warned xi against any possible chinese support for the russian invasion. meantime, in ukraine, the deadly

carnage continues, with civilians the principal victims. russian airstrikes hit near the polish border to the west, and rocket and artillery fire continued to target kyiv. that's where jane ferguson begins tonight's coverage. and a warning, images and accounts in this report may be upsetting. jane: another morning brings another neighborhood of kyiv under attack. the people of this community will never know why they were the target of russia's bombs today. a missile lobbed from miles away, thrown in anger by a thwarted army stuck outside the city. at least one person was killed and several wounded. this morning's attack hit a this building is just filled with civilian apartments, now completely ripped open onto the street. the bomb itself landed right

here, just feet away, leaving a huge crater, now being cleaned up. this area is packed with civilians, and you can see in the distance here, that building is a childhood nursery. the days here have taken on a dark sort of routine. attacks in the early morning, followed by the mournful cleanup. those returning to their homes hours later pick through the debris. we entered one building where residents were trying to salvage belongings. svitlana calls us into her shattered apartment. "look at me. i have cuts all over me," she tells us. she's a single mother living here with her 12-year-old son. this morning like any other. she was making coffee by the window in her kitchen. >> i was standing here and the explosion was there. my son was over there and i screamed at him, go and hide. and he saw that something was burning and he hid behind the wall, and i turned around and this had happened. jane: svitlana is not just in

shock. she's angry. >> look at this, look at me. please show this on the news. i want everyone to see me and to see my apartment. look at me. these are deep wounds. not scratches. look at me, i am bleeding. am i a military target? this is the clear murder of people. he was counting on us being killed. jane: a colleague bandaged a deeper wound on her arm. >> my son was very frightened. he was asking, mommy, are you alive? and i said yes, but the blood was running all over my face. i tried to cover it with my hand, but he saw the blood. i'm afraid. what if another bomb comes in? jane: she sent her son away to the bomb center immediately. tonight, she will join him and the millions of others in ukraine forced from their homes. yet, still defiant. beyond the capital, the war continues, relentless.

near the polish border, russian missiles hit a facility used by ukrainian forces to repair soviet-era jets. it was the closest strike yet to lviv. the city had until now been largely spared from russian bombing. it has also been an important hub for relief efforts and civilians fleeing the worst attacks in the east. >> this strike is a confirmation that they are not at war with the ukrainian army, but with civilians. children, women, displaced people. jane: and further uth, people still try to escape the besieged city of mariupol, where russian bombs this week destroyed a theater that sheltered women and children. today, authorities said 130 have been rescued, but more than 1000 may still be trapped. elsewhere in the city today, residents buried loved ones near their damaged apartments. bodies scattered both above ground and in fresh graves. >> my mother-in-law was born in 1936. she had a russian passport.

russian citizenship. she is there. jane: a senior u.s. defense official said today russian advances remain largely stalled, but the cities of chernihiv, sumy, and mariupol are still encircled. to help ukraine, the u.s. and allies have accelerated weapon shipments, which today russia again threatened to target. >> any cargo moving into ukrainian territory which we would believe is carrying weapons would be fair game. jane: but the u.s. has raised concerns that china would be the one sending weapons to russia. earlier today, president biden spoke with china's xi jingping for nearly two hours. in their first call since russia's invasion, xi reportedly called for peace, but did not condemn moscow. and in what the u.s. called a direct conversation, president biden said china would suffer consequences if it were to send material support to help the

russians. judy: and jane joins me now. jane, we heard in your reporting that despite these missile strikes the russian ground forces are largely stalled. the ukrainians have been able to hold them off. is there a sense that they can -- that the ukrainians can continue to do this and push them back even farther? jane: there is a hope for that care on the ground in kyiv, judy. there have been some counter offenses launched outside kyiv. to try to push the russians back. that could potentially tip things in this war. not only have the russians been fought to a standstill, but if they could actually push them back on the battlefield, then what that would do for morale here would be enormous. we know some of the more professional units of the ukrainian forces have been pushing out to do that. we have not been able to find

out any more information about how successful they have been, but in recent days there has been that push. we have to remember as well we are getting increasing reports of more weaponry and more aid coming in. armored vehicles, also body armor, and potentially more of these antitank missile systems, which have been hugely impactful on the battlefield here. much has been said about a no-fly zone, whether that could help the ukrainian forces, but really it is these handheld missiles that have been most menacing to the ukrainian forces. you also have on the other hand the russian forces struggling, struggling with supplies, struggling even with food. we have spoke with some outside of kyiv who recently escaped areas under russian control, and they say russian soldiers are going to houses and asking for food. it is not just about the momentum the ukrainians are facing, but the huge massive

problems a logistical challenges the russians are, too. judy: jane, you have also bn talking to many of the ukrainian people who stayed behind. they stayed in their country. what are you hearing from them about how committed they are to seeing this through? jane: people here in kyiv have really pushed into getting involved in much more voluntary work. everyone who you talk to, they don't say they are hunkering down, they say they have stayed to help with the war effort. everywhere we go, we see not just volunteers with war organizations, but people who have come down with their apartment blocks with plates of sandwiches. there is this real sense here of solidarity that you can feel in kyiv. in other parts of the country, of course, there are areas like mariupol that are facing

even more fierce bombardments. it is clear that some of the strategy behind the bombardments is to try to break that resolve of the ukrainian people, the sense that many ukrainians have that they very much so have the moral high ground, that they are the wronged party. but certainly what ukrainians say to us every time we talk to them after an attack. so far, we are seeing a huge amount of unity and coherence hereithin the capital and across the country. judy: it is just a remarkable thing to watch. jane ferguson reporting for us again tonight from kyiv in ukraine. thank you, jane. vanessa: we will return to the full program after the latest headlines. wild fires burning largely out of control in central texas

today, fueled by low humidity and gusty winds. in eastland, about 120 miles west of dallas, four of those fires merged into one. hundreds of people were forced to evacuate, and a sheriff's deputy died trying to save people from the flames. some residents lost everything. >> i did grab my wedding ring and i couldn't find his. we didn't grab anything. i mean, i got some coats and i'm still wearing what i had on. judy: the fires have burned more then 50 homes and burned more than 70 square miles. they are only 4% contained. this evening, governor greg abbott declared a disaster emergency. the death toll from a string of chain-reaction crashes on a foggy interstate highway in southeast missouri rose to six people today. many more were injured. scores of vehicles were involved in yesterday's pileup in the charleston area, with wreckage spanning half a mile long.

the interstate reopened early this morning. and moderna has asked the food and drug administration to approve a second covid-19 booster shot for all adults. this comes as cases in asia and europe are surging, driven by a more contagious version of the omicron variant, known as ba-2. meanwhile, the world health -- the los angeles unified school district announced they will end mask requirements for students and employees by march 23. but masking will still be strongly recommended. the u.s. hse of representatives today passed a bill that would prohibit hair-related discrimination. they voted 235-189, largely along party lines. the bill's lead sponsor, democratic congresswoman bonnie watson coleman, insisted people should not be denied employment or housing based on their hair texture or style. >> there are folks in this society who get to make those

decisions who think because your hair is kinky, it is braided, it is in knots, or it is not straight and bond -- and blonde and light brown, that you somehow are not worthy of access to those issues. well, that's discrimination. vanessa: the measure now heads to the senate, where passage is uncertain. president biden has already pledged to sign the bill if it reaches his desk. a doctors union in sudan today reported nearly 200 people were wounded in the latest protests against military rule. riot police fired tear gas and rubber bullets yesterday as thousands gathered in khartoum. at least 87 people have been killed in protests since the military coup last october. also, an australian government agency warned today that the great barrier reef is suffering

its worst coral bleaching damage in two years. warmer ocean temperatures have caused severe and widespread bleaching in the north and central parts of the world heritage site. volkswagen is recalling more than 246,000 suv's in the u.s. and canada over faulty wiring that is making the vehicles brake unexpectedly, sometimes in traffic. the recall impacts certain atlas and atlas cross sport suv's. still to come on the "newshour," they russian court extends american basketball star brittney griner's detention. also, a new exhibit honors the influential career of often-overlooked video artist ulysses jenkins. and health writer max lugavere gives his brief but spectacular take on preventative care. plus, much more. ♪ >> this is the pbs "newshour"

in the west from the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. judy: the economic sanctions leveled against russia by the u.s. and its allies are the harshest ever handed down, and their effects are being felt widely in russia. special correspondent ryan chilcote has been in moscow for more than two weeks, and has then speaking with russians about how their lives are being affected. he sent us this dispatch. ryan: it's the eighth anniversary of russia's annexation of crimea, and the kremlin is throwing a part it's also three weeks since russia launched what it calls its “special military operation.” and as far as the kremlin is concerned, there's a lot to celebrate. the concert is free. most of the 81,000 seats taken. the main act appearing in front of signs that read "for a world without nazism. for russia." across town, there's little to

celebrate. the mass corporate exodus that began on february 24 is still underway. more than 400 of the world's biggest brands fleeing so quickly, they left the window dressing. this going out of business sale doesn't have money discounts. -- doesn't have many discounts. it doesn't need to. >> of course, people are losing their jobs and that's bad, but i hope some other brands move into their niches. ryan: rive gauche, meanwhile, is booming. mastercard and visa still work. so does cash. and that's good news. this is a russian chain, but the cosmetics come from abroad. but no one knows for how long. >> of course we're a little nervous. all my favorite brands are from abroad, and they can disappear. ryan: mcdonald's is also disappearing. when this one first opened, 30,000 people lined up. in case you were wondering how popular mcdonald's is, it's 11:15 at night and all of the people have been standing out here to get inside.

it is so full inside. tonight, it's the last chance for a happy meal. this was the very first mcdonald's to open in russia. it was in 1990, and it was in fact still the soviet union. and it's just extraordinary to think that after 32 years, they are all closing because of ukraine. all 847 mcdonald's will be shut, putting more than 60,000 jobs at risk, and for some, a way of life. >> we go to the cinema or to the theater, and then after that we go to mcdonald's and eat something like burgers or fries, and i don't know what will happen next. ryan: some of what will happen next has happened before. in 1998, the ruble lost two thirds of its value over a month, accelerating inflation to 80% plus and boris yeltin's resignation a year later. then, after a cade of unprecedented economic growth, the ruble fell again in 2014

after vladimir putin sent troops to annex crimea. according to official statistics, russian prices rose by 2.1% last week, the kind of inflation central banks aim to see over a year. the official annual inflation rate is running above 12.5%. auchan, a french chain with more than 300 supermarkets here, is well stocked for now. one russian economist says the country may be headed for soviet-style inflation where the prices don't rise, but goods disappear. >> just like americans, russians are accustomed to an extraordinary range of groceries and assortment in their supermarkets. and yet, in this one two days running, zero white sugar. ryan: videos circulating o social media show elderly russians who remember soviet shortages swooping up sugar. the price rose nearly 13% last week. the government says there's no shortage. sugar exports are now banned. the opening salvo in the west's economic war didn't pierce the

bank of russia's facade, but cutting off the central bank's access to more than $300 billion did deprive it of more than half of its reserves. western sanctions have also taken aim at the russian capital's monument to capitalism, its financial district called moscow city, freezing its commercial banks out of the global financial system. russia's financial system remains in shock. these citibank customers are still trying to pull their money out, despite interest rates now at 20%. they have just been told this moscow branch has run out of cash. come back after lunch. the sanctions have also made flying difficult. leaving russia isn't easy. aeroflot, russia's national carrier, has suspended all international flights. options with other international carriers are limited. you can still fly from moscow to places like israel, turkey, the united arab emirates, and india. but the u.s. and nearly all european airspace is closed to

russian planes. and where it's open, there are still plenty of cancellations. russia leases more than 500 of its some 800 planes from foreign companies. for fear they'll be seized abroad, those planes have been rerouted to domestic destinations. in the next couple of years, russ's entire fleet could be grounded. sanctions have blocked parts deliveries from boeing and airbus. andrey movchan is a london-based economist. movchan believes sanctions on imported technologies could bring up to 60% of the russian industrial complex, the country's lifeblood, to a halt. politically speaking, what do you think these sanctions will do? >> i don't think they'll do much. we see the remarkable examples of iran and venezuela, for example. both countries are under severe sanctions. both countries lost much because of the sanctions, and the political situation didn't change. and in some sense, it was strengthened because of the sanctions.

ryan: dmitry trenin is a moscow-based political scientist. he thinks the sanctions are an opportunity for russia to reform and build a more productive and equitable society. >> if you're able to do that, then russia will emerge from this crisis materially poorer but spiritually stronger and more coherent. if not, then you're in trouble. ryan: and what's trouble look like? >> you know, in this country, you should be very careful with the bulk of your people and they may be with you for a very long time. they may be very patient, more patient than maybe any other people in the world. but at some point, this patience may snap, as it did in february 1917, as it did in the final years of the soviet union. ryan: neither analyst thinks the so-called oligarchs are cable

of pulling off a kremlin coup. the sanctions against them, while painful, won't change anything. most russians are reluctant to share their views about the conflict and sanctions, and here's why. on the city square above an underground mall the day we visit, this protester unveils a sign that literally says “two words.” then, a woman who wants to voice her support for the russian military is taken away. the subsequent chill seemed to permeate below. >> we've been here a while and it is hard work getting people to talk to us in this mall. the reason -- well, one couple told us the further you get away from this square, the more comfortable people are going to be talking. >> i don't want to talk about politics. >> that's a good question to ask me in the arrival area in another country. ryan: back at the concert, the live broadcast of president putin's speech abruptly cuts to a pre-recorded concert. the kremlin blamed the snafu on a server problem.

a reminder, perhaps, that the kremlin's carefully choreographed p.r. campaign doesn't always go according to plan. for the pbs "newshour," i'm ryan chilcote in moscow. judy: thank you, ryan. and a reminder, the "newshour"'s coverage of russia and ukraine is supported in partnership with the pulitzer center. ♪ judy: amid the much larger conflict between the u.s. and russia, there's mounting concern about the detention of brittney griner, wnba basketball star who also plays in russia. she's been detained in russia since mid-february. and yesterday, a russian court extended her detention to late may. amna nawaz has the story. amna: judy, brittney griner was arrested at a moscow airport, allegedly for possession of vape cartridges with cannibis oil,

which is illegal in russia. griner plays for a russian team during the wnba's off-season to earn more money. her detention wasn't disclosed for weeks, and u.s. officials have not been allowed to see her. griner is one of dozens of americans held by other governments, even as this week saw the release of two british citizens from iran, charity worker nazanin zaghari-ratcliffe and retired civil engineer anoosheh ashoori, freed after more than five years of detention. joining us to examine this all is jason rezaian, columnist for "the washington post." he was unjustly imprisoned in iran for 544 days before his release in 2016. jason, welcome to the "newshour." thank you so much for being with us. jason: my pleasure. amna: we should ask first about the case of these two british nationals. we've been seeing pictures they're sharing of their reunions with family, and a union with her young daughter

gabriella as well. what should we understand about why they were released and why now? jason: well, first of all, neither of these people should have been arrested in the rst place. they're completely innocent of any crimes. the same goes for other u.k. citizens, american citizens, germans, and french who are being held right now by iran. the timing of their releases is interesting because the u.s. and the u.k. had been trying to negotiate together to get there. -- to get their people being held hostage by iran released simultaneously. it appears that the u.k. broke away from that and decided to do this on their own, found a way to repay historical debt to iran, which seems to have been the impetus for arresting these people in the first place, even though they had nothing to do with it. amna: and it seems that unfreezing involved millions of dollars that went to the iranian government. but there's different nations here in different circumstances. but are there lessons that the u.s. government should be pulling from what happened in that case with iran that the

u.s. government could apply to help release brittney griner from russia? jason: yeah, i've been arguing for a long time that what is often termed as wrongful detention or unjust detention is really just foreign governments taking u.s. citizens hostage. in the case of brittney griner, it's hard to know if the allegations against her have merit. but even if they do, it's a major red flag that she's been denied consular access. and then just in the last 48 hours or so, her detention extended through may. these are all ways that authoritarian governments use to present a veneer of a judicial process while they unjustly hold americans or citizens of other liberal democracies as political leverage against our governments here in the west. so i'm worried that that's the case here, and i think that the approach that the u.s.

government has taken to many of these simir cases, whether it's iran, russia, china, venezuela, which these are the most common offenders of this particular kind of crime, has been rather a flat-footed approach and one that hasn't got us quick results of freeing americans who are imprisoned for no other crime than holding an american passport. amna: jason, you've been among those calling attention to the timing of this. brittney was detained in moscow just days before the russian invasion of ukraine. now you have the u.s. and russia at a major point otension, and russia has in its custody a major wnba superstar. what about that? c jason: i have heard a lot of people saying that this approach that the wnba and her family and her representatives are taking in of trying to be quiet about it so that that this can be resolved quietly. how do you resolve quietly the

apparent abduction of a major international celebrity by a foreign government that we're in a confrontation with, frankly? i think the circumstances around trying to get her out already very complicated, exacerbated by the fact that the u.s. has been putting sanctions on the russian government and officials close to it. and so, u know, i think this notion that we should keep this under wraps. i've been following cases of americans detained in other countries since the day that i was released, and i've never seen an instance where keeping it quiet was the way to go. once the russian state media presented a picture, a mug shot of brittney griner, and announced the alleged allegations in her case, the cat's out of the bag. this is a matter of public record and concern at this point. and we should be talking about it and we should be shining a

light on it for no other reason than her treatment will probably be much worse if we don't talk about her. and i think the the fact is that the likelihood of a long detention, whether it's weeks or months, seems pretty clear. amna: jason, what do we know about what kind of pressure, what tactics the u.s. government is probably putting into place right now? i should mention among those sanctioned in russia are some very rich men who are involved with this basketball team she plays for. could that be a way to try to apply some pressure and get her freed? jason: i think that there's a lways multiple ways of going about this. hiring a lawyer and going through the official judicial legal process of a country is one step that you have to take. but there are all sorts of other ways that the u.s. government has to reach out to brokers within the russian regime to apply potential sanctions pressure, as you indicated, and

also to kind of seek out what it is that the russians might want. what kind of demands that they have. i'm not saying you necessarily give in to those, but you should at least know what they are. amna: what do you think is the best case scenario for brittney griner right now? jason: the best case scenario is that some time in the cing days, the charges are dropped and she comes home. i would love nothing more than to see that happen. i think it's possible, but i don't think it is likely. amna: we'll certainly be following in the days ahead. jason rezaian from the washington post thank you so much for your time. jason: thank you amna. ,♪ judy: how the united states should respond to two major global crises was a topic of major debate again this week. president biden announced a new round of military assistance for

ukraine, while the administration's request that congress approve billions in emergency covid spending has met opposition. that brings us to the analysis of brooks and capehart. that's new york times columnist david brooks and jonathan capehart, columnist for the washington post. good to have both of you back within reaching distance. good to have you back, even if the subject we start out with is grim and difficult. ukraine, the russian military grinds on. james ferguson said they are not making ground, but still killing civilians. this week you had zelensky's speech to congress, president biden announcing more lee terry eight. is any of this making a difference? david: i think so, it is just tragically slow. even the footage we saw today from kyiv, it does not look like

they are backing down. what we are doing is what zelensky asked for, a no-fly zone, and that would not happen. the u.s. government and governments around the world helped with another $800 million in aid. we could do more with missiles, and get a no-fly zone in effect. ramping that up is one thing that could be more. the central message is, trust what we are doing. we are putting on severe pressure. we have to do more of western goods and more economic sanctions on transfers trust what we are doing. putin is in a bad position.

i was told today there was some hope that there would be a negotiated settlement in the next few days. but people who have spoken to putin over the last 48 hours suggest that's not going to happen anytime soon. and so we just have to trust our strategy, that it just tightens and tightens things around him. and we don't know how it's going to end. all we can do is press. judy: is that pressing do you see anything changing in coming days or weeks? jonathan: all we can do is press, but also pray. because one of the things we keep hearing about vladimir putin is, folks are questioning his sanity. folks are questioning whether, if we push him into a corner, will he lash out in ways that are unpredictable? there is all the talk about the use of chemical or biological weapons. would he actually do that in the way that was done in syria? and that would force the united states, nato, the western alliance, the allies around the world to do something i don't think they're really quite mentally prepared for.

and that is to go toe to toe with a nuclear power that has unleashed hell on a neighbor. judy woodruff, and, meantime, david, we hear pretty uniform opposition or criticism, i should say, of president biden from republicans. i interviewed mitch mcconnell, the senate minority leader, this week, who said biden is not doing enough, he's doing it too late. is there some legitimacy in that chorus of criticism? david: they are going to criticize, but that is what we do here. but i am glad the criticism is over the pace and not whether we should be doing it. there's an underlying unity, and in american public opinion. very few americans want troops on the ground. some do, but we want to increase the pressure. and so, if there's going to be criticism, maybe for more. i think biden is moving in the more direction. and if we're going to have an argument over how fast we move in the more direction, that, to me, is a pretty useful argument to have. and so i don't think the criticism is a major problem for

what we're doing. what jonathan said, we have to psychologically read, how much is this too much? are we doing anything that's really risky in escalation? i still think we're a long way from that. but we have to face the fact, it's in putin's interests at some level to try to engage nato directly and to spread this. and he's bogged down now. but if he can turn it into a bigger thing, that might turn out to be in his interests. so we have to be alive to that possibility. but i think we still have to be really hard on him, and not shrink back because of fear of what he might do. he's going to do what he wants to do anyway. judy: is it your sense, jonathan, that the u.s. is prepared, that nato is prepared if putin does go off in a direction want him to go? jonathan: i want tbelieve that nato and the united states are prepared for that situation. one of the criticisms against the president that i think was valid was that he kept

communicating what the united states would not do, communicating what he would not do, and instead has gone mute on those things, won't talk about those things, uld only talk about the things he's only now talking about the things that he's doing. and that is exactly what he should be doing. but i just want to push back a little bit on this. you said underlying unity. sure, there's some underlying unity. it's a little aggravating that certain republicans, particularly in the senate, especially if they're thinking of running for president, are they're playing games at a time when the president of the united states and the western alliance are trying to contain putin. and you can't argue that the president has taken too long, he's not doing enough, when you just voted against the $1.5 trillion omnibus bill that had millions of dollars of aid for ukraine in that bill.

so, this sort of domestic play that republicans are bringing to foreign policy, i think, is regrettable. and i hope, going forward, especially if we get to that situation where the united states and in the world is grappling with a chemical or biological attack on ukraine, that folks think better about what they're saying about the president and the united states, of what they're both trying to get accomplished. david: i'm a glass-half-full kind of guy. i rarely praise ted cruz, but ted cruz, for the last few years, has been pretty much right on ukraine and russia. and he's been very aggressive. a lot of republican senators have been very aggressive, we need to do this to prevent a war. so i find, in general, republicans have not followed trump in any soft-on-putin direction. quite the reverse. the one thing that i think we need to think about, this may be what korea was for the cold war, this may be for the next contest against the authoritarian

regimes. mao goes into korea, with russian support. and, at the time, people don't realize what's happening. it's only, over the years, they realize, oh, korea is part of a larger cold war conflict. and so this could be seen as part of a larger contest, which biden talks about, between democracies and autocracies. and if that's the casewe need to be using this moment and i think we are using this moment to really build a very practical rebuild a practical set of alliances with japan and the west to prepare for a long contest, and to see this context in the this war in the contex of that larger rivalry. judy: you are suggesting it is harder to do that when you have the parties playing games. jonathan: right, constantly criticizing the party and the president who's not in your party simply because he's a democrat. and i just also want to point out that, despite your nice

words about senator cruz, he was one of those senators who voted against the omnibus bill, which had aid to ukraine in it. david we played gas during the : cold war. judy: setting the record straight, for this omnibus bill there was money originally in there for covid funding for prevention, for treatment, $22 billion, down from an earlier number. it ended up being taken out, mostly because of republican opposition, but also some liberademocrats had problems with it. now the administration is scrambling, trying to get this passed. i talked to tony fauci yesterday, who said, we need this money. who's making the right argument here? david: i'm going to disappoint jonathan and be on both sides. the democrats are right. we need the money. we need to spend the money on the medicines, on the coverage, all the stuff that is in there. but i think we need to get back to a normal situation, where we pay for what we spend. if we just spend money without

raising taxes a, we fuel , inflation. and, b, we run up our debt at a time when interest rates are rising. so we need to get back to normal life, where, if we're going to spend money, we're going to pay for the spending. and it should not be hard to raise $22 billion in taxes. we're a gigantic country. that's like what we spent, i don't know, every 10 minutes. and so i think the republicans are rit to make that point that we need to pay for this money. but the democrats are right that we need the money. judy: did you say raise taxes? is that what you just said? david: yes. judy: i just want to make sure i heard you correct. [laughter] jonathan: thanks, david. it is interesting that republicans always, when it comes to domestic programs, we have to pay for what we spend. and yet we're talking about the same group of republicans who are lashing out at the president of the united states because he won't do as much as they think he should do in support of ukraine.

that's not free. that's not a roding error. we're talking billions, maybe even trillions of dollars. and so there are americans who look at what's happening with ukraine, and they're all for it. we should support them. we should do whatever it takes to help the ukrainians defend their country. but then they look at, wait, wait, we can't get covid funding? we can't get these other things because people are now worried about the checkbook? i'm with david. on the other part. that you had a report earlier about the strain of coronavirus cases going up in europe and in asia. we know, in a couple of weeks, it's going to be here, and we're not going to have any money to protect the american people? judy: what about the inconsistency that he's pointing

out among republicans? david i'm trying to point to the : right policy. and jonathan is saying, well, they're a bunch of hypocrites. well, yes, that's true. but i'm still trying to put to the right policy. judy: i guess this is what happens when i bring the two of you back together in person, right? but we're so glad. thank you both very much. david brooks, jonathan capehart, thank you. ♪ judy: an exhibition in los angeles bringing the work of a groundbreaking video artist to a new generation. jeffrey brown has this from our new arts and culture series, canvas. jeffrey: it is right and electric. a swirl of movement. a whirlwind of images. and it's the first major retrospective for 75-year-old artist ulysses jenkins.

how does it feel to get this recognition? ulysses: well, it is amazing and a bit overwhelming. jeff: jenkins is considered a pioneer in the world of video art, which emerged as artists in the 1960s and 70s began using lighter and more affordable video cameras to create work and tell stories. one of the first black artists in the field, jenkins focused on stereotypes he saw in the media and popular culture the quote mass of images, as he titled a 1978 video. >> you are just a mass of images you have gotten to know from years and years of tv shows. jeff: now, that work can be seen in the exhibition, ulysses jenkins, without your interpretation at ucla's hammer museum, co-curated by meg onli and erin christovale.

>> he, in my mind he has always sort of been the godfather of experimental video, especially for black artists and curators and scholars. meg, for me, thinking about his work as ahead of its time. he was picking up a lot of tools that we use today, like literally using this tool right now of skype for us to have this conversation. he was working with video phones back in the late 1980s and early 1990s to connect people across geographic boundaries. jeff: jkins was born and raised in los angeles close enough to feel the excitement of hollywood studios while also experiencing the reality of the racial exclusion andensions of the time. he became interested in art in high school and went on to get a degree in painting and drawing from southern university in louisiana. but it wasn't until his return to l.a. that he became interested in video work. >> he's thinking in ways that are not necessarily part of traditional filmmaking. he's producing kind of weird and odd videos, he's often out shooting with his friends. and it just has this kind of psychedelic california vibe to it.

and you really get this sense that they're at the edge of america producing work together as a band of people really thinking outside of, let's say, art world norms at the time. jeff: one approach jenkins adopted, turning himself into a kind of actor or storyteller taking on a performance role of the african "griot." ulysses: "griot" tells the story of the culture through music, through song. people on the outside did not want to necessarily understand what we as african-americans and for that matter were trying to express. taking on the character of a griot stayed very succinctly with my heritage and to that degree, the artistic notions that i wanted to present.

jeff: the work is experimental, sometimes wildly so. >> i am very proud of the black man's progress and we are going to make it. jeff: sometimes more straightforward in a documentary style as in 1972's remnants of , the watts festival his take on an annual event commemorating the 1965 watts uprising. >> the goal for ulysses for that sort of experimental documentary was to capture a community and particularly a festival that was really being attacked by the mainstream media. and so his goal for that documentary was really to show black people feeling empowered, black people feeling excellent and black art being valued. jeff: as a graduate student at what was then called otis art institute, he made two zone

transfer, a film that furthered his examination of black representation in media. >> it's really presented as a fever dream. ulysses wakes up and he suddenly is confronted with the history of minstrel performance. you see him at one point becoming a preacher. he then jumps into a performance as james brown and his dancing he's thinking about the trappings of black masculinity in the sense of the roles that you can play within society. jeff: jenkins eventually turned his focus to teaching. he's been a professor of studio art at the university of california, irvine since 1993. what is it you most want to convey to young artists today? ulysses: if they can free themselves from the notion of the stereotypical concep that they're embedded in in the culture, then in terms of their usage, that's what i'm trying to get them to recognize.

jeff: for the curators of the show, the work is as relevant now as ever, especially for younger audiences. >> whether it is questions of representation multiculturalism, , digital technologies, connectivity, you know, questis of colonialism and critique, ulysses was having all of these conversations really starting in the 1970's, and i think it's really important for us as a younger generation to understand our roots. jeff: do you feel like it's been a long time coming? ulysses: oh yeah. with all the work that i have created, you're just wondering when would i get the recognition that the work deserved? and this is it. i've been waiting for y'all. jeff: ulysses jenkins, without your interpretation is at the hammer museum through the middle of may. for the pbs newshour, i'm jeffrey brown. ♪

judy: when health care journalist and podcaster max lugavere's mother was diagnosed with a form of parkinson's, he immediately began researching best practices for improving brain health through food. he is now releasing a cook book of brain-healthy recipes, titled genius kitchen. and tonight he shares his brief but spectacular take on what he learned. max: preventative medicine is everything. by the time you show up to your doctor's office, what you are looking for in mostases is sick care, not health care. health care happens when you're pushing your shopping cart through the saw -- supermarket, when you're on the couch debating to go to the gym. that is a health care opportunity. i have always been incredibly close with my mother.

it was in the year 2011 my mom started to complain of brain fog. that was not something i was used to hearing from my mom. she was a fast walking, fast talking new yorker. i would be in the kitchen and ask her to pass me a spoon or a spice and it would take her a few extra beats to register. we booked a battery of appointments and my mother received a diagnosis of parkinson's plus condition. i started to read phrases like no disease modifying effect. parkinson's disease is ultimately a terminal condition. for the first time in my life i had a panic attack. i felt like the walls were closing in on me. from that point on it was about trying to understand why this would have happened to my mom, what could be done to help her,

and what could be done to preventhis from ever happening to me. dementia often begins in the brain decades before the first symptom of memory loss. a healthy diet can be very protective of the brain. we know that exercise is medicine when it comes to the brain. everyday day i try to find new ways of communicating these ideas. i transitioned into the head chef, cooking for my mom, brothers, infusing brain-healthy ingredients into the meals i was making. health literacy is something we are lacking in, the same way we are lacking in financial literacy. i am able to see all these different topics from 30,000 feet. the fact i am creative allows me to connect the dots in ways many scientists are not able to. that was a journey that began a

decade ago and will probably continue on until the day that i die. my mom passed away in 2018. if there is a stranger on the others of the world that gravitates to my content, integrates the recommendations i make, and is able to buy themselves an additional month or year or decade of healthy life, what it was my mom and family suffered would not have been in vain. this is my brief but spectacular take on how to eat like a genius. judy: what an amazing gift for his mother. thank you, max. you can watch more reef but spectacular videos online at pbs.org/newshour/brief. for more on the war on ukraine and analysis of president

zelenskyy's speech to congress join yamiche alcindor tonight on pbs. tune into pbs newshour weekend for the latest developments on the war in ukraine and, a look at how people in alabama could soon get a chance to vote for a new state constitution that moves -- removes outdated and racist language. join us monday morning for live coverage of the senate confirmation hearings for president biden's supreme court nominee, could tonja brown jackson -- ketanji brown jackson. that begins at 11:00 a.m. you can check your local listings. that is the newshour for tonight. i am judy woodruff. thank you, stay safe and have a good weekend. >> major funding for the "pbs newshour" has been provided by -- >> the landscape has changed and not for the last tim

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 pipit again and again for whatever happens next. >> people who know know bdo. ♪ >> consumer cellular, bnsf railway. the william and flora hewitt foundation supporting institutions to promote a better world at hewlitt.org. >> supporting social entrepreneurs and their solutions to the world's most pressing problems. 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. ♪ ♪ >> this is pbs newshour west from weta studios in washington and from our bureau at the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. ♪ >> you are watching pbs.

tonight on kqed newsroom , san francisco's cable cars to boost in the latest u.s. spending bill. lawmakers debate relief on rising gas prices. a battle over student enrollment at uc berkeley raises questions about housing in the environment. phil tang joins us with more. bells ring, lights flash, pulse flight at the pinball izium in this week's look at something beautiful. coming to you from kqed headquarters in san francisco,