>> good evening, welcome. >> on the news hour. the u.s. and germany agreed to send tanks to the ukraine. a major boost to the nation's war effort. >> house speaker kevin mccarthy blocks out democrats from key committees, sparking partisan outrage on capitol hill. >> young volunteers worked to counteract the mental health crisis among their peers. >> we are like a sidekick, the person has the option to do what they do, they are the hero of the story, we are there to assist them. >> major funding for the pbs

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together. supported by the john d and catherine t macarthur foundation. committed to building a more just and peaceful world. and with the ongoing support of these 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. >> welcome to the newshour. for the first time today, the u.s. announced it will send american tanks to ukraine as part of a coordinated announcement with germany that will also send its tanks. >> a shift in u.s. policy in one of the most significant weapons upgrades ukraine has been asking for. >> ukraine calls them the

critical weapon systems to recapture its own territory. western tanks. today, the u.s. pledged 31 abrams tanks. germany approved nearly 100 leopard two tanks. president biden at the white house. >> ukrainians are fighting the age-old better -- battle. the battle americans have fought proudly time it again. a battle we will make sure the rainians are well equipped to fight, as ll. >> the german chancellor in berlin. >> there really is a war going on in europe. not far away from here. that is what we do wh is necessary. >> a half-dozen european countries to send their german leopard tanks. the goal is to create battalions for a few thousand ukrainian

soldiers in the next two or three months. it would be a major upgrade to ukraine's mostly soviet era armor. the ukrainian president called it a historic achievement. >> we have to form a fist of tanks, a fist of freedom that will not allow tierney to arise again. >> germany's announcement men's a european rift exposed by poland and others angered over germany's prior resistance. >> the germans are defending themselves against this like the devil to protect themselves against ly water. >> they were waiting to send a new capacity to ukraine until the u.s. took the step with them. >> it is right we did not let ourselves be driven and we instead counted and will continue to count on close cooperation for such an issue. >> very clear the german government doesn't want to take a major step they feel may be a cause of escalation.

>> the president of the german marshall fund says the fears of education over running european in world war ii to hesitate. >> a historically difficult moment. for the germans to be sending them back into the theater. they feel stronger and more capable while the u.s. is standing behind them. >> the u.s. took the step with them, even though it called the abrams tank unsustainable for ukraine as recently as friday. the challenges >> >> it is is -- the challenge is it is expensive, it is difficult to sustain, and has a huge turbine engine that requires jet fuel. >> none of these excuses were compelling. >> retired general ben hodges's commander of the u.s. army in europe. he argues the timeframe announced to deliver abrams in

months, perhaps a year, is not fast enough. >> i'm disappointed. the amount of time it took to get to this decision, and the way the decision will be implemented, does not convey a sense of urgency the administration wants ukraine to win anytime soon. >> could the u.s. have gone faster? >> we always have a choice. if you want me to win, i will take the closest tanks i've got, those that are in storage on the ground in europe. >> nearly 90 tanks that could be deployed within weeks. >> the troops on those a gram -- abrams tanks that train, do gunnery, and put them on trains and send them to the front. >> the front may prove ukraine's biggest challenge yet. ukraine has recaptured some territory in the east and in the south. but ruian forces have been digging in. recapturing the occupied

territory will require a lot of firepower. that is why the u.s. and european priority is the leopards. >> they played a key role if they get there in the next two or three months. >> president zelenskyy said the key is speed and volume. how quickly and how many tanks can be supplied to ukraine. to discuss this, i'm joined by the coordinator for strategic communications for the national security council. welcome back to the newshour. why have the defense department procured abrams tanks, a process that can take months, rather than have abrams tanks already in europe, sent to ukraine? the pentagon took a look at this, and said there are no excess tanks in the u.s. inventory. and even if there were, to provide drawdown authority, take them off of the tarmac and move

them in, would requirements of preparation to get them ready to go into ukraine. things thewould need to do to the tanks themselves. not to mention the training that needs to happen for the ukrainian soldiers. also the important component, the sound but you played kind of got us this. very capable, sophisticated symptom -- systems. the supply chain issue. and so that ukrainian maininers can fix these things in a battlefield environment swiftly and efficiently. a lot goes into this. they looked at this, and procuring new tanks will not make much of a difference in the timeframe than if they were to try and draw them off of stocks. they did not find any excess. >> you mentioned the top defense department policy official. i had him just a few days ago. explaining why the abrams tanks

is unsustainable to ukraine. what changed between friday and today to make it more sustainable? >> nothing has changed. the challenge is he put -- still there. we are open and honest about how sophisticated the system is and how hard it will be for any military to operate and maintain. there are foreign militaries who use abrams tanks. it is just that sophisticated a system. tanks have never been off of the table. we have been discussing tanks with the ukrainians, allies and partners for many months. what is different now, big changes, the conditions on the battlefield. more particularly, the conditions we think the ukrainians and the ukrainians think they will be facing as the weather turns better, as spring comes, and we can assume the russians will try and regain a sense of momentum. >> those concerns existed a f

days ago when we heard administration officials say the tank was unsustainable. given that you believe there is still the same concerns you have been talking about for days, did the president authorize these tanks explicitly so germany would authorize? >> we moved in lockstep with germany. it is a coordinated announcement. we are grateful for that. for germany's contributions. it was also the results of weeks of discussions about this particular capability and other armored capabilities. it is about making sure the ukrainians have what they need, the tools they need to conduct effective combined arms operations we think they will conduct in the spring and summer months. the tanks were a part of that. so it was done in close coordination with the germans. >> you say ukraine, give ukraine what it needs. ukraine needs 300 tanks between the abrams we are talking about and the leopards.

give or take about 100. why not give more? >> i missed the last question. >> you said ukraine has stated what it needs. you are getting ukraine what it needs. it needs 300 tanks bridget -- 300 tanks. we are only talking about 100 or so. you are not giving them what they need even after today's announcements? >> that is our focus right now. those that will take months to get into ukraine and the germans have committed to two more battalions. that gets you up to about 90. we will keep talking to ukrainians. but we know they have real needs. we are working in lockstep with them. real timing with them to provide capabilities they need. >> before the announcement, some german officials raised concerns

about giving tanks would lead to russian escalation. why do you think giving u.s. and european tanks will not lead to russian escalation? >> we are always concerned about the possibility for escalation. we can all agree having the war escalate and become something like vladimir putin claims it is, the west versus russia, that is not good for the russian people, our national security interests, and certainly not for ukrainian people. we have obviously been mindful of escalation management since the beginning. with every system we provide. we factor the calculus into that. as the president said, and he was very clear, the tanks represent no offensive threat to russia. they do, however, present a threat to russian forces illegally in ukraine and they should take note. there is no offensive threat to russian homeland, so there will be no reason for the russians to

overreact. >> the goal here is to get the leopards into ukraine in the next two or three months. they have to be trained, they have to create these battalions of various different tanks. is it realistic germany and the other european countries can pull it off? >> yes. we have been in close contact with the germans and other nations that have leopard tanks. and we are confident. i don't want to get ahead of them. but we are confident they will be able to get into ukraine leopard tanks at a faster rate than we will be able to get the abrams. in these tanks are very good, very capable. there is a lot on the european continent. they can have a more near-term impact. >> i only got less then minute left. he announced his first major anticorruption shakeup. the deputy chief of staff,

multiple ministers, prosecutors all out of a job. the u.s. said there is no evidence the money was part of what the u.s. has given, but does it concern you corruption has historically existed? >> certainly, we take the corruption allegationsz seriously. -- allegations seriously. the president has taken action. we don't have any indication any of our systems, financial or security, otherwise, has been involved in this. that is where we are working closely with the ukrainians on issues of accountability, particularly over the weapon systems we provide, boosting up capability at the embassy to do exactly that, to monitor and do the best we can to provide appropriate oversight and accountability with systems we are providing ukraine. >> thank you very much.

>> in the days other headlines, the suspect accused of killing seven people in back-to-back to back shootings in northern california at his first court appearance. he will face seven counts of murder and one count of attempted murder for the attacks in half moon bay. vice president harris headed to southern california to meet with victims families and monterey park. saturday's mass shooting left 11 dead. a virginia teacher shot by a first grader says school officials were warned three times that day that the child had a gun. the lawyer made the allegation today as she announced plans to sue the newport news school district. >> was shot in front of the horrified kid and the school and community are living the nightmare. all because the administration failed to act. where they not so paralyzed by

apathy they could have prevented this tragedy. >> she's still recovering from the attack. the school had no comment today on the allegation. a new report on mass attacks urges communities and businesses to intervene when they see warning signs. the secret service studied 173 incidents from 23 to 2020. all involving men using guns. the agency found two thirds of the attackers had previously shown concerning behavior that should have been addressed. it also set about half of the attacks were motivated by personal grievances. in lebanon, the top prosecutor ordered all suspects released in the 2020 report explosion that killed more than 200 people. the latest blow to the long stalled investigation and families of the victims were irate. somehow pictures of their dead relatives outside of the police station. they insisted again the ruling elite be called to account.

>> sadly in this country, those who demand justice are detained and criminals are walking free. we are the families of the victims. our loved ones were killed while they are with their children and evading justice. >> it was caused by hundreds of tons of highly explosive ammonium nitrate start at the site. calls for accountability have been fueled by fruration with lebanon's ruling factions rife with corruption and mismanagement. tensions remain high in peru's capital after the largest and most violent antigovernment protest yet. police fired tear gas at thousands of demonstrators. protesters rejected the call for a truce. instead demanding her resignation. more than 50 people have died in almost two months of unrest across peru. the number of migrants from cuba, haiti, nicaragua, and venezuela encountered at the u.s. southern border has dropped sharply.

the homeland security department reports it is down 97% since early december from a daily average of nearly 3400 to just 115. a new biden administration plan accepts 30,000 migrants a month from those countries through legal channels. otherwise, automatically expelled. the united nations is projecting world economic growth will increase just 1.9% this year. it would be down sharply from an estimated 3% in 2022. also one of the lowest rates in decades. the report cites the war in ukraine and continued effects of the pandemic. on wall street, stocks veered between worries about keeping corporate profits up and hopes of averting a recession. the dow jones industrial gained about 10 points to close near 33,744. the nasdaq fell 21 points. s&p 500 lost a fraction of a point. still to come.

the latest wave of mass shootings again sparks debate for access in the u.s. pope francis speaks out ainst laws that criminalize homosexuality. washington state implements a new plan to fight domestic extremism, plus much more. >> this is the pbs newshour from w eta studios in washington, and in the west from the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. >> historic levels of drama over the first few weeks of the new congress. legislative leaders just beginning to get into the day on capitol hill. lisa is here to break down what is happening and what is to come. take us through these first actions in congress. especially moves around the committees. why does it matter? >> the first weeks, what happens now sets the tone.

also the leadership decisions being made. i'm going to start with committees. those are the driving force, the blood that pumps congress. already we see from kevin mccarthy big decisions. he kept up his pledge to remove democrats from the intelligence community. partisanship, combat, mccarthy said the reason he removed adam schiff's because he claims he lied about intelligence, that centers around former president trump. he says it was the impeachment effort, that is what he knew. the other is eric swaell. our intelligence agencies say he was targeted by what they say was a chinese spy. there is no evidence i have seen he did anything wrong. he reported his contact once therwas a problem. he says all of these questions are too much. >> i will put the national

security ahead of partisan politics any day. i don't care if they are in my party or not. integrity matters. we will make the committee back to what it was supposed to be. >> mr. mccarthy and republicans are also working to remove another house democrats representative, ill hung omar, due to remarks he made in the past about israel. she apologized in the past. she spoke to us and said the removals or just politics. >> is not the accusations mccarthy is making against us that is pushing for a removal from these committees. it is about revenge. it is about appeasing the former president. all three of us have been a thorn in the back of the previous disgraced president. >> it is not clear house republicans have the vote to

remove her. some republicans say it is going too far. it is undetermined. it sets a tone of you, me, we are against each other, not working together. there is some bipartisanship when it cos to committees. let's go through these quickly. a new committee on competition with china overwhelming. i believe you will be talking about it more coming up. more partisan communities, one called the weaponization of the federal government. that is to look at recent investigations and one of the coronavirus pandemic. the subcommittee with taylor green. she has raised questions about vaccines, those kinds of things, it will do with the origins of the coronavirus. >> quite a tone they are setting. talking about one specific congressman, george santos. following a lot of headlines about him. several pieces of his resume. where does he stand right now? >> this was my video of him

today as i was asking questions. he did not answer many questions. he said he's working on nominations to military academies. what we have seen is republicans in a difficult position. republicans in this district. they have asked him to resign. he is refusing. speaker mccarthy said he will not take an awful committees, but he will move to remove him if the ethics committee finds he has done something illegal. it takes two thirds of the house to remove a member. he's nowhere near that. for now, he's safe, republicans need his votes. but they admit he is an embarrassment. >> take the big picture look at this. the early ideas for this agenda in this congress, what are they going to do? >> house republicansade

announcements. border security will be a big initial push for them. they were hopingefore it would take a bit longer than they expected. look for that issue to dominate, especially on the house side. republicans are changing the process. we will see a bill about the strategic petroleum reserve being built in real-time on the house floor. any memory will be able to propose amendments, it will take more than a day to work through the dozens of them newman's. it will be messy. republicans say it is the point. i want to point to something else. big issues, many small issues. thousands of groups on capitol hill lobbying for things that will affect them and add to millions of people. this is about the congressman from california. they say he's bad for startups. this is a group called u.s.

inventor. they don't want him heading up a subcommittee on intellectual property. guaranty we are the only ones talking about it tonight. these inventors say the person who runs the subcommittee will dictate whether they can get profits from their own inventions or not. he said he's for reform, and someone harmed one way or another, he doesn't want to harm investors. but this is happening now. the leader decisions, who runs the subcommittees. those decisions happening as we speak. >> a lot has already happened. >> as vice president harris meets with the families of those killed in the monterey park california shooting, many grappling with the toll it is taking on their community. personal memorials in the city

and half moon bay. the site of a second mass shooting are growing. beyond the reflection, many say it is a moment yet again to focus on gun access. john yang has that part of the story. >> it is a number that bears repeating. this year is only 25 days old, and there have already been at least 40 mass shootings in the u.s. more this january than any other january in nearly a decade. for asian americans, it has been especially painful. all 11 victims in the monterey park shooting were of asian descent. gloria is the senior vice president of moms rising. a group that works on gun safety. a key member of the a api against gun violence coalition. i know you had a news conference earlier today, your group acknowledged in that that there is no one single solution for these mass shootings. but are there any changes you

think could be done quickly to make a difference? >> we need comprehensive gun policy reform. that will not happen because we have a culture problem. big resistance in any kind of reform. the fact high-capacity magazines and assault weapons are in civilian circulation is a symptom of that problem. i would love to see a ban on that. if we can accomplish it quickly, we would be moving in the right direction. >> how do you address the bigger issue? in a gun culture, the culture part of the problem. >> there is a culture that pretty much believes everyone should have a gun. and it doesn't matter if you are not trained, it doesn't matter if you don't store it right, and that culture is a problem. that culture is part of the opposition to any kind of gun reform.

we have to dominate the comprehensive reform until we can change that culture, we will not get it. >> since the pandemic began, we have seen reports that more asian americans are buying guns in response to the threats and the actual incidents against asian americans. does it give you concern? >> i'm very concerned about that. asian americans have had the lowest rates of gun ownership. because of that, we've had the lowest rates of gun violence in our communities. thlowest rates of gun injury and gun death. we would like to keep it that way. on the more guns within our community, the more likelihood there will be this kind of --in our community. >> how do you address their fears and concerns of violence against the community. >> every person experiences this

kind of trauma differently. it makes you feel safer. i don't really push hard against it. but the actual defensive use of guns is really not high. the fact they increase the risk. we need to hold each other closer. and we try to do the best we can to be safe and to feel safe. >> you say when the guns are around, the greater chance of harm. we focus so much on mass shootings. access to guns leads to higher incidence of suicide. you have pointed out the rate of suicide, -- suicide is the leading cause of death among asian americans age 15 to 24.

how do we address it? >> when a gun is involved, the likelihood of success rises dramatically. in our low gun owned community, try and make sure they are not accessible. we don't want to see the accessibility of guns actually lead to higher rates of successful suicide. >> we talked about the need for stricter gun safety laws. in the last two weeks, we have seen three mass shooting > in california, gun laws actually work. california is the largest statement in the country. they have the eighth lowest rate on guns. so it works. the problem is, the guns flow

from state to state, it is easy to get a gun. we need natural reform in order to decrease gun violence everywhere, including states where there already gun laws. california would have a lower gun violence if we did not have that. >> moms rising in aapi against gun violence. thank you so much. >> pope francis and the wide-ranging interview with the associated press spoke at length about his health, critics, and future of the papacy. most notably, he called laws criticizing homosexuality fundamentally unjust, aching clear in the mind of the leader of the catholic church, being homosexual is not a crime. >> we are all children of god.

and god loves us as we are. and for the strength for which we fight for our dignity. being homosexual is not in crime. but it is a sin. we first have to distinguish a sin from a crime. but a sin is also the lack of charity with another. >> we are joined by paul ely, senior fellow with the berkeley center for religion, peace, georgetown university. also contribute in writer for the new yorker. how should we understand the pope's remarks that being homosexual is not a crime? even as stands by catholic teaching, which says homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered and a sin. how does the pope distinguish between the two? >> across 10 years, he has tried to make a distinction between the church doctrine. and the activities of children

right up to dealing with ordinary people. one of the most difficult challenges has to do with homosexuality. he is again and again trying to emphasize the pastoral dimension, the role of clerics right up to dealing with homosexuality, gay people, and the issues raised. he is trying to do it incrementally, often through interviews. >> how significant a moment is it for the catholic church? >> it is easy to overestimate the significance of any one moment. he is an incrementalist. he's used this approach a number of times. addressing laws against gay people, discrimination, and the effected aggregate is substantial change in tune and attitude when it comes to the approach. >> the pope is set to visit south sudan, one of the roughly 67 countries around the world

that criminalizes homosexuality. there are roughly one dozen states that still have anti-sodomy laws on the books. how might the remarks influence policy. >> it is hard to stay in a general way when there are -- involved. guess homosexuality in doing so has drawn on public knowledge for the catholic church that has stood behind them. >> does it bring the church any closer to acknowledging members of the lgbtq community as practicing catholic who can receive sacraments? >> i think it does. we don't know the future.

i think the church is changing. it is an expression of that change and is hoping to bring about the end. i think the church is moving very gradually and even timidly in that direction. >> in the same interview, pope francis spoke about the criticism he's received from conservative cardinals and bishops, and he acknowledged a rash that bothers you a little bit. talk about the criticism he's faced from traditionalists for prioritizing social justice issues, like poverty, migration, the environment. >> he's faced criticisms from his positions. i would say the criticism coming up from pope francis is more deeply rooted. what they especially don't like about his approach is he in effect is looking the way most catholics are, kind of

uncertainty. trying to find a satisfactory, sensible way to live between doctrines, many of them in the past and the way our lives are unfolding. >> how has he set the tone for a different kind of papacy? >> i think in so many ways. the stress on mercy, wrath and judgment, the termination the church should go to the margins, the central part of the experience. it is like the one he gave nicole winfield today. he's used casual conversations, speaking freely as a way to communicate. previous folks have not done it so extensively or quite so casually. >> senior fellow with the berkeley center for religion, peace and world affairs, thank you for your time.

>> it has been over a year since the u.s. surgeon general issued a dire warning about the state of young american mental health. digging deeper into the crisis, william gum recently traveled to oregon, ranking among the worst states for youth mental illness and access to care. he found a system facing heavy burdens. it is part of the new series early warnings. america's youth mental health crisis. we want to let you know in advance it includes discussion of suicide and depression. >> it feels like a rec room with string lights and beanbag chairs, and often sounds like one. but what is happening here is a unique approach helping young people in crisis. is is the call center for

youth line in portland, where teenagers field calls from other teenagers who are struggling. >> brave of you to reach out about something so difficult. >> a group of volunteers staff the helpline daily, taking calls, texts. they run the gamut. >> a long time -- >> when they are experiencing a crisis, it can mean lots of things. it can be something smaller like relationship struggles or friendship issues, but it could also be more acute crisis is. >> each volunteer gets more than 16 hours of training. masters level supervisors are constantly on standby in the room listening in and reading along. to step in if a conversation gets too serious. >> we are not medical professionals, we are a psychic -- sidekick.

there is a person that has opons to do what they want to do. >> research suggests teams cope better with stress when they interact with their peers rather than adults. so volunteers listen, empathize, and if needed, help figure out a plan for getting care. only in rare cases do they contact emergency services. >> we have a much better perspective on what it is like to be a teenager and the complexities it comes with. and the strain it can put on your mental health. >> the need is clearly growing. they started over 20 years ago. in 2013, received roughly 1400 contacts, many coming from in-state. by 2021, things had exploded with almost 25,000 contacts for those across the country. is it a good idea to have teams field these calls and what impact might it be having on the

volunteers themselves? emily moser is the youth line director. >> woven into all of the mentoring and training are these safeguards for these young people that we have conta information for their parents, we can reach out to them if they need to. every day after every shift. >> the capacity that can help other young people. it is easy for us to say they can't do that, but they can. >> he has been a youth line volunteer for more than 10 months. >> everyone tries to go immediately like you can't solve everyone's issues. the biggest difference between what we are trying to do and what anyone else is. >> she has faced mental health challenges like many here. she was diagnosed with depression and anxiety in seventh grade. >> it is so much harder than you

would imagine it to be. it feels like lifting 1000 pounds trying to get up. >> the news came as a shock for her mother. >> they get everything. what could -- depression like that? my heart sank immediately. >> she started their peak, tried medication, and saw a drastic improvement. now not only does she volunteer with youth line, she can also sense when something seems off with friends or classmates. >> you think there is a real crisis among youth now? >> yes, i think it is very rare i meet someone and they are not struggling with mental health. >> the state audit in 2020, organs mental health system with many children and families in crisis. due to among other issues, severe staff shortages, data, and fragmented delivery.

that was even before it exasperated the issues. >> services all right now. nick is a pediatric psychiatric social worker. where they saw a surge of young people who attempted suicide. >> at one point, my supervisor told me our hospital -- 33%. one third of an entire hospital at one point was acute psychiatric kids needing a high level of care. >> it is not something you budgeted for the year before? >> you have certain floors with highly trained nurses and pediatricians taking care of infants and babies. now those nurses are having to take care of a seven-year-old with a suicide attempt that is highly aggressive and angry.

>> 18-year-old sam adamson began having suicidal thoughts when he was just 11. >> i would say a rare amount of times where i felt truly happy. >> the scariest part was when the idea of suicide became almost second nature. >> wondering what i'm having for dinner, i'm going to kill myself, i want water, you skip over this massive thought when you look back on the fact you were thinking i'm going to kill myself in a very subtle second. that is terrifying. >> his mom says finding the right care for him was terrifying, too. >> we were fortunate to have insurance, to be part of a health system that is very well resourced. frankly, i had a job in health care where i knew -- >> you knew how to navigate.

>> even with all of that, when you call and you are told in six weeks, at a minimum, before they can see you. that seems impossible. >> last year, when sam was a senior, he called his parents from school. >> he said i want to go and jump off of the fourth floor. there is something wrong hearing your child wear at the moment he should havehe most hope and opportunity wants to stop wants to participate in the world. it was scary and broke my heart. >> sam went to the emergency room and ultimately enrolled in an outpatient treatment program at providence st. vincent medil center. >> it only happens for a certain

amount of weeks. you essentially take it like a class and took notes. >> these are tools that you use -- >> i use it on a daily basis. i still have notes upstairs in my backpack that i flipped through. i remember the details of talking with my therapist, but i do remember us going over what strategies to use during certain occasions. if i did have those things, i don't know if i would be sitting here. the fact is it makes me a miracle. and miracles don't always happen. that gives me a mix of anger, frustration, and a bit of fear and pain. just knowing that there are people who aren't that lucky. >> organizations are trying to fill the gaps and help more people get care. they are looking to broaden the diversity of their volunteers

and expand nationally. despite difficult calls and long days, volunteers find the experience invaluable. >> even if it is just like that tiny push, or somebody is off of the ledge, it can be that one person, we have done what we need to do. i was able to help one person from committing suicide, that is all a need for the rest of my life. >> for the pbs newshour, william bring them. >> anyone experiencing a mental health crisis by calling the suicide and crisis lifeline at 988. >> the nationwide network of student journalists has been tackling the issue of teen mental health as part of their award-winning podcast. >> teenagers, olympic athletes, young inventors, activists. >> we come from so many backgrounds and are the most

connected we have been. >> we have our own set of challenges. >> depression, anxiety, and stress on the rise. >> we are not in it alone. >> on our minds as a podcast about the teenage experience. >> how to better understand themselves. >> made by teens for teens. >> it includes teen hosts and covers topics such as grades. >> coming up. >> eating disorders. >> self-esteem. >> cultural identity. >> the things we as teenagers face. we also talk with psychologists, musicians, authors, and athletes to get advice about mental health and well-being. >> there is a lot on our minds and talking about it helps. >> it is a project of a pbs newshour student reporting lab. >> listen where you get your podcast. >> four members of the antigovernment group the oath keepers were convicted of conspiracy this week for their role in the january 6

insurrection. shining the light on the dangerous rise of domestic extremism in america. lauren burrell lopez looks at what the state is doing to combat the forces and how it could be a model for the nation. >> and washington state, legislators held public hearings to form a domestic violent extremist condition -- division to make washington the first in the nation to target extremism number with public health and civic engagement approach. the attorney general's office authored the study that recommends the commission and other steps to prevent domestic terrorism and hate crimes. here to discuss is bob ferguson. thank you for joining us. this report was in response to the rise in white supremacy and domestic extremism. washington ranks fifth in the country for white supremacists. what actions are you recommending your state take? >> thank you for having me on this important subject.

after a very detailed report my team has put together and talkg to experts, the recommendations are first and foremost to create the commission you mentioned at the outset, a commission focused on this issue. not something we have seen around the country. it is one take away from the report, it is appropriate for states to take a more active role addressing domestic violent extremism, and they can put forth recommendations to address the challenge. >> you to find domestic violent extremism as political violence, online disinformation, recruitment. antigovernment ideologies. in a public hearing you held in response to this commission being built, there was criticism about the broad definition of domestic violent extremism. >> this bill would cause washingtonians, including

parents, nurses, doctors, and vulnerable and marginalized communities to be afraid of expressing opinions or speaking misinformation. for fear of being labeled or penalized as a domestic violence extremist. >> what is your response? >> public hearings, all voices, the legislature is no different. all sorts of voices at the table. the response is pretty straightforward. we think the definition of domeic terrorism at the federal level is a useful starting point. it focuses strictly on the threats of bodily harm. killing some buddy, for example, which is too narrow for the threat we see with the increase of radicalization. we are trying to broaden the term t address angst not specifically a threat, but where the state can take action and prevention, take a holistic approach, a public health approach for all we see happening across the country.

we appreciate the feedback, but we think it is better than exaggeration. >> you also recommend a more public health approach that is led by the community and different community institutions. what does it look like in practice? >> the way to think of this, it is detailed, up to this point, as a nation, we addressed this type of extremism from a law enforcement standpoint. to criminalize folks who engage in that behavior, which is entirely appropriate. they need to be held accountable. we are trying to get something different. to look at it from a public health standpoint. that is what it is. let's engage in prevention, getting folks avoiding being radicalized in the first place. if it is and they want to move away, how can we help with counseling to get them away from it? from a more holistic standpoint, we think it addresses prevention. addresses helping folks who have been radicalized, and takes a

more holistic view to address a huge challenge not just in washington state, but the country. >> on radicalization, you mentioned looking at social media, the role of social media and online disinformation and rack -- radicalizing people, and many of these recent cases of violent extremism, including the found guilty of seditious conspiracy, these are not young men, they are in their 40's, 50's, 60's. usually when we talk about harmful content, we talk about how it impact younger people, impressionable young people. how do you prevent older citizens from being drawn into these alred right conspiracy theory seat groups? >> you raise a good point about the folks in our community, not just young people impacted. we will be the first to create

the commission you mentioned at the outset. it would bring experts to engage on making specific recommendations on this type of issue. what we can do to prevent the radicalization of folks in their 40's, 50's, 60's, and help them get out of that. they're all sorts of things experts recommend. the goal is to create the commission. now let's move to creating the commission and experts who can put together a plan for the state of washington, work with mmunity members to make recommendations to address that type of challenge across the country every time it seems it would pick up the newspaper. >> i wanted to ask about the mass shooting in california in monterey park. it has caused a lot of fear among the asian-american community. you cited there has been a fear among the asian-american community in washington state due to hate crimes. how specifically would the

domestic violent extremism plan address hate crimes? >> it will address hate crimes, it is one piece of what we see across the country, especially in washington state. we have engaged in this report with communities like the asian-american community to see what they are experiencing and what recommendations we can put together to address it in more holistic fashion. one example around the country. with the commission put in place by the legislature we would grapple with and make specific recommendations working with the community to do so. >> bob ferguson, tnk you for your time. >> that is the newshour for tonight. there is a lot more on our website and social media pages. >> join us again tomorrow night. >> on behalf of the entire newshour team, thank you for joining us.

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. hello, everyone. welcome to "amanpour and company." here is what is coming up. president zelenskyy purges his own officials in a major crackdown on corruption as his country loo set to score rman made tanks from poland. i discuss the latest with the ambassador. a chilling report from china on the quiet rounding up of citizens that protested the state's zero covid policies. >> we meet the book publisher behind some of the best writers. steven ruben. plus. >> we're losing any sense of balance of obligation to help one another and make this country successful. >> counsel on foreign relations president richard haas talks