♪ amna: good evening and welcome. i'm amna nawaz. >> and i'm geoff bennett. russia bombards critical infrastructure in kyiv, while in the east, ukraine carries out one of the deadliest attacks against russian forces since the war started. amna: pakistan struggles to recover from historic flooding that killed more than 17 hundred people as waters refuse to receed. >> four months after the flood, this school in the dadu district, like so many others, remains in to students. it's floor still completely first inundated. geoff: and, a new covid subvariant spreads rapidly in the northeast, sparking concerns over how well it can evade existing vaccines. ♪

>> major funding for the "pbs newshour" has been provided by -- >> and with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. and friends of the newshour, including leonard and norma clorevine, and koo and patricia yuen. >> the william and flora hewlett foundation. for more than 50 years, advancing ideas and supporting institutions to promote a better world at hewlett.org. ♪

this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting, and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. geoff: good evening and welcome to the newshour. our lead story tonight is ukraine where the new year has brought little respite from russia's war and little hope of peace. amna: air raid sirens blared and explosions boomed today, under a new barrage of exploding drones. in turn, the uainians confirmed they carried out a weekend attack that killed scores of russian troops. we'll get details after today's headlines. geoff: at the vatican today, some 65,000 people filed through st. peter's basilica as pope emeritus benedict lay in state for the first of 3 days. many of the faithful waited for hours to pay their respects. benedict had retired from the papacy a decade ago. he died saturday at the age of

95. >> compared to a funeral, this is an occasion in which you have a more personal experience. we came to say thanks, to ask something. you have the feeling of being in front of someone who made it to the other side. it has been a beautiful prayer. amna: a funeral will be held or day in st. peter's square. in brazil, many thousands of mourners pay tribute to soccer legend pele. the only player ever to win three world cups died last thursday at age 82 after battling cancer. the 24 hour public viewing was held at the stadium where pele sort some of his most memorable goals. the head of the international spa -- international soccer federation was among the first to arrive. >> pele leaves an incredible legacy for football, the unique legacy. pele had, i think, the gift of god, a gift that very few people

on earth have. and it is a gift to touch the hearts and the emotions of people. geoff:here is a funeral mass in santos tomorrow with a beer -- with a burial to follow. latin american leaders welcome back lula da silva today. he had a string of meetings on his first full day in office. he was sworn in on sunday after he defeated far right incumbent j year bolsonaro in october. the change puts brazil back on a leftist track. for his part, bolsonaro skip the inauguration and flew to florida. it is unclear when he will return to brazil. he faces a string of investigations from his time in office. parts of northern california are still under flood warnings tonight, following extreme rain over new year's weekend. downpours in san francisco filled roadways and stranded cars. some people resorted to makeshift rafts to find their way around the cy.

another strong storm is expected late tuesday. in the philippines, thousands of people remain in emergency shelters a week after devastating christmas flooding. the death toll climbed again today to at least 51, most from drowning and landslides. more than 4500 homes have been damaged, and some areas still have no power and water. and, australia and canada are joining the u.s. and other countries imposing covid testing rules for travelers from china. starting january 5th, they have to show negative results from tests within 24 hours of departure. infections have exploded across china, as the government abruptly ended its strict policy of testing and quarantines. still to come on the newshour. republicans wrangle over who should become speaker as they take over the house. the legacy of the oadcast journalism icon baara walters. plus, celebrating cuban-born composer and conductor tania leon's impact on music. >> this is the pbs newshour from weta studios in washington and

in the west from the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. amna: today, moscow said a ukrainian attack over the weekend in russian-occupied donetsk lled at least 60 soldiers, making it one of deadliest incidents for russia in 10 months of war. and, in the early hours of this morning, russia launched one of its largest barrages of drone strikes on ukraine's capital, kyiv. ukraine says it shot down nearly all of them but as nick schifrin reports, it has been a violent beginning to a new year of war in ukraine. nick: in a nation at war, war does not take a holiday. and so over new year's, ukrainian rockets destroyed this building housing russian troops. and for three days straight, russia terrorized keio from the sky. at least 60 drones targeted ukraine's capital. some eluded ukrainian air defenses. the targets were yet again

civilian. ripping open this hotel. damaging the apartments of some of kyiv's most vulnerable and destroying families in their homes. this use tbe their kitchen. a russian missile laed a direct hit, killing 36-year-old iryna. two days later, serhii looks for pieces of the weapon that killed her. >> he mourns his wife, and embraces their son, who's lost his mother. his 73-year old father anatolii was injured in the same explosion. >> you know, we were building this house for five, six years with our salary, with our money and this happens. what can i say? they are beasts. theyre not human. nick: and yet amidst the torment there is tenacity. ukrainians in kyiv managed to celebrate new year's, hoping for the total victory that despite all the fear of 10 months ago, president volodymyr zelenskyy vowed to achieve in his new years address.

>> it was a dark. it was loud. it was hard for many and scary for some. 311 days have passed. it can still be dark, loud, and complicated for us. but we will definitely never be afraid again. nick: and yet he acknowledged the country's pain, written on the face of little girls who watched his address as their family marked a new year. but zelenskyy claimed, as abraham lincoln did 160 years ago after gettysburg, that war, has created a new nation. >> we woke up on february 24 into another life. being on other people. another ukrainian. on february 24, millions of us made a choice. not a white flag, but a blue and yellow flag. not escaping, but meeting. meeting the enemy. nick: simultaneously on russian

tv, president vladimir putin delivered his own message, and claimed historical truth is on russia's side. >> this has been a year of difficult, necessary decisions, of crucial steps towards russia's full sovereignty and the powerful consolidation of our society. nick: he posed with troops, and once again blamed the war, on the west. >> they cynically use ukraine and its people t aako nden divide russia. we have never allowed anyone to do that and we will not allow anyone to do that. nick: and so the war goes on. the front line is 700 miles long. and there is endless destruction, in a war, without rest. for the pbs newshour, i'm nick schifrin. amna: for more on the state of thwar, we turn to nikolas gvosdev. he's a professor of national security at the u.s. naval war college and has written extensively about russia, the soviet union and ukraine. welcome. thank you for joining us. let's start with that news.

russia acknowledging dozens of their soldiers killed. what does this tell us about ukrainian forces capabilities and their strategy right now? nikolas: it is showing that months, if not years of western training and equipment of ukrainian forces is paying off. the ukrainians are being able to connect real-time intelligence with their artillery to be able to deliver devastating strikes in this particular case, against russian forces. what it does signal ithat the ukrainians are concerned about the shift in russian strategy over the last several weeks. the russians areigging in. the russians do not want to lose more territory in ukraine that they have already lost since the ukrainian counter offenses began in the fall. they are digging in. they want to prevent further ukrainian moves. i would agree with my fellow analyst, michael hoffman, who argues that we are seeing the ukrainians shifting toward targeting russian positions,

targeting russian personnel, in order to weaken those russian defensive capabilities, which the ukrainians will have to do if they want to resume their ability to retake land later in the spring. amna: this was a building housing many russian soldiers, storing their ammunition. how did the russians not see this coming? nikolas: this is a question many on russian social media are asking. they are asking, after 11 months of this war, why have the russian military not learned the lessons? why have they continued to underestimate ukrainian intelligence and reconnaissance capabilities? the ability of the ukrainians to direct artillery and missile fire, and why no one seems to be held accountable for russian failures in the so-called special military operation? it should have been anticipated that a concentration of forces, and next to an ammunition dump less than 15 kilometers away from an active frontline, might

be a target. and it does suggest that the russians are not learning from some of their mistakes that they have been making throughout the course of the invasion. amna: you mentioned the russians are digging in. they are continuing with this relentless campaign of drone strikes. there were a number of reports for a long ti about russian resources being depleted. these strikes seem to suggest that is not true? nikolas: that's correct. we need to be careful about making assessments that russia is running out of anything. the russian military is the era of the soviet military. this was not a military force that believed in just-in-time supply chains. this was a military that believed in extension -- extensive stockpiling. there has been the retention of speeding up capabilities, that is, to be able to convert industry back to military production. finally, when we are reading reports about russia obtaining supplies from north korea, from

iran, other sources, keep in mind but they are dealing with countries that have had extensive defense cooperation with the soviet union and russia. in a way, they are able to offshore their military production and to bring that back into use in ukraine. we need to be careful about putting any definitive dates about when the russians are likely to run out of missiles, artillery shells, or other types of ordinance. amna: the longer this goes on and as the death toll mounts, do you see any loss of support for the war back in ukraine? any cracks or fissures in the will and leadership? nikolas: that will depend on whether or not russia needs to go through another round of military mobilization. that is, that they need to widen the draft, and touch more ordinary families that so far have been somewhat insulated from the conflict. we are also seeing criticism from putin's right, so to speak. that he has not been decisive

enough. that he is protecting those who have led the failures in ukraine over the last number of months in -- and defense mister schwager has been a target of criticism. there has been criticism that putin has not done enough to crack down on the corruption in the russian military industrial complex. this is contributing to russian failures. this could lead to problems on his end. finally, the wildcard question of if and when economic sanctions against russia really begin to cut into the russian economy in such a way, to bring such a level of pain to the average russian household and also to the russian elites, that they might be inclined to pressure the kremlin to change course. amna: that war in ukraine, now more than 10 months on. that is the professor of national security at the u.s. naval or college -- war college joining us tonight. thank you. nikolas: thank you.

♪ geoff: tomorrow marks the start of a new congress, but the story at the capitol is a familiar one. chaos, this time inside the incoming republican house majority, as leader kevin mccarthy vies to become speaker of the house. following it all is our capitol hill correspondent, lisa desjardins. and white house correspondent, laura barron-lopez. let's jump right in. the start of the new congress is less than 24 hours away. kevin mccarthy does not have the votes to become house speaker. why not? who is standing in his way? lisa: let's start with good math. two absolutely -- has republicans come into the session of congress with 222 members. but to clinch the speakership, you need a majority of a house that is 218, that is easy enough. kevin mccarthy can spare all of his republicans except for four.

not yet on board with mr. mccarthy, 14 or more members of his own party say that they are not there yet. some of these groups say they are a hard now. there are others who came out with a letter, after mr. mccarthy proposed a sweeping amount of changes that they said they wanted, they said they are not there yet. here is an excerpt from that letter. they say they -- there continue to be missing commitments with respect to virtually every component of our entreaties. what does that mean? they don't trust him. they don't believe he is made -- he has made firm enough commitments. . talking with those members, the mood from those folks is let's go ahead and do it. one of them said, why not open this pandora's box? this is legislating. it is ok if there is a little chaos. the rest of the party may not agree. geoff: let's talk more about that. as you point out, leader mccarthy has given his skeptics everything they want, and yet that does not appear to be enough to get them to yes. lisa: that's correct.

one of the problems is while there are not the votes for kevin mccarthy, there are also not necessarily votes for anyone else. some of mr. mccarthy's allies have said, we will not support anyone else. here is a letter of his allies, what they wrote is, we are not only supporting kevin mccarthy for speaker, but we are not open to any so-called shadow consensus candidate. in addition, those members, some of them say they don't like the rules changes that the other conservatives want, which would mean individuals have more power to affect but disrupt the republican agend there is a difficulty. geoff: is there a viable alternative to kevin mccarthy if this vote goes to multiple ballots? the first time in some 100 years this would happen. is there someone waiting in the wings, someone could emerge? lisa: currently no one announced. we are watching some people, steve scalise, the number two in the house, there is an aaron sorkin type of dream of some

moderates of fred upton, a retired member of the house. you don't have to be a member to be speaker. i really think that is a fantasy. i don't see him being able to get is vote. some of the members who said they were never kevin today have been speaking out, here is bob good from virginia. they say they have some kind of candidate ready to go. >> i think you will see on the second ballot, an increasing number of members vote for a true candidate who can represent and motivate the base, inspire republicans across the country, get to 218 votes. lisa: who is this candidate? i don't know. the line between political reality and fantasy right now is very murky, and we don't know. we know tomorrow will be a long day. geoff: what is the white houses? the president will use this moment to draw a contrast. he will tout investments in infrastructure, while the republicans are here in washington trying to sort this out. laura: he is starting those

tours this week. president biden is going to go to covington, kentucky, and he will appear alongside senate minority leader mitch mcconnell, a big deal. biden is striking that contrast with mcconnell to show that t white house tells me the main messages are one, he cares about bipartisanship, and he will continue to care about that in demonstrating his track record for the foreseeable future. the second message they are trying to send is this year is going to be heavily focused on implementation, on the implementation of that infrastructure bill, inflation reduction act, and also of the semi conductors bill they saw pass. all of that, he is joined on the road this week as well with vice president kamala harris. as well as -- geoff: leader mcconnell. laura: they are spreading out across the country. as well as transportation, they are going to other parts of the

country. it is important to say mcconnell is striking a contrast himself. he does not do anything unintentionally. and he has made very clear that he does not like the chaos that republicans have been involved in, and that is potentially happening on the house gop site. geoff: is a divided republican party in the house -- how useful is that to the white house? especially as we head into an election year next year.of osel. laura: the white house is looking forward to -- although the sources i've spoken to, they are looking forward to the availability -- to the availability to strike that contrast. to show that now that republicans are in charge of one of the members of congress, and are they going to work with the president and the senate to accomplish anything? one thing they keep bringing up his this statistic that the past two democratic presidents that won reelection had a house gop to contend with, whereas the president that did not, jimmy

carter, lost reelection. they are looking forward to being more aggressive with this house gop at every turn. we have seen some of that since them in terms of they have tried to push back on trump's comnts about the insurrection, as well as a number of house gop comments. geoff: what are you going to be watching for tomorrow? lisa: i will be watching for the people standing up and announcing votes, and i will keep a tly on pen and paper. geoff: i'm sure you will. lisa desjardins, laura borough lopez, think you both. ♪ amna: months after pakistan's historic flooding that killed more than 1700 people, the south asian nation is still struggling to recover. and the united nations is warning it might have to suspend its food support program for flood victims next month because it is ruing out of money. fred de sam lazaro has the latest from one of the hardest hit provinces, sindh.

this story is produced in partnership with the pulitzer center and part of fred's series "agents for change." geoff: pakista is no stranger to flooding, but this time, the water never left. huge swathes of land, farms, and towns remain underwater. four months after the flood, this school, like so many others, remains inaccessible to students. its first floor, still completely inundated. the building used to be surrounded by rice fields. it is now surrounded by a lake. the school community is now scattered, among some of the 5 million people still living in flimsy shelters like these. >> our house is broken, and animal livestock has been lost, our homes have collapsed. my son died. we have nothing. we are just sitting here helpless. >> our house fell down. my brother died in the flood.

he fell in the river and died. fred: scientists blame a cataclysmic combination of glacier melts and monsoon rains, both intensified by climate change. it poured without interruption for days in a row, overwhelming a country that was ill prepared and under resourced. >> when we have these climate calamities, everyone is affected. but women and children are affected in particular. fred: she heads a foundation focused on development issues. >> in a society where social services are almost completely absent, and a lot of people survive on philip robie and charity. fred: the school is one example. one of 1800 run by a private charity called the citizens foundation. before the flood, some 700 children attended the school. now, only about half the students have returned to a makeshift, mostly outdoor facility in a community center. >> the children are an -- are in

extreme trauma. they are suffering from lots of difficulties. they don't have proper homes or food to achieve their goals. fred: this principle no longer have access to the library, school records, or electricity. but they persist. trying to bring some stability to the children's lives. how many children in the school today have eaten lunch? >> a lot of children have not eaten anything. fred: malnutrition has made it that must work -- that much worse by living condition. standing water has drowned crops and spawned pathogens. malaria, skin and diarrheal diseases have all soared. about 500 children have brought -- have been brought into e pediatric emergency room every single day. that is more than double the number prior to the flood. and they are coming in far cker this er is run by the childlike

foundation, a separate charity that partners with struging public hospitals to modernize pediatric emergency care across the country. >> we have seen gastroenteritis, pneumonia, and malaria. fred: the doctor works in the labor and delivery and neonatal units. >> but now, the malaria number has increased. they also have malnutrition, and also -- because a pregnant female, she is not having enough nutrition. fred: on this day, he was discharging four-month-old baby mohammed, who was rushed here by his parents in severe breathing distress. a day later wh antibiotics and oxygen therapy, he was stabilized, able to breast-feed and eat on his o.

the care package of nutrition supplements will help a bit, but young malala, seriously underweight at 4.5 pounds, was hardly in good health as his family brought him home from the hospital. to a tent that sits amid the rubble of the home they lost. it collapsed on the second day of the rains. already deep in debt for a motorcycle taxi business, his father has no idea how they will rebuild. >> the doctor has said that we have to be very careful of cleanliness. we have to keep the child warm. we have to ensure the child has medication. fred: doctor' instructions, they are not sure they can afford. two-year-old -- their two-year-old daughter has also had health problems, including malaria, says her grandmother who lives with the young family. >> it has been a tough time. i'm a mother.

my prayers are that my daughter has a good life. but she does not. weow pray our grandchildren will have better lives than their mother does. fred: whether that generational cycle of hope and despair for millions of families will be broken this time is an open question. see me come all is skeptical. >> we had floods 10 years ago we never learned anything from it. we don't have the political will to actually build the kind of local government we need, and government to be able to tackle these problems, and they are going to keep happening. that does not mean we don't take action. each one of us has to take action. by speaking, by writing, by supporting or lobbying for change. fred: officials say it may take until the early weeks of this year for the remaining water to disappear, or farmland to be farmed again.

for the pbs newshour, i am fred. amna: tomorrow, his next report will experience some of the reasons the flooding has been so bad and what could have been done to prevent another saster. is reporting is a partnership with the under told stories project at the university of st. thomas in minnesota. ♪ geoff: the start of the new year is bringing some new state laws. thousands of bills were passed in state legislatures last year. there are a few issues in particular that stand out for which a number of states have decided to take action. stephanie sy has a look at some of the changes on the way. stephanie: in the wake of the supreme court's decision overturning roe v. wade, son states have new laws taking effect to protect abortion services. >> the number one issue for me is women's rights and all of our

rights that are being slowly taken away from us. stephanie: that includes california and new york which would expand abortion care. but in tennessee, a new restriction on abortion went into effect that requires a licensed physician to prescribe abortion pills. tennessee already has a near total ban on abortion, alongside 12 other so-called red states. there is much less polarization around legalizing weed. last week, celebration erupted at the historic opening sale of new york's first marijuana dispensary. the state, which legalized cannabis last year, will now sell it to anyone over 21. recreational use of marijuana was also legalized in missouri and maryland. workers in at least 23 states will get higher paychecks this year as new minimum wage increases kick in. but the size of that increase varies. in nebraska, it has gone from $9

dollars to $10.50 an hour. and in washington d.c. it will hike up to $17 an hour in july. to alleviate the pain of inflation, kansas and virginia are lowering their sales taxes on groceries. and about two thirds of states also approved income tax cuts or rebates last year, with many taking effect this month. 2023 is expected to be yet another busy year on the state level, especially with divided federal government. reid wilson tracks this all closely as the founder and editor of the state news website pluribus news and he joins me now. happy new year. thank you for joining. i want to launch into this. several state legislatures addressed the abortion issue last year. how high does not remain on state legislatures priority list in this new year? reid: i think it will be tremendously high. we will see divergent states, red states and blue states of america. red states will try to continue

restricting abortion. that is bringing up an interesting conflict within the republican far -- party. how far do you go? and if altogether, should there be exceptions in cases of rape or incest, or even the life of the mother? blue states are moving ft to codify abortion and reproductive rights in their state constitutions, and a number of blue states are working on data privacy laws that would shield people who come to those states from red states, seeking a reproductive health care. and shield their data from red states that might try to prosecute them. stephanie: we just heard what some states are doing to try to alleviate inflation. what else are you seeing state legislatures do in terms of trying to compete economically with other states? reid: a decade ago when i started reporting on state politics, the story was about states competing for businesses, trying to land businesses in their states. now states are competing for workers. that is a seachange that is hard to describe the magnitude of.

the fact is in areas across the economy, there are massive worker shortages. thousands of teachers shortages. thousands of any fracture worker shortages. -- of manufacture worker shortages. as the baby boom generation retires, we will see those shortagesxacerbated. states are doi as they can to attract people to their borders, and to train up theext generation of workers. whether that is in community colleges or technical education, even reducing licensure requirements. states realize that a state without a workforce is a state that does not have much of an economic future. stephanie: i want to turn to other issues you mentioned in a post today. you are seeing states tackle the issue of mental health. what kinds of laws are you seeing considered around that issue? which we really saw come to the forefront during the pandemic. reid: it has only gotten worse during the pandemic.

the drug overdose crisis, the loneliness crisis in america, and more legislators are trying to figure out how to tackle what is the mammoth challenge of the next decade. how to build more facilities? have to get more people spotting those who might have mental health problems? whether it is at school, in terms of teachers and counselors, or in the workplace and beyond. one of the big crises that the mental health field is facing is a workforce challenge there are not enough doctors, nurses, providers who can staff the beds needed in these hospitals. i have been talking to legislatures who are 200, 300 doctors short in their own district. stephanie: you also mentioned in your blog election reform. this was a midterm election issue where you saw republican candidates talk about the need for stricter voting id laws. it appears you think that will be a theme for legislatures in 2023. reid: i see this as another issue where red america and glued -- blue america are

diverging. we will see red states tackling what they would call electric -- election integrity issues, voter id, limiti the number of early voting days,racking down on absentee ballots and the requirements for signatures and dates and things like that. in blue states, you will see a lot of expanding the franchise, trying to d early voting days, try to get more people to show up to vote. democrats think this election gave them a mandate to fix voting laws in america. we will see a lotf the blue states try to pursue that. there is a middle course. that middle course is something that would speed up the actual counting of elections. i think you will see democrats and republicans spending money on election administration, which is a core part of our democracy, but which is not always funded as well as it needs to be. if those funds come through, hopefully we will see ballots counted faster in the future. stephanie: should be an interesting year. the editor and founder of

pluralist news, thank you for joining the newshour. reid: thanks for having me. amna: three years into the pandemic, and yet another new subvariant of the coronavirus has emerged. as william brangham explains, it is spreading rapidly, and it's driving an uptick in new infections. william: the new omicron subvariant, known as xbb 1.5, now accounts for more than 40% of new covid infections here in the u.s -- the u.s., and around 75% of cases in the northeast. this new variant emerges while just over a third of americans 65 and older the most at-risk for severe outcomes have gotten the updated booster shot. as china deals with a massive surge in cases, this week the u.s. will require a negative covid test from passengers flying from china to the u.s. dr. jay varma is a physician and

epidemiologist. he is also a professor and director of the cornell center for pandemic prevention and response. great to have you back on the newshour. there are these various covid alarm bells that are ringing. cases are rising, some lolities are asking for masks to be put back on with mandates. now this new variant has emerged. how worried should we be about this variant? dr. varma: i think it is important for all americans to understand thathis is a very precarious time for our health-care system. we are dealing with new covid variance, we're dealing with a potential surge in it infections that might arise from infections around the world. . and we still have influenza and rsv to deal with. it don't thk americans should be unduly alarmed. this variant is going to cause similar apps and dow as we saw earlier this year. at the same time, it is yet another reminder about the

importance of vaccines and high-quality masks. william: the initial reports that have come out that xbb 1.5 might be more able to evade our immunity, either from vaccines or prior infection, those are not as alarming to you? dr. varma: what is concerning is that similar to these other omicron variant's, it is when to make people more likely to catch covid. similar to other variance, it does not appear that it will increase the risk of hospitalization and death beyond what has already happened in the past. more likely to get infected, but if you have vaccines and prior infections, you have a similar level of proction. if think the other thing that is worrisome is one part of our treatment arsenal, is no longer effective monoclonal antibodies. it leaves us with paxlovid, the one drug that widely available as our treatment option. william: i mentioned below booster rate for americans. beyond that, some places are

starting to require masks. as i've traveled around the country, and i'm sure you know this, most americans are not wearing masks and seem to have no interest in them again. i did see the mayor of your city was wearing a mask in a public space, an indoor space. i'm curious what you think the government's position ought to be with regards to masking? dr. varma: every time we think about public health, we think about what works scientifically, but also what is acceptable. anwhat is likely that people will do. and max -- and masks are the perfect example. we know a high quality mask will protect you, and we know if lots of people do it, it will reduce the stress on our alth care system. we also know a lot of americans are tired of wearing them. i like what is happening in new york where elected officials are modeling good behavior. we know social norms are important. even if you don't have a mandate. the other thing i wish governments were doing is making

high-quality masks widely available. just like we have toilet paper in every bathroom. does not mean you have to use it but it is another reminder, and reducing that friction so people who feel like they might want to wear one, have one always available. william: i mentioned, we know cases are searching in china, seemingly as they have somewhat done then a about-face on their zero covid policy. the biden administration says later this week, you need a negative test to get into the country from china. administration officials say this is a prudent and smart thing to do. one global health expert i spoke to said, he did not think it would have any real impact. what is your take on this? dr. varma: i am pretty skeptical that it will have any public health impact. there is so much covid transmission occurring in the u.s., but all over the world. most countries around the world have removed almost all of their covid mitigation strategies. even though china has an enormous population that is at

risk of getting infected over the next few months, i am not convinced that is likely to change the burden of disease in the u.s. william: so much of the country seemingly has moved on from talk of covid or action against covid . what should the government's response be in that case? dr. varma: it is a very natural human phenomena. trying to wear masks, get vaccinated, be cautious takes work and work is exhausng. i do feel government has a responsibility to remind americans about how many people are dying every day, because it is important to stay up-to-date on your vaccines and half masks and test available when you need them. in my own personal life, had dinner with my wife and a few friends at our home the other night, and they were not aware that 15 to 20 new yorkers are dying every day for the past several week from covid. i think it is important for government to remind people. . as i mentioned before, to make

tools such as tests, masks, and drugs frictionless. so everyone has access. william: jay varma jay varma dr., always -- dr. jay varma, great to have you. dr. varma: thank y for having me. amna: much is known about the storied career of legendary journalist barbara walters, who died over the weekend at the age of 93. but less is known about who she was as a person and the high cost her professional success took on her personal life. for a fuller picture of the iconic broadcaster's life on camera and off, we're joined by susan page, the author of an upcoming biography of walters. welcome back. good to see you. you have been interviewing a number of people sharing accounts about barbara walters and her life. . you have been reporting on this for almost two years. talk about the earliest days of her career.

there were not a lot of women in the business. how did she do it? susan: she did it by being the hardest working, most persistent person you can imagine. she overcame impossible obstacles, including the fact that she did not speak very well. she had this odd speaking pattern and yet she managed to succeed in this business against all odds. amna: her big break came when she was named cohost of nbc's today show. how did she land that job? susan: she was working on the today show with the host who did not like her, did not think of her as a real journalist. he went to the head of the network and got a rule set that when they were doing an interview, he would ask the first three questions, and only then was shellowed to speak. she lived by that, she then started doing interviews outside the studio in an effort to be able to ask the first question. frk mcgee unexpectedly died in 1974 of cancer. he was in his 50's. no one knew he was so ill.

nbc announced they would be looking for a new host for the today show. barbara walte' agent called and said, you mean cohost? they had put in her last contract a provision that said if frank mcgee leaves for any reason, barbara walters will become cohost. something the nbc executives have not paid much attention to. that is how she broke that first barrier, the first woman to be a cohost at a morning show. today, you can imagine a morning hose that would not have a woman on the air. amna: was she competitive? susan: she was fiercely competitive. she had to be. men and women at that job, she had to be especially so. she was constantly working to get the big interviews, one of the things she made into an art. when she was trying to interview arc david chapman, she wrote to him in prison for 12 years for he agreed to give his first tv interview to her. amna: she was known for her relentless work ethic.

that had to take a toll on her relationships. how did that impact professional relationships and her personal life? susan: wehink of the accolades she is getting is this wonderful groundbreaker, cut a path for so many women. but it was not free. three marriages, three divorces, she was estranged from her only daughter but they eventually reconciled. her work always came first. everyone around her understood that. amna: did she ever express regret about that, or a wish that she may have done things differently? susan: she would talk about, did i make a mistake. but then she said, if i had not ne this, i would not have gotten where i am. i think she was not a woman given too many regrets. amna: you have spoken to how many people? susan: more than 100. amna: did anything you have heard a surprising? susan: a lot of it has. one of it is how hard she has worked. another is how -- she was very competitive with women like diane sawyer, who she felt a rivalry. but to women like connie chung

and lynch year, they have told me stories about how helpful she was to them in their careers. amna: over the course of that career, 50 years working in this industry, she moved across news and entertainment, she innovated a lot as well. when you look at the industry, where is her mark today, and tell me about what happens to her life after she left working in television? susan: she spans the whole story of the rise and the challenges that network television has faced. she innovated the blending of news and entertainment. not everybody thought that was a good idea,ut it is undeniable that has happened. she defined the big interview get, including monica lewinsky, an interview that got nearly 50 million people to watch her. she was 67 yea old at a time almost everybody would be retiring, she created the view, a whole new form of tv talkshow. one that 25 yrs later is still going strong. amna: was she ok being out of

the spotlight? susan: it was, hard for her to retire it was hard for her to step away. shwas in her 80's when she retired. she had a long time where her health failed, where she was increasingly isolated. i'm sure it was hard for her to not be on tv. amna: we have lost one of the greats. can't wait to read many of those stories in your biography of her. thank you so much. susan: thanks so much. ♪ geoff: a major american composer with her own deeply american story to tell his receiving recognition for a lifetime of work. jeffrey brown talks to newly minted honoree tonya leon for her -- our arts and culture series, "campus." >> a work titled "stride," based on the struggles of women for

equal rights, it is a celebration of achievement. composed by tania leon, it was commissioned by the new york philharmonic, and won the pulitzer prize for music in 2021. there she was at the leon comer saving more recognition for a lifetime as a pathbreaking composer. known for mixing traditional orchestral sounds and latin rhythms. >> pull back your temple. jeffrey: and as a conductor and advocate for contemporary music in all its diversity. as she put it recently at her home in nyack, new york, she has alys lived in a state of wonder. tania: i keep talking about the fact that, yes, my spirit resides here, but through my eyes is little tania looking out. it's like, oh my god, look at

this, look at that. jeffrey: and now you are looking at older tania getting all kinds of honors. tania: it is unimaginable. jeffrey: now 79, she has been performing and having her worked performed for many decades. but she easily recalls the working class havana neighborhood where she grew up. her grandmother and mother had worked as ids as children, but when leon showed an early love of music, her family made sure she would have opportunities, including music lessons in a conservatory beginning at age 4. tania: i call it the tania project. jeffrey: you were the project? tania: exactly right. jeffrey: the original goal, to be a concert pianist. she got an accounting degree as well, just in case. but in 1967, at age 24, she left castro's cuba alone, a refugee on what were known as freedom flights, and essentially started over in new york.

a chance meeting with famed dancer and choreographer arthur mitchell, founder of the adance theater of harlem, changed everything. when he invited her not only to play piano but to compose the music for a ballet. tania: i saw the entire thing on stage and the recording, which i was pianist in the recording, and the lights and the audience in the whole thing. and i said, oh my god. jeffrey: tania: you were hooked. yes. jeffrey: she has gone on to compose some 40 chamber works, ten orchestral pieces, one opera, and numerous solo piano works. but early on, a comment from her father ao helped change her sound. tania: my father, the last time i saw him, he said my music was very interesting. but where are you and your music? jeffrey: where are you and your music? tania: exactly. he perceived that something was missing of the tania that he knew. it was my intuition in a way, to realize that there were a lot of

things that i knew about rhythm, about syntax, about traces of influence of the cuban music, that i could use in my music if i wanted. jeffrey: you have circled something. tania: i definitely like this combination. jeffrey: leon sketches out short sequences and passages in a notebook she always carries, and then tries them out at the piano. eventually, some will make it to her scores. tania: when i get an idea, i write it somewhere. jeffrey: the ideas can and do come anytime and anywhere, including while shopping for groceries. you mean, between the oranges and bananas, you hear a passage of music? tania: yes, maybe. ybe i am dealing with the oranges and the bananas, but my mind or my subconscious is working out something. and then hear it. and when i hear that clear, and i say, wait a minute, i have to

write this down. if somebody see me writing music in the middle of the grocery, they probably think, is she ts? [laughter] jeffrey: a strong sense of humor, a strong sense of purpose and determination. as a woman of color in the classical model -- classical muc culture that has not traditionally been open to either, she has needed both, and pushed for more opportunities for herself and others, at the podium and as composers. tania: there have been all kinds of instances, you know, of people saying things that perhaps -- jeffrey: what were you being told? tania: you know, that i mean, a woman of color conducting an orchestra? hmm? . jeffrey: she developed close relations with mentors including leonard bernstein. and founded an organization called composers now, to foster more diversity in new music, and serve as a mentor in her own right. tania: i'm not the kind of person that gets impressed when somebody is predicting my

future. i just smile and say, who are you to tell me what is going to happen with me? that kind of thing. and i think that that comes from the encouragemt that i got from my family. for them, it could do anything. and that was very, very inspiring, because now that they are not around, i still hear them telling me, you can do it. i'm just me. and this is the way i look like. and i have no problem as far as the way i look like. jeffrey: you mean, you refuse to be put into a box. tania: no, no. i think labels is the worst thing you can do for a human being. jeffrey: but people do want to label you. tania: i have been labeled -- i am a rare bird. even that one. [laughter] jeffrey: not until 2010, 43 ford -- 43 years after she left, was her music played in cuba. and in 2016, she returned as composer and conductor, leading the national symphony orchestra

of cuba. and today, she continues to receive commissions at home and abroad. jeffrey: how important has it been to you to expand the audience for classical music? tania: because of accessibility. people didn't realize that there are composers that look like me, you see. and that there is an opportunity to understand why i do what i do, why i write what i write, and the minute that they get this close to me as a human being, all of a sudden they start listening to the music, first as a curiosity, and then beuse they know me. jeffrey: leon is currently working on an orchestral piece and another t to a text by former poet laureate rita dove. for the pbs newshour, i am jeffrey brown in nyack, new york. amna: it is great to see her get

this overdue and long deserved recognition. amna: i love the advice from her dad, put yourself into your music. geoff: there is a lot more online at pbs.org/newshour including a story about an effort to make tabletop games more inclusive. amna: join us again here tomorrow night for the latest on capitol hill as republicans take control of the u.s. house and vote on the next house speaker. that is the newshour for tonight. i am amna nawaz. geoff: i am geoff bennett. thanks for spending part of your evening with us. >> major funding for the "pbs newshour" has been provided by -- >> for 25 years, consumer cellular's goal has been to provide wireless service that helps people communicate and connect. we offer a variety of no contract plans and our u.s.-based customer service team can help find one that fits you. to learn more, visit consumercellular.tv. >> the landscape has changed,

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♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -today on "america's test kitchen," becky makes bridget a hearty cauliflower and bean paella, jack challenges julia to a taste test of meat-free burgers, lisa reviews cutting-board stabilizers, and elle makes julia vegan baja-style cauliflower tacos. it's all coming up right here on "america's test kitchen."