wow, you get to watch all your favorite stuff. it's to die for. now you won't miss a thing. this is the way. xfinity internet. made for streaming. amna: good evening. geoff: south korea in a

short-lived declaration of that country's president martial law. accusing the opposition of sympathizing with communist north korea. amna: bank of america ceo gives his take on inflation, interest rates and the broader u.s. economy ahead of trump's return to the white house. geoff: new fighting has corrupted -- errupted in syria but civilians describe how they've long been caught in the crossfire ever since the start of that country's brutal civil war. >> we are always afraid. we've been scared for 13 years. not just this year. we live in fear. ♪ >> major funding for the pbs news hour has been provided by -- the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions and friends of the news hour, including kathy and paul anderson and camilla and george smith.

>> the charles f kenrick foundation working to advance , inclusive democracies. >> the john s and james l knight foundation. fostering engaged communities. more at kf.org. >> and with the ongoing support ofhese 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.

amna: welcome to the news hour. today for the first time since south korea became a democracy 40 years ago, a south korean president declared martial law. geoff: hours later, the opposition rejected the order and the president has rescinded it. what's the latest? nick: a senior administration official tells me tonight the u.s. said to south korean officials that the declaration was untenable and urged them to reverse it quickly. the official once the president might not survive this episode that could have threatened the stability of one of the u.s.'s most important allies. in seoul tonight they storm the , institution they pledge to protect. special forces soldiers acting under martial law fought with protesters and pushed back opposition politicians from

entering parliament. inside, the only thing that stopped soldiers from the parliament floor, furniture deployed by opposition staff. that allowed parliament to vote down the martial law declaration 190-zero. the step demanded not only by the leader of the opposition who live-streamed himself jumping over the fence to get to parliament but also by the leader of the president's own party who said "the president's declaration of martial law is wrong. with our people, we will stop it." afterwards, security forces rushed out parliament. protesters celebrated the battle line and the president revoked his own declaration. >> i will accept the national assembly's demand and left -- and lift martial law through the cabinet meeting. nick: six hours earlier, he accused the opposition of being infiltrated by north korea.

>> i declare martial law to eradicate the despicable antistate forces that are plundering the freedom and happiness of our people. nick: the decree prohibited all political activities, imposed government control over the media, and band ongoing strikes for south korean doctors. but thanks to immediate protest, it's not clear any of that happened. for the last two years, the president has been a vital u.s. ally. singing from the same biden administration song sheet to advocate for global democracy and expand regional cooperation against north korea and china. behind the scenes, the u.s. wanted to see the crisis end. >> we have every hope and expectation that any political disputes will be resolved peacefully and in accordance with the rule of law.

nick: the senior u.s. official told me that some of his own advisors were shocked and humiliated by his declaration and tonight it appears he could soon be impeached or forced to resign. to discuss this day of crisis and what comes next, i'm joined by the president and ceo of the maureen and mike mansfield foundation which works to foster understanding between the united states and nations across asia. welcome back to the news hour. do you think this political crisis is over? >> no. there are more shoes to drop. the president will be hard-pressed by impeachment and voices within his own party to consider stepping down. if he does so, it doesn't just end his own presidency. it potentially ends the ruling party's occupancy of the presidential office. special elections would be held within 60 days and at the present time, the opposition is well-positioned to win those. nick: let me get to the implications of that, especially with president trump becoming

president in a couple months. today, why do you think he declared martial law? >> what precipitated this crisis was numerous frustrations of the president. first, he can't get the budget through the congress which is controlled by the opposition party. they are investigating his wife for allegations of various fraudulent stock manipulations as well as taking gifts. they've also frankly been working to impeach him already. his popularity has been low. this has the hallmarks of a desperation move, of a man not well accustomed to politics. nick: speaking of politics. a senior administration official who i spoke to today told me the message to south korean officials was that the declaration was untenable and to reverse it while they could. the official also said it wasn't u.s. pressure that made him change course. do you believe that? >> i think u.s. pressure was essential but it was not the only ingredient. u.s. pressure deprived yoon of

hope that he might have that the biden administration would stand by him while he shredded south korea's democracy. it was the voices in his own party that were decisive. much as republican leaders once were responsible for nixon choosing to resign, it was the opposition party in league with the people's party power together with yoon's own party that forced him to resend -- to rescind this martial law order. nick: as you mention, if he doesn't survive, it suspected the democratic party opposition would come to power. as i alluded to, that's the party that was the partner of donald trump, to reach out to north korean leader kim jong-un. what would the opposition's priorities be when it would come to north korea and china? >> on the one hand, the opposition party today is less pro-china than it used to be. they are more impressed with the importance of the

u.s.-japan-r.o.k. triangle. they would open the door potentially to a new diplomatic initiative with north korea. something that president yoon has staunchly opposed and even had biden wanted to make an initiative, yoon would have stood in his way. nick: this is guessing perhaps about how would they work with the trump administration? >> i would expect the main issues will still be tensions over things like close nation alliance forces on the peninsula support for u.s. as well as soldiers in south korea and how much south korea pays the u.s. to help to support that presence as well as trade frictions because president trump has signaled his intention to raise tariffs. those tensions will still be there. when it comes to the potential outreach toward north korea, there may be an opening. nick: this has been a dramatic day. you mentioned democracy and the constitution multiple times. what do you think this day says

about south korea's democracy? >> i was with biden 25 years ago when he welcomed kim dejong, the father of south korean democracy, to washington, d.c. in 2001. i think it says south korea's democracy for all of its warts is resilient in the face of a move to restore some kind of authoritarianism. it gives me hope that notwithstanding the street protests and the tussle of south korean politics that the democracy is resilient. nick: thank you very much. ♪ vanessa: i'm vanessa ruiz in for stephanie sy with news hour west. here are the latest headlines.

officials are offering more details on the chinese hack of american telecommunications firms earlier this year. the nation's cyber defense agency and the fbi tell the news hour that after 7 months of investigating they still don't know the true scope of china's cyberattack. the officials also said the hack is ongoing, and that there's no evidence the chinese actors have been kicked out yet. they found that the hackers mostly stole phone metadata from a large but unspecified group of americans. senate intelligence chairman mark warner recently called this the worst telecommunication hack in u.s. history. in the middle east, limits of a shaky cease-fire deal between israel and hezbollah are being tested with new violence and new threats. since last week's truce went into place, each side has claimed violations by the other. hezbollah's monday attacks into an israeli border area were met by an israeli response -- airstrikes that killed at least 11 people in lebanon. israel's defense minister told troops that if the cease-fire broke, israel wouldn't limit its

strikes to hezbollah, saying, there will no longer be an exemption for the state of lebanon. in a meeting with his cabinet, israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu said the ceasefire doesn't mean israel will sit idly by. >> we are currently in a cease fire, not the end of the war. we have a clear goal to return the residents, to rehabilitate the north. we are enforcing this ceasefire with an iron fist, acting against any violation minor or serious. vanessa: in syria, insurgents have pushed forward with their offensive. a war monitoring organization confirmed the militants captured four new towns today as they push towards hama, the fourth largest city in syria. meantime, government forces have retaken a village that fell to the insurgents last week. we'll have more on syria later in the broadcast. the war in ukraine topped the agenda at a nato meeting in brussels today. when asked whether the military

alliance would heed ukraine's calls for membership, the secretary-general said the focus should be on sending more weapons to strengthen its negotiating position. u.s. secretary of state antony blinken urged nato to brace for what could be another year of war. >> this is a vital moment i think for the alliance, to make sure that we're level set for the year ahead. the reason the alliance is stronger than ever is because we all know it's the best guarantee against war, the best means to prevent conflict, the best means to ensure our collective security. vanessa: meanwhile, ukraine says russian drones struck more critical infrastructure overnight, cutting power in some western regions. president biden said he's all in on africa during a trip to angola that's meant to counter china's influence on the continent. ♪ biden was welcomed alongside

angola's president joao lourenco, and toured a slavery museum. he's the first sitting u.s. president ever to visit the country. mr. biden also promoted a $3 billion u.s. commitment toward an 800-mile railway project that connects several sub-saharan nations. in remarks, the president said the future runs through africa. >> it has been my goal, the goal of the united states to build a strong partnership with peoples and nations across the continent of africa. true partnerships aim at achieving shared goals. vanessa: china has invested heavily in africa's mining industry. today, it announced that it will ban exports of several critical minerals to the u.s. that are used in tech. after delaying for weeks, president-elect donald trump's transition team has signed a customary agreement with the justice department that allows investigators to conduct background checks on nominees and appointments. this step was important for a

smooth transition, and for those among mr. trump's staff, and nominees, who need to access briefing materials and national security information. this comes as another one of trump's nominees has withdrawn tonight. florida sheriff chad chronister had been tapped to run the drug enforcement administration. chronister recently came under fire within trump's base for arresting a tampa bay pastor who defied public health restrictions and held services during the height of the covid pandemic. the u.s. justice department announced sweeping measures to address suicides in federal prisons and jails. the plan directs the bureau of prisons to update suicide prevention protocols and improve mental health assessments for inmates. this follows a doj inspector general report that found systemic lapses have contributed to the deaths of hundreds of inmates. still to come on the news hour -- civilians find themselves caught in the crossfire amid syria's civil war.

a look at what president elect-trump's return to power means for the january 6 rioters. and much more. ♪ >> this is "the pbs newshour" from the david m. rubenstein studio in washington, and in the west from the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. geoff: the u.s. economy continues to perform well by many measures. retail spending was up notably around black friday. markets are at or near record levels. unemployment remains low. yet most americans have long felt the economy is not doing well for them. all of this is front and center as president-elect donald trump is set to implement an agenda heavily focused on new tariffs, cutting regulations, and extending tax cuts. the fed is expected to cut rates again this month. decisions watch closely by businesses, investors, and

lenders. let's get insight from brian moynihan, the ceo of bank of america who joins us now. ,thank you for being here. as we talk about the state of the economy, an indicator is consumer spending and we have fresh data. on black friday, americans spent nearly $11 billion online and that shattered a record. travelers heading home after the thanksgiving holiday set a record on sunday. airport tsa screened more than 3 million people. it suggests that americans have disposable income. what does that say to you about the overall strength and stability of the u.s. economy? brian: if you backup to the big picture, the u.s. economy is driven by consumer activity. big demand, largest economy in the world. consumers spend, they earn well. purchase power is high. it's key that the u.s. consumer stays in the game. black friday was up in the high single digits from our data. the month of november up 4%. that's a good healthy level, consistent with a strong consumer sentiment.

the consumers expect to spend about 7% to 10% more this year than last year. that being said, with inflation worries and prices being up, there's a lot of paying more for this than i did four years ago. but that's a natural human reaction to rapid price increases. that's more under control but still people don't forget the past. geoff: is that how you reconcile those widespread anecdotes of people struggling with higher prices? that's what we heard in the lead up to the election. that's what people seem to indicate with their vote. is that how you explain the disconnect? brian: i'm a person who says, follow what they do, not what they say. surveys, you look in and say in the last week, they spent 10% more than last year in the same week. they were feeling ok last year. it's a record number. all the things you rattled off. if that's what they are doing,

they can't be that worried. what's happened is they shift around. gas prices have come down. they spent that elsewhere. a little more on clothing and cosmetics and luxury goods. more online than not online. that phenomenon has been going on for years. if you put that all together, the american consumer is healthy. they are unemployed. wage growth is still stronger than inflation. they are still going to remember, i paid three dollars for that and now i'm paying four dollars for that. geoff: meantime, the fed is getting set to meet again. they will consider cutting rates again. what are you hoping to see in the way of more rate cuts into next year? brian: the research team basically has a cut in december and then three or four cuts next year. that has come down, meaning less cuts, because as the belief that the economy is strengthening, they phrase their estimates in the early part of next year from 1.5% to 2.5% for annualized growth. that's a big movement up.

the united states 2% plus or minus. above that means going faster than trend. they believe rate cuts would be slower because inflation is under control. the fed will keep making sure they keep inflation under control. the strength of the economy puts purchase power into the economy. they have to keep it balanced. what will be wholly different than anybody who entered the business world after the financial crisis is we will probably see an endpoint of fed funds rate in the 3.5% range which is more what it was for a long time in history. we just haven't had it in a long time. it's been different for people to think through. the mortgage rate. 7% is so high. my first mortgage was 19%. not to sound like a curmudgeon. that was the reality should that rate in absolute terms is high based on the last 15 years. the absolute terms on the last 40 years is much lower.

the good news is that if the rate structure stays higher, that means the economy is healthier. geoff: one complicating factor, president-elect donald trump is made clear he wants to implement significant tariffs. most economists agree that this tariff plan could boost prices for consumers and make inflation worse. they seem to disagree on how much. how do you see it? brian: it depends on what else happens. they are saying if that 10% tariff is coupled with deregulation and other things, corporate profits would be neutral and they will feel ok about it. they may not pass through the price. they won't pass through the price if there's other benefits in the competitive market. they will pass it through. our team thinks its balance. not by the impact of the tariffs only. it's balance by the impact of other measures.

the question will be, everybody will focus on the tariff number because that's easy to identify. the question is the package and how it works in sync. the real question is will businesses pass through the tariff or eat it because they can get profit margins through lower financing costs, growth and other things? it's a much more complex question. our people say it's relatively balanced in terms of how it affects balance in the business. it ought to work through but near term, it will raise prices. it's a question of when they get offset. geoff: we are hearing reports of companies shifting their spending and shipping plans in advance of what they fear might be another trade war. bank of america has relationships with 95% of the fortune 1000 companies. what are you hearing from business leaders? brian: we've all learned something about supply chain interruptions. supply chain interruptions because of tariffs, where people stop and and aren't sure, people quit making stuff because they don't think it will have demand.

factories slow down. that mix is pretty powerful for people. think about surgical masks. all the hospitals were out of surgical masks. you are saying, how could we be out of surgical masks? they are made in a section of china that was shut down because of the pandemic. they have to figure out how to make sure they have supply. they go out and grab all the supplies they can. figuring that will give them an extra three or four months. that's natural human behavior. shifting supply around, which is one of the goals of the tariff plan, to make sure you have adequate supply at any cost. when i don't have anything to sell, i don't care what i'm doing. i can't make any revenue. this is all temporary. in six months, this will be through the system and then you have to adjust to the reality of a long-term thing. you can't by next year's christmas. it's an temporary element. geoff: the president-elect is

saying he will bring in elon musk and vivek ramaswamy to cut federal spending and make government more efficient as they see it. do you have concerns that indiscriminate budget cuts could affect economic growth? brian: you have to be careful in the broadest context. the federal government is a component of the economy. if you shrink it, it has to be made up by the private sector. the theory is that it will be made up by other places because it is debt-financed, squeezing out other forms of financing. you can make anyplace more efficient. every year we make our company more efficient. when the team took over in 2010, our costs were in the high 60's. here we are in 2024, mid 60's. think about that. that was efficiencies. digitization, automation, everything. i'm confident you can get there but you have to do it in a rational fashion that ensures it sticks to the ribs. otherwise it will come right back. the challenge of government is to get the cuts to stick to the ribs. that will be an interesting dialogue.

other people thought they could do this. geoff: al gore tried to do it in the 90's. brian: ronald reagan was going to do it. george w. bush was going to do it, barack obama. everyone was going to make government more efficient. it's hard because there's complexities to it. at the end of the day, they are serving the american people. it could be more efficient. no question. you have to do it carefully so you don't disrupt service. i wouldn't worry about the economic impact as much as we have to make sure the core services operate. the irs runs properly, the regulatory authorities, the sec could because capital formation. on the other hand, i guarantee with any company, enterprise, there's always a fishy situation. if you eliminate the work, you can get efficiencies to stick. geoff: brian monahan, thank you for being here. brian: thank you. geoff: let's take a closer look of this disconnect between solid economic numbers and the way

many people feel about the economy. voters said they were upset about the cost of living and that helped elect donald trump to a second term. our economics correspondent reports now from ohio on how many americans see this in the wake of the election. reporter: outside of kroger in ohio 70% of voters went for , donald trump. how is the economy for you? >> horrible. >> everyone could be doing better right now. reporter: in a simple's, more than six in 10 voters rated the economy as not so good or poor. 69% of them cast their vote for trump. that's despite slowing inflation, solid growth, and low unemployment says columbia. >> it's the most dramatically successful recovery the united states have possibly ever seen from the kind of shock we saw in 2020. but it doesn't translate down to a simple experience of being for large numbers of people. >> the economy is not working for me and my family.

reporter: this single mother voted for hillary clinton and 2016 and trump in 2020. this year, she says the economy kept her with trump. >> some of the rhetoric that came out to minorities. this is your chance to vote for the first black woman. to me, that was not my number one issue. how are you going to make things better for my family? it was about affordability of food, gas, heating, energy. reporter: many americans are comparing the cost of living to what it was four years ago and blaming inflation. technically, inflation is the rate of price change over time. that annual rate has slowed. but they are looking at the long-term. >> inflation is when things are too expensive, or when i can no longer afford anything. reporter: that's what people reported to harvard in surveys conducted about inflation. >> wages are not keeping up with prices.

>> especially in the service and food industry. $15 an hour. that's impossible. >> inflation triggers a sense of injustice and inequity. lots of people say the wages of higher income people are much better able to keep pace with prices. reporter: outside kroger, grocery prices were a common gripe. >> four years ago, it would cost me $125 and now it's $200. >> i'm paying double what i was paying a few years ago. so it's horrible. reporter: grocery prices are up some 25% since the pandemic. but just 1.1% from a year ago. it is not just groceries though. >> a couple years ago, i could do my own thing and make my money, pay my bills, have extra. now i cannot. >> you put all of your money into rent and bills and it is hard. >> i have young children. daycare prices continue to rise. without any assistance, it has become a challenge. reporter: higher interest rates

have added to the cost of living. they aren't even counted in the official inflation rate. >> i saw a from i think american express, 28.5%. it's criminal. >> it's almost untenable for millennials, young families who have good jobs, to be able to buy into a starter home. >> if you purchase a car or if you want to purchase a house with a mortgage, those are costs that people consider to be their cost-of-living but they are not reflected in these numbers that we see. reporter: inflation has slowed over the past two years but during peak covid -- >> if you got into trouble financially, if you ended up running up an overdraft on your credit card bills, you are still dealing with the pain that you felt in that time and the anxiety that you felt there. you compare this with how you felt between 2017 and early 2020 before covid hit and you realize that in that time under donald trump the first time around, you

felt like you were doing better every week. reporter: even if you weren't. that's how lots of folks feel. >> our economy was a lot better. i could eat and do stuff. >> it seemed to be on the uptick and biden took over and it went down. >> it went down after biden took over. >> inflation leaves lasting impacts on people. both because they had to make true adjustments and also emotionally. this episode is definitely leaving scars. when we ask people about their experiences, they are not just reporting what they think of happened in the couple of months before that or even the year before, but really what has happened over this whole episode. reporter: former treasury secretary larry summers recently pointed out that higher prices affect everyone. >> if you have extra unemployment, it's 2% of people who don't have jobs. if you have extra inflation, it's 100% of people who see higher prices. reporter: so many of whom will already resent long-term real wage stagnation.

>> people get a 7% raise and there's a 7% price increase. they don't say to themselves, there is zero real wage. they say to themselves, i did a fantastic job and i got a 7% increase and it all got taken away from me by inflation. reporter: so who do folks blame? >> people mention the government as a knee-jerk cause of inflation. people say, i feel a lot of anger and fear. when we ask them who the anger is directed at, lots of people said the government. reporter: this a economist says that for many, inflation is a label. >> inflation can be a catchall for just about economy or economic uncertainty. reporter: in her research, she found that people's perceptions were influenced by their politics. >> when they are of the same political party as the president, they expect lower inflation. when they are the opposite, they expect higher inflation.

during the biden administration, that partisan gap in excitations got a lot bigger. as inflation started really rising in 2021 and 2022, democrats expected inflation to be about the same as they had before. republicans inflation expectations grow a lot. >> now you've got inflation on top of inflation. i don't see a victim do insight. >> that's probably due to differences in how the media was reporting on inflation. >> the biden administration has been calling it transitory. short-term, not permanent. >> whether the media was saying it would be transitory or something longer-lasting. reporter: her work was done before election day but in retrospect, her results should've been a warning for the democrats. >> if you look at the expectations of independents, we saw they were closer to the expectations of republicans. you could look back at it and say, a lot of independence did seem as worried about inflation

as republicans. reporter: we are about to see how they feel if the cost of living doesn't return to pre-covid levels or worse, starts rising faster once more. for the pbs news hour, paul solman. ♪ amna: since syria's own arab spring protest have evolved into a decade plus but letting, fleeing civilians have been caught in the crossfire. now the conflict has reignited. in northwest syria's provinces principally. before this new offensive began, our special correspondent traveled there to meet some of thvictims of the war and its survivors.

reporter: a brutal return to the bloodiest days of the syrian civil war. allied syrian rebel forces surged from the country's northwest enclave to the country's biggest second city in a matter of hours. but as rebels continue to push their way towards the heart of the country, civilians and aleppo bearing the terrible brunt of syrian president's retaliation as his allies double -- allies warplanes double down on their bombardment. trapped by syrian forces on one side and the turkish border on the other, more than 4 million destitute grieving civilians languish in despair. families here in the northwest have been under assault from syrian and russian forces for years. suffering in silence. many of the young children born here don't know a life without the sound of bombs and bullets. we are just a few miles from the

front line here and the tens of thousands of civilians living in these areas, so close to syrian regime territory, face the constant threat of shelling and air strikes carried out by russian warplanes. when tensions are high, there are attacks every few days. many of those living here have already been displaced. once, twice, half a dozen times by this bitter and brutal civil war. they tell me they fear they don't belong anywhere now. their syrian passports blocked by much of the world stop them from traveling anywhere except back to regime held syria where they fear imprisonment or death. they build their lives around the threat of attack. bags full of essentials ready to run. and little effort to build more than shelters, fearing their temporary homes may be destroyed as well. amir has seven children. displaced from their home village by syrian government forces five years ago, his

extended family packed their eight families inside this water tower complex in an abandoned area for shelter, thinking they would be safe. they were wrong. >> the kids were sleeping. then we heard a loud bang. then fire, shrapnel, stone. reporter: the shelter was under attack from a russian warplane. >> it was very scary. we didn't know which way to go. the kids were screaming. we ran to the mountains then i started screaming. screaming for my dad and my nephew. reporter: his father and six-year-old nephew were killed. >> we are always afraid. we've been scared for 13 years. not just this year. we live in fear. the jets are always targeting civilians. reporter: with little outside help, under relentless attack, local volunteers from the syrian civil defense force continue to

do what they can. this man came running the night the shelter was hit. >> the scene we found was brutal and so painful. people were running around in terror. everyone was in a state of panic because of the bombing and fear in case of a second bombing. when we arrived we found bodies lying around. the victims hit by the aircraft that bombed the station. there was a child who had been killed. it was devastating. his body was covered in dust. the wall hit by the bombs had collapsed on top of him. reporter: the volunteers risk the regular practice of double top attacks. when forces wait for rescuers to arrive before unleashing a second strike. to rescue who they can. they fear this will never end. by day, they bury their neighbors. by night, the attacks begin again. for those who survive, the road to recovery with no home to return to is far from certain.

thousands of patients bag the turkish authorities to let them cross to get medical treatment they can't get here. few are given permission. mohammed is one of the lucky ones. he made it across the border to the house of healing, a medical center for displaced syrians run by an ngo. when he was just two years old, his home was hit by a russian airstrike. his aunt and grandmother were both killed. the bomb hit the building's gas tank and his entire body was burned. >> he suffers from burns in his lungs and constant infections and suffers from weakness walking due to intensive nerve damage from the burns. reporter: desperate to save his son, he smuggled the family into rebel held territory. then he began trying to get into turkey for further treatment. now seven, mohammed has been waiting years for the surgeries he needs to correct his agonizing injuries.

there's little more doctors can do for his face. his father hopes next they will be able to separate his fingers, fused together by the flames. he's never been to school. he has spent his entire life waiting for painful operations. excluded since infancy, he sits alone, playing silently. in darker moments he begs his father to find a way to help him make friends. >> the children at the displacement camp wouldn't stand near my son or talk to him. they were afraid of the shape of his face so he remained isolated in the camp and would not leave his tent because when the children saw him, they would be afraid of him. reporter: just one family member is allowed to accompany a patient across the border. his wife into their other children wait in a makeshift displacement camp with no breadwinner and little means to survive. mohammed hasn't seen his mother in more than two years. >> my family is living in a difficult situation. they have no one to support them.

they are alive simply because they have not died. reporter: mohammed now has permission to have surgery in turkey but the costs are not covered. his next operation will cost $450, nearly a year of average wages in northwest syria. for those who can find work. across this pocket of the world, frozen in time and misery, millions more children spend their days in a forgotten limbo, the private of education for most of their lives. the earliest lesson they've learned is the harshest. not to hope that help is coming. ♪ amna: a delaware federal judge formally dismissed the case against president biden's son hunter this morning. this following the president's sweeping pardon.

some legal analysts expressed concerns that the pardon of his son gives president-elect trump a roadmap to collect his political allies. mr. trump hinted on social media yesterday he would do so saying, does the pardon given by joe to hunter include the hostages? january 6 kyle cheney has been following the fallout of the presidents pardon and the impact it could have on a second trump term. welcome back. thanks for being with us. let me start with the january 6 cases. i know you've been following closely. to bring people up-to-date, so far some 1500 people have been charged. nearly 1000 have pleaded guilty. more than 600 have been sentenced to jail time. to this question, what kind of impact could the biden pardon for his son hunter have on those cases? kyle: in theory, it shouldn't have a connection. what you are seeing is a

reaction from trump's allies saying, if you will pardon his son for personal reasons, why shouldn't donald trump exercise this sweeping pardon authority inhe same political way? trump has signaled he planned to pardon many of these january 6 defendants for months. it's a big part of his campaign. does it embolden him to go further and make the pardon more expansive and more complete for the larger group or the alleged crimes that they committed? that's the question as to what the impact might be. amna: you've been covering these cases closely. if some kind of blanket pardon was issued, what would be the impact? how would that be perceived? kyle: it would be seismic. i have written about this. is donald trump going to pardon or somehow provide relief to the people who were accused of or pleaded guilty to assaulting police officers? that's a major question. donald trump hasn't said a word

about his intentions in any specific sort of way since winning the election. so one of the questions is, is he prepared for the backlash and the consequences of potentially -- not exonerating but pardoning or providing some sort of clemency to people who did attack cops that day? amna: beyond the january 6 rioters, we know that mr. trump in the past did use his broad powers to pardon people close to him, even members of his family. roger stone, paul manafort, a ivanka trump's father-in-law. we should note that those are all tied to specific cases and specific allegations of crimes. does the sweeping nature of this pardon by president biden, does that offer mr. trump broader political powers for the future? kyle: no, he had that authority to begin with. the difference is that biden has blazed a trail, an unprecedented

pardon. the exception is richard nixon. even richard nixon's pardon only covered his term in office. the hunter biden pardon goes far beyond that, 11 years of any conduct that may have been criminal. stuff that may not have even been unearthed at this point. that's really the crux of this. not that trump doesn't have the authority. just that that authority has never been used that way, with the one exception of richard nixon. that creates a permission structure that i think trump could take advantage of. at least a political argument that if biden did this, why can't donald trump do this? amna: it's with -- worth noting there are still hundreds, over 500, january 6 cases still pending. when matt gaetz was the nominee to be attorney general, we knew to some degree what direction those might take. he said he was supportive of the rioters. he voiced that support. he has withdrawn his nomination. pam bondi is the new nominee to be attorney general. what would she mean for the future of those january 6 cases?

kyle: that's a great question. it's a question i have pondered. i haven't gotten any answers. she has said virtually nothing about january 6 since january 6. i have asked about what her views are. we've got no answer. matt gaetz was a known quantity. he embraced certain conspiracy theories. clearly on the side of maximal clemency for this group of rioters. pam bondi is an unknown quantity now. people expect her to be loyal to donald trump and do what he wants her to do. the question, she also has a history as a prosecutor. she may be more sympathetic to the prosecutors at the justice department who put some of these people in jail. we just don't know. maybe we will find out at her confirmation hearings. amna: the january 6 investigations represent the largest political probe in the

department of justice is history. how are your sources looking at this? the potential for pardons and uncertain future ahead. kyle: there is a pervasive sense of anxiety about the unknown. is donald trump really going to follow through on these promises to clean house? what does that look like? is anyone who worked on a generate six case going to be fired? can he even do that? there's a lot of anxiety. the attorney general has encouraged people to stay, even if they feel like they will run up against the new administration. that it's better to stay and try to help steer things in a direction that they feel confident in as opposed to leave and let donald trump install his own people to do things in a very different way. i think anxiety and uncertainty is the best way to describe it at the moment. amna: that's kyle cheney joining us tonight. thank you for your time. always good to see you.

♪ geoff: we will be back shortly with a look at an annual christmas tradition here in washington, d.c. amna: first, take a moment to hear from your local pbs station. it is a chance to offer your support which helps keep programs like this one on the air. ♪ geoff: for those of you staying with us, detroit is increasingly known for its creativity. one couple is using the arts to turn around an entire neighborhood. our special correspondent megan thompson visited little village to see its big plans. this encore report is part of our arts and culture series canvas. >> famous intersection. there was a bank right here.

reporter: delores has lived for more than 70 years in the east village neighborhood of detroit. >> we had the drugstore on the corner. then right here, the bakery. bluebird bakery where they baked all the best bread in the world. i can't even tell you how much of a change i've seen. i've seen it rise and i've seen it fall. reporter: helping lead the local neighborhood association and she was thrilled when she was approached about a big idea, the creation of a new arts district here called little village. it would start with converting an empty church into an art gallery. >> we wanted to include exhibitions, projects, performance. reporter: anthony is a real estate developer who became a first gallery owner in 2012 when he cofounded the library street collective with his wife, a downtown detroit art gallery with a mission of supporting social causes, local artists, and the revival of the city center. >> our programming has always had a major focus on creating change, trying to impact the community in different ways.

reporter: for their next big project, they wanted to impact the neighborhood. after meeting with east village leaders, they bought the 113-year-old good shepherd church and three more buildings on the lot and launched the new cultural space earlier this year. >> it was important for us to try to keep as much of the church intact as we could. reporter: now called the shepherd, it's a meeting place, performance space and art gallery all in one. there is an emphasis on local artists and artists of color, reflecting the community that surrounds it. >> intention is huge for us. we want this to feel like a place you can come and feel not only welcome but like you have a connection to the work that's here. reporter: visitors will find more than just paintings and sculpture. there's a small library by the old confessionals curated by an arts educator. the founder of a traveling collection of books called black art library. she chose books on a wide range for this collection of topics. >> artists of early michigan.

detroit graffiti. this is called the ultimate art museum. i really wanted the space to feel like you could find something if you are interested in art, no matter what that means. reporter: this exploration of art continues outside where giant sculptures designed by the late detroit artist charles mickey are meant to be played on. and there's a skate park created by an artist and skateboarder tony hawk. >> you might not even know it's a sculpture. the idea was to turn this idea of public sculpture being this exclusive thing that's meant to not be touched, we wanted this to be accessible. reporter: when other arts groups solid transformation they wanted to be in the neighborhood as well. they bought the old bluebird bakery building and opened a new space earlier this year called lantern. it's now home to two nonprofits. one preserving traditional letterpress printing and the

other for artist with developmental disabilities. upstairs are artists studios. >> most of these are referenced from bouquets. reporter: paul was living in toledo when anthony offered to represent him at his downtown gallery. since moving here three years ago, he has pivoted from figurative drawings to more abstract work. he says the affordable rent and gallery support gave him the freedom to do it. >> i can really just think about my creativity. reporter: he also lives close by. the couple have rehabbed more than 20 residential properties in the area and rent them at below market rates. several to artists. this artist says he's seen a big change in the neighborhood since moving in. >> people. there's a lot of people. reporter: there will likely be even more. the rectory is now a bed-and-breakfast. coming soon nearby, a cocktail bar, pastry shop and more art spacesnd galleries. into the couple are transforming a large property on the detroit

river into stanton yards, a waterfront park offices and restaurant to open in 2027. in total, more than 16 acres of green space and 17 cultural and commercial buildings across tent city blocks -- tent city blocks. >> if you build it they will come. reporter: richelle is the director of arts and culture for the city of detroit and says little village is one of the largest projects of its kind the city has seen in recent years. >> we are on a mission to revitalize the city using art as a catalyst. i want people from around the country to come and see, look at what they did in detroit. we should do something like that here. more than that, i want people to say, look what we've got here. >> we have so many people in the building here. 99% african-american. reporter: dolores says they have made it clear, everyone is welcome to enjoy the new modern art spaces. but she believes some of the longtime lower income residents are hesitant. >> to me, the art is for the people in the neighborhood. they don't think it's for them.

if it were myself and i didn't know anthony, how would i feel coming over here to see what's going on? i don't know if i would. because i'm not in the same class, i would say. reporter: she wants to help change the mindset because she believes projects like this are making the east village rise again. >> it's as if the east village has been forgotten. then you have anthony and other developers that came into say, we haven't forgotten. we are here to help. >> that one is my favorite statue. reporter: the neighborhood kids haven't hesitated to come explore. this nine-year-old and his five-year-old sister live in that building next door. he says he likes to come over here to play and enjoy the art. had you ever seen art like this before? >> nothing in my life. now i do. i think it's beautiful. beautiful. reporter: when aiden looks up at the giant sculptures, he

imagines butterflies. >> basically like when you have a butterfly and you are just letting it go like this. that's what i think of. butterflies. it brings me joy. it's what it does brings me joy. , reporter: megan thompson in detroit. ♪ amna: before we go, it's a little bit brighter here in washington tonight now that the u.s. capitol is officially lit up for the holiday season. >> 3, 2, 1. here you go. amna: as is tradition, house speaker mike johnson did the honors. just like that, the capitol christmas tree was aglow on the west front lawn. geoff: the 80 foot sitka spruce made the long journey to washington from alaska. it's adorned with thousands of

lights and ornaments handcrafted by members of alaskan communities. across town, the white house is also decked out with wreaths, garlands and other whimsical displays for president biden 's final christmas there. dr. jill biden called this year's theme a season of peace and light. amna: that's the news hour for tonight. geoff: for all of us here, thanks for spending part of your evening with us. >> major funding for the pbs news hour has been provided by -- >> in 1995, 2 friends set out to make wireless coverage accessible for all. with no long-term contracts and nationwide coverage and 100 percent u.s.-based customer support. consumer cellular. freedom calls. ♪

>> moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> carnegie corporation of new york, working to reduce political polarization through philanthropic support for education, democracy, and peace. more information at carnegie.org. 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. >> this is pbs news hour west

from the david in rubenstein studio at weta in washington interviewer at the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy.] ♪

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