geoff: good evening. i'm geoff bennett. tonight on "pbs news weekend," a new book explores former virginia governor ralph northam's redemption story after the blackface photo scandal that rocked his time in office. then, picking inspiration. on this christmas evening, my conversation with award-nning baker and author bryan ford. and, our weekend spotlight. my sit-down interview with grammy award-winning jazz crooner, michael buble. ♪ >> there is this magic in the peace of knowing that you can seduce an audience that way or a relationship that way. i think there's there's a lo joy in that. geoff: all that and the day's headlines on tonight's "pbs news weekend." ♪

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this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting, and by contributis to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. ♪ geoff: good evening. it's great to be with you on this christmas. we start tonight with the monster winter storm that's made its way across the country, covering many areas in snow and ice, dropping temperatures to record lows, and creating holiday travel chaos. buffalo, new york was hit especially hard by the storm. whiteout conditions this weekend caused massive snow drifts and toppled trees. seven people have died in buffalo from the snowstorm. and nationwide, the dangerous weather has claimed at least 20 lives. and many americans, hoping to be home for the holids, are still in limbo. thousands of delays and cancellations today, added to the nearly 10,000 canceled flights around the country in the last 48 hours. but after the coldest christmas

in years, relief is on the way. next week is expected to be much warmer across most of the country. end in the days other headlines, -- in the day's other headlines, four major international aid groups today suspended their operationsn afghanistan following a decision by the country's taliban rulers to ban women from working at non-governmental organizations. the groups, save the children, the international rescue committee, the norwegian refugee council and care, say they cannot effectively reach people in desperate need in afghanistan without women in their workforces. the taliban introduced the ban yesterday, allegedly because women weren't wearing the islamic headscarf correctly. u.s. officials condemned the move. at the vatican, pope francis used his annual christmas message to lament what he called "the icy winds of war," and he made an impassioned plea for peace in ukraine. thousands crowded saint peter's square, as the pope called attention to the millions of ukrainians without heat or electricity this christmas. >> let us also see the faces of

our ukrainian brothers and sisters who are experiencing this christmas in the dark and in the cold, far from their homes due to the devastation caused by 10 months of war. may he enlighten the minds of those who have the power to silence the thunder of weapons and put an immediate end to this senseless war. geoff: meantime in ukraine, president volodymyr zelenskyy delivered a defiant christmas message, calling on the nation to stand firm against russian attacks and to cherish one another amid widespread power outages. >> no kamikaze drones can extinguish the christmas dawn. we will see its glow even undergroun even in complete darkness. we will find each other to hug each other tightly. and if there is no heat, we will hug for a long time to warm each other. geoff: and around the world, people are celebrating christmas, and the last night of hanukkah. from soldiers worshipping in kharkiv, to mass at bethlehem's

church othe nativity, to 1500 santas in kosovo running a charity marathon, everyone celebrating in their own unique way. still to come on pbs news weekend, some baking inspiration on this christmas evening, and, my one-on-one with singer michael buble. ♪ >> this is pbs news weekend, from wta studios in washington, home the pbs newshour, weeknights on pbs. geoff: will shift our focus now to a story of resolve, resilience, and redemption about what happened in february of 2019hen scandal rocked the virginia capitol, devouring the career of dan democratic governor ralph northam, afr a conservative website unearthed a raci photograph published in his medical school yearbook some 35 years earlier. you will recall that northam, who denied that he was in the picture, ultimately withstood demands that he resign.

he instead committed himself to reconciliation, and in the process, became one of the most consequential governors in virginia history. longtime virginia journalist margaret edes captures northam's redemption story with a mpelling look at virginia's racial history. in her new book, "what the eyes can't see, ralph northam, black resolve and a racial reckoning in virginia." it's so gat to have you here. margaret: thank you. so nice to be here. geoff: and i was struck that in the prolog of the book, you write about the removal last year of that massive confederate statue of general robert e lee. and you note that as that statue was coming down, governor northam was still standing. and you write, quote, "one outcome was as astonishing as the other." margaret: we've had this cancel culture in america, and ny politicians have come under fire. and most, if not all of them have left office. the governor did not. and why he was different? one, he has real tenacity, a real self-determination. he says, i'm not a quitter.

so that was part of it. he also had some unusual luck because two of the people who would have succeeded him ran into troubles of their own. and then there's something in his personality. i think that he's a pretty approachable person. i think there was goodwill that was left for him, particularly among older black virginians who stood by him. rita davis, who is his chief counsel,d, i couldn't have lived in virginia all these years if i wasn't willing to forgive. geoff: it's interesting because on that point, i covered the northam story extensively at the time, and i remember talking to older black virginians in particular. and there was this one woman who said to me, she said, "young man, referring to the picture, i've seen worse, i've lived through worse. and i'm not going to judge rph northam based on something he did or did not do 40 years ago. i'm going to judge him based on the man, the governor that he is now." margaret: there was a lot of anger and understandable anger really in seeing that photograph. but someone like a delores mcquinn, who is a minister in

richmond, a long time delegate, took a different tack. she told him to take this lemon and make lemonade, make lemon chess bars, make lemon pie, do everything you can with it because you will be able to go into places that i can't go. you can take a message i can't take. she saw the opportuny and urged him to stay. geoff: what does this mean, that th reckoning was happening in virginia, the first enslaved africans were brought to virginia. richmond used to be the capital of the confederacy. and yet, you had this unfolding in the commonwealth. margaret: the history of virginia has been so fraught. there have been just so many areas where black people really were subjugated. and so for this to happen in virginia, it really said there is an opportunity for our country to be different. there's an opportunity to look at ourselves, to look at our own blind spots, as he did, and to make a different america. geoff: in one of your interviews, i think governor northam made the point that for

a long time he would say that, oh, i don't see race. but what he realized was that that was not necessarily a good thing when it meant that you weren't seeing the systemic racism that can affect people's lives. margaret: a few weeks or months, i think, before the blackface scandal broke. he had been interviewed about a blacksmith on the eastern shore that he had grown up with, mr. outlaw. and he said, you know, he didn't e race. and that's the way i was raised. i don't see race. and i think that's a lesson for all people. well, his young press secretary said to him, you ought to rethink that statement. and he didn't really understand why. but after he did all the work that he did to understand what its to live as a black american these days, he understood that. to see the human person without race, that's good, that's important. but to leave it there, it's not enough, because that allows you to not see all the systems that really discriminate. geoff: as part of the book, you did your own investigation into

exactly who was in that photo in question, and you found no definitive answer, much like the journalists and the law firms that did some investigations before you. margaret: that's right. i looked at that. i hoped that i would find an answer. i didn't. i did come to that conclusion in my own mind that he is not the person in the photo. so much was at risk, so much was at stake. if he had been lying about that, at least a couple of other people could have come forward, possibly more than that. and had that happened, not just his potical career, but really his entire reputation would have been shattered. you have to wonder if he could have even gone back to being a doctor with that kind of mark on his record. geoff: the title of the book , "what the eyes can see." what inspired that. margaret: that comes from the governor. that's what he said a lot. it's from his medical school training. it's what he used to tell students. if you don't know about a certain medical condition, it could be staring you right in the face and you won't recognize it. same true with systemic racism. if you've never experienced it,

if you've never lived through it, you can be looking right at it and just not see it. and i think that's so true of many americans. geoff: margaret edds, it's a real pleasure to speak with you. thanks for coming in. margaret: thank you so much. ♪ geoff: now we bring you some baking inspiration this evening with award-winning and author brian ford. he catapulted to prominence during the pandemic's bread taking frenzy, inspiring millions with his blog and instagram account full of innovative twists on sourdough bread-baking. l well lebrating the baking cultures of latin america. bryan invited us to his home in queens, new york. his kitchen is a baker's treasure-trove of, complete, of course, with vats of pungent sourdough starter. >> the most important part is

just getting a nice big whiff of it. don't be scared. >> whoa, wow. [laughter] >> you got shook. you got shook. [laughter] >> i got a little too close. man. >> his first cookbook, released in the summer of 2020, new world sourdough sold out its first printing. that led to starring in his own cooking show, "baked in tradition," on chip and joanna gaines' magnolia network. bryan: all of a sudden, like, yeah, people were justtarted baking in, like you already know, i don't even have to tell you. you kept up with the news. it just became a whole thing. everyone was baking bread. geoff: bry says he's been cooking and baking for as long as he can remember ultimately finding his calling after leaving behind his career as an accountant. geoff: what about baking sort of drew you in? bryan: baking is romantic. it is like meditation. it is simple. you don't have to be so precise.

i mean, that the dough is a living creature, too. i mean, every single time you bake is different. even if you use the same recipe, to the t, every single time, it's going to be different. i mean, the temperature variables and your emotions, your your mood, how you feel is translated into the dough. if you are having a bad day and you bake you're going to , make some bread that's prably not great. when you're having a great day, your bread is gog to be great. geoff: the child of honduran immigrants, bryan imparts lessons learned from cooking in his mother's kitchen. bryan: my parents worked so hard to get into this country. and my mom put herself through school. she put herself through three different colleges to ultimately get her accounting degree when she s, like, 46. during those days when she was working hard, especially in the summertime, i would home, taking care of my little sister and i would cook for my mom. she would wake up and go to her internship and then go to school at night. she would come home exhausted. so i learned quickly from what she taught me how to cook. geoff: i read somewhere that he

said, if you go to any bakery across the country and you will see croissants and baguettes. bryan: i love that. geoff: why can't the same be true for honduran food? bryan: i agree 100%. the reason i have that sentiment is not because i don't like the taste of croissants and baguettes. i think they taste great. like most bakers when i started, i was obsessed with making those things. when i was an accountant, i was like every day perfecting croissants at home. i was like, i got to learn how to make croissants. right? that's the gold standard. but the fact remains that this kind of western european ideology seems to permeate people's thoughts when they want to open a bakery. i am trying to be more in touch with, you know, the indigenous people of the new world, latin america. i mean, we are very, very beautiful people. we have beautiful baking traditions as well. i grew up eating semitas, rosquillas, you know what i'm saying? some, like, delicious, dunked in coffee, but everyone's just

tryna make some brioche. we don't play with no brioche, know what i'm saying? [laughter] geoff: but alfajores are a different story. bryan: we're gonna make some alfajores one of the most popular cookies you'll find in most latin american countries. geoff: the recipe is simple, cream together butter and sugar , and begg yolks. >> you can see it is creamy, smooth. that is the base. geoff: incorporatehe dry ingredients. bryan: flour, salt, and most importantly, i have cornstarch. geof lastly, add some vanilla extract and lemon zest. roll the dough, chill it, and bake the cookies until they're barely brown bryan: we're gonna check the bottom, very carefully. that's a beautiful color. geoff: spread on some dulce de leche, sandwich them together, and roll them in shredded coconut. bryan: and, now we have an alfajore gigante. geoff: definitely gigante. [laughter]

[laughter] geoff: this is great. i'm wearing it, though. bryan: you make them for the kids, know what i mean? something fun you can do. teach a little about history, some latin american history, and eat something delicious. geoff: absolutely. through his baking, bryan encourages exploration bryan: i think pple just focus on the wrong aspects of baking, aesthetic stuff. instead of focusing on flavor, focusing on the fact that you made something with your own two hands and you should be proud of, like, focusing on sharing what you made with your friends and family. those things should be first and foremost. then you can start to like, 'oh, well, it doesn't, doesn't have the big air pockets," all the kind of things people get obsessive about. crumb structure, which is crazy. it's bread. can you imagine, like, ancient civilizations when they started making bread that you imagine them sitting down and being like, dang, the inside don't look good. man.

shoot. what did i do wrong? geoff: it takes some trial and error, as bryan ford redefines what artisan baking can and should be. bryan: i'm just saying i tried to focus specifically on latin american baking, tapping into my culture and my experiences and just like listening to the wisdom of others, and trying to make the best possible breads and pastries around so that's pretty much -- that's how it goes down. a lot of patients. a lot of time down here in the kitchen. and a lot of messes to clean up. ♪ geoff: throughout his 20 year career, michael double play has been synonymous with universal standards. the music that transcends generations. i spoke with him during his u.s. tour this past year to learn more about the mind and the voice. in a modern musical era where crooners are few and far between. michael buble occupies a lane alhis own, reinterpreting timeless jazz and big band classics alongside his own contemporary pop songs. buble is out with his 11th full length album titled higher.

it includes a duet with willie nelson and a recording with sir paul mccartney. ♪ ♪ i might be falling for you, i don't know ♪ geoff: what's it like when you stand on that stage and u're responsible for captivating an arena full of 20,000 people just by the sheer force of your personality and your performance? how do you do it? >> i think there is an alter thing. i really do. it's a way of having self protection. but in another way, i think there is this magic in becoming the superhero that you always wanted to be. there is this magic in the peace of knowing that you can seduce an audience that way or a relationship that way. i think there's there's a lot of joy that. so the truth is, it became, in my early 20's, it was a lot scarier.

and now as i am in my 40's, i have beeout here for 25 years, it's just joy. often within the moment, i'm going, wow, i can't believe i'm this is my life. i get to do this. >> ♪ well, because when. i get high ♪ geoff: you've always been intentional about the songs you choose to interpret. what informs that? what informs the choices you make about i want to sing this song and on that one, love. michael: wow. i mean, listen, if i don't love love, love it. if it is something that doesn't completely fill me up, i can't. there's no way i'll do it. and i know that i'm going to have to do this for the rest of my life and if i am lucky enough to do this until i am an old man, if people don't kick me off the stage and say, blah, like, you're done, you shouldn't be out there, then i need to absolutely love and be in the moment of every song. and tonight it's weird, you know, my shows will be obviously there's a bunch. i'm really lucky i wrote a bunch of hit songs, so i got a bunch of originals that people know

i am blessed. that i have new hits. i try not to be too self-indulgent about that, and i don't want to do all new stuff or on old stuff. i try to keep a really good balance. people are getting basically it's the hits. it's like if you come, i want you to walk away and go, oh man, he did everything we wanted to do. he didn't leave out feeling good. sang "haven't met you yet." every song has to be loved. geoff: the duet with willie nelson. michael: it's crazy. [laughter] he is my hero. geoff: there are so few of those guys left. so few musical heroes, unfortunately. michael: and it's weird, too, people go, oh, it's a country guy. but for me one of the good records of my life was "stardust ," where he was covering all these incredible songs. it was one of the most agreeable things in my life only

meeting him, but getting to know his wife who is an incredible, wonderful, kind, real, funny amazing woman. there was so much about this record that was a real massive joy for me. a lot of pinching myself working with sir willie nelson. sir paul mccartney. geoff: listening to this latest album, i was paying close attention to your technique because, that contemporary staff subsequently different than when using the old classics. how do you do it? what informs your approach? michael: i think my love of music. it's easy to study something when you love it, understand the logistics of singing that way and how to sing differently. when i sing stylistically. weirdly, i can walk you through -- i think it's boring, but --

geoff: i think it's fascinating. michael: it's hard for me, like dean martin would kind of get really low. very similar to elvis presley. have a fast vibrato. with elvis you have a -- >> ♪ wise men say ♪ quick vibrato, really low. if dean had done that, he would have done this weird turn where he goes >> ♪ only fools rush in ♪ sinatra, he singon the vowels. geoff: yeah. ♪ [singing] >> ♪ but i can tell, falling in love with you ♪ and he does the weird euss. the soul music. donny hathaway to sam cooke.

there's all these little, tiny little changes that they -- geoff: the nuances. michael: yeah. i mean, i basically have stolen as much as i possibly could from my heroes, as much as i could. [laughter] years ago i had met tony bennett, doing a record for the first time together and i said, mr. bennet, i said, i have stolen so much from you and frank and bobby and ella and l ouis, a these people. he smiled and said, kid, you steal from one, you are just a thief. but if you steal from everyone, you can call it research. [laughter] i thought that was great. because we all do it. geoff: yeah. michael: everyone is paying attribute to someone. he can almost ace the steps back to who has turned on who and how they have paid tribute

by taking certain things and making them players. geoff: michael brantley. pleasure. michael: thank you so much. i had a great ti with you. ♪ geoff: online right now, and instagram slideshow on how the prices of three iconic toys have changed since they were first introduced. all that and more can be found at instagram.com/newshour. and like you have likely heard by now, the new year is bringing with it some changes to the newshour and pbs news weekend. this is my final weekend broadcast, as i prepare to co-anchor the newshour alongside my friend amna nawaz starting january 2. it has been a privilege to join you each weekend since this ogram started this past spring , and i extend my deep appreciation to the entire weekend staff and crew. john yang, the brilliant journalist and broadcaster, who

you know well, will be taking over as anchor starting next saturday. so with that, on behalf of all of us here at pbs news weekend, thanks for spending part of your sunday with us. happy hannukah and merry christmas. ♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning stitute, which is responsible for its content and accuracy.] >> major funding for "pbs news weekend," has been provided by ♪ and with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting, and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. ♪

[music - "feliz navidad"] (singing) we wish you a merry christmas. we wish you a merry christmas. we wish you a merry christmas and a happy new year.