geoff: good evening. i'm geoff bennett. amna: and i'm amna navaz. on the news tonight, the death hour toll from the los angeles-area fires rises as high winds complicate efforts to combat the devastating blazes. geoff: we look at the the

practical implications and potential roadblocks of president-elect trump's stated desire to buy greenland. >> china has increasingly been seeking investment in greenland and in other parts of the arctic. and i think the u.s. is eyeing minerals. amna: and trump's nominee for secretary of defense faces an uncertain confirmation process amid accusations of sexual misconduct. ♪ >> major funding for the pbs news hour has been provided by -- >> on an american cruise lines journey, along the legendary mississippi river, travelers explore civil war battlefields and historic riverside towns. aboard our fleet of riverboats, you can experience local culture and

cuisine, and discover the music and history of the mighty mississippi. american cruise lines, proud sponsor of pbs news hour. >> the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions and friends of the news hour including leonard and norma and the judy and peter blum kovler foundation. the william and flora hewlett foundation. for more than 50 years, advancing ideas and supporting institutions to promote a better world at hewlett.org. and with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. ♪

this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. amna: welcome to the news hour. dangerous when conditions are picking up speed and threatening to spread devastating fires in southern california. geoff: four of the major fires have burned through within 62 square miles, that sarge or than the size of san francisco or paris. at least 24 people have died and about two dozen more are missing and number of communities have been reduced to ash. officials say they're worried the death toll will grow this week. in los angeles county, it's fire versus firefighters.

after making some progress taming the blazes this weekend, strong santa ana winds were expected to pick back up today,fanning the flames and making it harder for crews to extinguish them on the ground and from the sky. >> the anticipated winds combined with low humidities and low fuel moistures will keep the fire threat in all of los angeles county critical. geoff: in all, some 8,000 firefighters are battling the two major wildfires in the area. as of this morning, the enormous palisades fire was 14 percent contained and the eaton fire was 33 percent contained. with harsh conditions in the forecast through wednesday, the city remains on high alert for the fires to worsen or for new ones to ignite. l.a. fire chief kristin crowley: >> we're not in the clear as of yet and we must not let our guard down, as we have right now extreme fire behavior.

geoff: the fire started last tuesday and spread quickly. in the days since, more than 150,000 people have been ordered to evacuate their neighborhoods. in santa anita, near the eaton fire, volunteer angelenos showed up at this parking lot turned donation center, dropping off essential supplies by the truckload, bottle water, diapers and clothing for those who need it most. jennifer denhartog, volunteer: i just needed to come out and do something to help people. i don't -- sorry. i feel so bad for the people, so just wanted to come help somebody. it's all i can do. i can't give a bunch of money, but i can come and give my time. obiageli uguru, volunteer: i think the whole city is affected, whether you have actually had your belongings burnt or not. so, i mean, you can smell the soot in the air, and we're just wanting to get out and do something, like, feel active, that we're actually giving back in some way. geoff: to the west, at the edge of the palisades fire, dozens of cars lined up this weekend, people hoping to return to their homes to assess the damage and

retrieve personal items. but after hours of waiting, all were denied entry due to hazardous conditions. avanti prasanna, california resident: there's a thankfulness that at least for now my house is still there. geoff: twenty-nine-year-old avanti prasanna considers herself one of the lucky ones. still, she described a deep communal sense of loss. avanti prasanna: i grew up in the palisades. my elementary school is gone. my high school is half gone. most of my friends have lost their homes. so, it's still heartbreaking, even if your house is there, to know that what i always thought was one of the most beautiful neighborhoods in los angeles is just gone. and it'll never be what we knew it as. geoff: yesterday, california governor gavin newsom signed an executive order, suspending the state's landmark environmental laws, as people take the initial steps to rebuild their homes and businesses. he spoke about it on nbc's "meet the press." >> we have got to be thinking

three weeks, three months, three years ahead at the same time we're focusing on the immediacy, which is life, safety and property. california leads the nation in environmental stewardship. i'm not going to give that up, but one thing i won't give into is delay. delay is denial for people. geoff: officials say that residents will be allowed to return only when it's safe. they also expect the death toll will rise as search crews continue to identify victims in the fire zone. robert luna, los angeles county, california, sheriff: people are saying, i just want to go look at my house and i want to see what's left. we know that, but we have people literally looking for the remains of your neighbors. please be patient with us. geoff: with a dangerous fire weather forecast expected to extend at least through wednesday, let's turn now to california's state fire marshal, daniel berlant, for more on the conditions and the unprecedented challenges that firefighters continue to face across the region. thanks so much for being with us. daniel berlant, california state fire marshal: thanks. geoff: these fires remain largely uncontained and you have got millions of people in southern california who are forecast to be in critical fire risk zones, as we said, at least

through midweek. what are the persistent challenges that your crews are facing at this moment? daniel: while we are making progress on a number of fronts on the current fires, as you mentioned, we are gearing up, we are preplanning for significant winds over the next couple of days. that may not only hamper the efforts that we have been making on the eaton fire and on the palisades fire, but it could, if there is a new ignition throughout southern california with these winds, could lead to another major destructive fire or many of them. and so we are working with our local partners prepositioning even more fire resources so that, if a new fire does break out, we can quickly respond to it. geoff: what about the availability of water? that was a major issue early on. what's the latest there? daniel: yes, well, there's been some early reports on the first night on water pressure. obviously, the sheer number of fire hydrants that were being used to battle this fire put a huge strain on the watering

system. and so we leaned in and very quickly mobilized 140 additional water tenders. that's additional to what was on the initial attack from l.a. city and l.a. county fire department, bringing in water trucks to ensure that there was plenty of water to help battle these fires. many of our wildland fires, we don't have fire hydrants to access in mountainous or inaccessible terrain. and so we often use other tools that our firefighters carry to help us towards our containment efforts. but bringing in all types of resources has been focused from night one of this fire. and now that we are a week in, we have continued to see that mobilization pay off, over 1,000 firefighters today on the front lines from other states, the military, the national guard all assisting with this. these resources, again, are making a difference. geoff: one thing we have heard from other fire officials is that, beyond just battling these blazes, you're also having to compete with misinformation

online. how is that complicating the response effort? daniel: yes, there is a lot of misinformation out there. now, the governor launched a web site to provide facts to the public. it's difficult in times of disaster for people to always understand exactly what's happening, the first 24 hours questioning why there was no aircraft over the fire and not understanding that, when you have hurricane-level winds, you cannot only not fly fire retardant aircraft effectively using that retardant. it never is even able to make the ground. the wind just dissipates it, but, also, it is unsafe for our pilots at that level. and so we have been really working hard to try to ensure that we're getting information out, focusing in on what matters. and that is the people that are immediately impacted by this wildfire, making sure they have early evacuation information, making sure they have clear directions on what to do while we work to make sure everybody in the region, in our state, in

our nation know what's happening in this natural disaster. we have to focus on the people that are immediately impacted by the wildfire. geoff: looking at the weather forecast, am i right in assuming that it could take toward the end of the week before any of these fires are contained? daniel: it is very likely, not knowing what the winds will actually do on the fire the next couple of days, that we will be on the front lines of these fires for several weeks to come, if not several months. obviously, we will work very hard, as we have been, towards full containment efforts, but it is way too early for us to estimate exactly when that might be. right now, firefighters are continuing to mop up hot spots, continuing to extinguish flare-ups that are occurring, building containment line all the way around that fire, all despite continued abnormal temperatures and conditions in the month of january. and then the winds that we have been discussing, that too is only going to challenge us. and so we are working as hard as

we can to make sure that we get containment on these fires, but it is too early to know exactly when that might be. geoff: a weeks- or month-long firefighting effort, is that right? daniel: very easily. now, we are looking -- while we are focused on the next several days with strong winds, we're continuing to monitor the long-term weather forecast. we could experience rain. we are leaning in hard with making sure that we're assessing the burned areas, that we're working with our partners for flooding concerns, with debris removal concerns. and so we may very quickly in the next couple of weeks shift from a firefight to a flood operation. and, obviously, there's a number of other state agencies and entities that play a critical role in that effort. so the natural disaster, if you will, may be months in the making here and in the work to fully contain it, as we potentially transition to -- from wildfires to flooding. again, work happening now, though, to try to shore up and protect the communities before

that rain does occur. geoff: well, our best to you and your colleagues. california state fire marshal daniel berlant, thanks again for your time this evening. daniel: thanks. vanessa: here are the latest headlines. the special counsel released his report enter hunter biden today. david weiss said that the criminal charges against the president's son were -- quote -- "the culmination of thorough, impartial investigations, not partisan politics." but he added that president biden's pardon of his son in -- said it was gratuitous and wrong. the report comes at the end of a years-long investigation into hunter biden that included charges related to gun and tax crimes. turning now to president biden's legacy on the world stage, the

outgoing commander in chief defended his foreign policy record during an address at the state department this afternoon. biden highlighted his administration's efforts in the middle east and ukraine, and he defended the chaotic 2021 withdrawal of u.s. troops from afghanistan, which has been a common target for his critics. pres. biden: in my view, it was time to end the war and bring our troops home. and we did. i commend the courage of all those who served in afghanistan. we grieve all 2,461 americans who made the ultimate sacrifice in the longest war in american history. and i grieve those brave service members whose lives were lost during the withdrawal. manasseh: biden also said that -- vanessa: biden also said that the u.s. and its global alliances are stronger than they were four years ago, and that he's leaving the next administration a very strong hand to play in world affairs.

today's firings mark north korea's second launch event of 2025. last week the country launched medium-range hypersonic ballistic missiles. china's exports grew sharply last month, as companies rushed to lock in orders ahead of donald trump's return to the white house. exports jumped nearly 11 percent in december, beating expectations. that capped off a year that saw china's trade surplus reach nearly $1 trillion. analysts believe american shoppers are stockpiling chinese goods while they can. trump has threatened to impose tariffs on chinese imports upwards of 60% once he takes office again next week. in south africa, at least 100 people who were mining illegally have died after being trapped underground for months. more than 500 others are still trapped. that's according to a group

representing the miners, which says a cell phone sent to the surface contained videos showing dozens of bodies wrapped in plastic. it's believed they died of starvation or dehydration. the abandoned gold mine has been the site of a standoff between police and miners since november, when authorities first tried to force them out. south african officials are working to bring the survivors to the surface. illegal mining is common in parts of south africa. the supreme court said today it will not hear an appeal from oil and gas companies who want to block lawsuits related to climate change. the order allows a case to proceed from the city of honolulu that aims to hold bp, shell and others libel for -- liable for billions of dollars in damages linked to climate change. also today, the court denied a utah lawsuit seeking to take control of nearly 19 million acres of land from the federal government. it also sidestepped two gun-related cases, one in maryland related to handgun

licenses and the other a challenge to delaware's ban on assault-style rifles. and the court upheld a state house district in north dakota that's located on an american indian reservation. in space news, blue origin called off the debut launch of its massive new rocket early this morning minutes before blast off. standing 320 feet tall, the uncrewed new glenn is the company's first rocket that aims to bring satellites into orbit. woman: ok, we have just been getting an update for mission control. we are sending down today's launch attempt. manasseh: -- vanessa: today's liftoff was canceled after launch officials reported unspecified technical issues. new glenn is blue origin's attempt to rival elon musk's spacex rockets, which have dominated the commercial market for such launches. blue origin is headed by amazon's jeff bezos. the company said they could try

to launch again as soon as tomorrow. still to come on the news hour, canada's ambassador to the united states discusses tensions with the incoming trump administration. a chief u.s. hostage negotiator on attempt to bring americans home. enter politics monday team weighs in on president biden's final week in office. >> this is the "pbs news hour" from the david m rubenstein studio at weta in washington and in the west from the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. amna: america's long and close week where our neighbors to the north dispatch firefighters and air guns who help with the wildfires. but canada's assistance comes at a unique time when president elect donald trump is threatening to impose the

tariffs on canadian imports and calling canada the 51st state. canada's ambassador to the united states joins us now. welcome to the news hour. >> thank you. amna: let me ask you about these comments. what is your response to those comments and how are they resonating in canada? >> i think that canadians to your second question have enjoyed a little bit of teasing back and forth for a while. there's a pivot more recently that's been a bit tougher and i think that's probably landing less well but what really matters here is that the president-elect is a negotiator and is trying to set the stage for a discussion and clearly wants to have a discussion with us around things that matter to him like the border and perhaps other issues around the economy. we are ready for that discussion and i think it's important not

to confuse some of the dynamics of setting himself up for that discussion and the substance that has to come next. amna: you called it teasing. and also this pivot. we mentioned after prime minister trudeau announced he was stepping down that trump said he -- was doubling down on that language. he's talking about buying greenland, controlling the panama canal. what do you make of all that expansionist language? is it posturing or is there a real threat there? amb. hillman: i cannot speak for greenland or panama, but for canada, my impression is -- and i have worked with him -- i i have been an ambassador since a previous trump administration and worked with him on nafta. i think he is a negotiator and he is positioning himself for the beginning of those negotiations, as are we, and i look forward to actually getting down and talking substance. amna: in terms of how you are getting ready, obviously these two nations are each other's largest trading partners.

mr. trump is threatening 25% tariffs on all canadian imports. what would be the impact of tariffs of that size on canada's economy and how would canada respond? amb. hillman: it's first important to point out that when this proposal, if you will, came from the president around potentially adopting 25% tariffs on all canadian imports, it was on the basis of border security, and since that time, we have listened to what he said and we have put forward a very expansive, $1.3 billion plan to buy new helicopters, additional physical resources and personnel. we are proposing something that the incoming administration is reacting positively to, a task force on the fentanyl crisis. we are leaning in on a topic that's important to us. it's got two sides. it's as important for us for the border to be safe and secure as

it is for americans, so just to put that on the table. that is our first effort in preparations for these discussions and people are reacting positively. the tariffs themselves would be very difficult. canada is the number one customer of the united states. you sell more to us than to any other country in the world, more than to japan, china, the u.k. and france combined, so we are a very important source of sales and exports for american people and likewise the united states is a very important customer so it would be mutually very difficult. they would immediately raise prices. there's no question about that. prices at the pump would go up. prices across consumer goods would go up. prices for businesses would go up.

and it would be very, very difficult for us and for americans as well. amna: it's been reported that canada is planning retaliatory tariffs as well. what would those target? amb. hillman: i don't think we can answer that yet. we have to see what happens. we are prepared for any scenario. last time, when the previous trump administration put tariffs on canadian steel and aluminum, we responded in a measured, equivalent way. we did not escalate but we didn't back down and i think that canadians expect that of their government, so we will be prepared for any scenario, but honestly, it makes no sense for us to go there. it makes no sense. we are trying to make both our countries stronger. we have mutual competitors, mutual adversaries. we should be working on, you know, really finding a way to lean into president trump's agenda for energy dominance. one third of what we sell to the united states are energy products and those products keep the price of energy low in the u.s. amna: in terms of what's ahead,

and i know you don't serve individually -- serve the individual but your office, but trudeau who step down -- trudeau has stepped down. the conservative leader is poised to win an expected election, and what could that mean for the future of these two countries relationship? amb. hillman: in my experience, and i have worked with the u.s. almost my entire career under conservative and liberal leaders in canada. and under democrat and republican presidents. we will always do a lot together. we have millions working together every day and they are the foundation of the relationship and our leaders will serve those relationships because they make both our countries stronger. amna: canada's ambassador to the united states, kirsten hillman, thank you for being here. amb. hillman: thanks for having me. ♪

geoff: today, president-elect trump's allies in congress proposed a new bill dubbed "make greenland great again." it's meant to expedite a negotiation process with denmark that protects greenland's autonomy given mr. trump's repeated desire to buy the arctic territory. meantime, greenland's prime minister said today that while the massive island is not for sale, greenland would work with the u.s. nick schifrin has this look at the isolated but strategic polar outpost. nick: >> it is the world's largest island, majestic, magical, remote and rugged, an ancient part of the planet crucial for contemporary national security. >> it's a key part of the arctic region that protects access to the u.s. homeland. nick: sherry goodman is the secretary general and senior

fellow at woodrow wilson center. >> it has long been a place where we have defended against soviet missiles during the cold war through a large base in the northwest of greenland, now upgraded to a space base today. at greenland, we are able to defend against russian or chinese incoming attacks. nick: greenland sits in the middle of the shortest route between the u.s. and europe and hosts the u.s.' northernmost base, now called the pituffik space base, home to a ballistic missile early warning system. it's also home to untapped riches beneath the ice, oil and gas, iron ore and gold and rare earths, whose promise is creating a race among the great powers. sherri goodman: china has increasingly been seeking investment in greenland and in other parts of the arctic. and i think the u.s. is eying minerals for batteries, for advanced technologies, and to power the clean energy economy.

>> we need it for national security. that's for the free world. i'm talking about protecting the free world. nick: last week, president-elect trump pitched buying greenland to protect against russia and china. donald trump: you don't even need binoculars. you look outside, you have china ships all over the place. you have russian ships all over the place. we're not letting that happen. nick: greenland's been part of the kingdom of denmark since 1721. today, it's a self-governing territory that gained autonomy in 1979. and while greenland and denmark said they're not open for purchase, they might be open for business. >> the united states is our closest ally, and from our side we will do everything we can to continue to have close cooperation. nick: but trump also refused to rule out trying to seize greenland with the u.s. military. donald trump: i'm not going to commit to that now. it might be that you will have to do something. nick: and that led to european warnings, even comparing trump's threat to russia's full-scale

invasion of ukraine. >> you are asking me if i think the united states will invade greenland. the answer is no. have we entered an era that sees the return of the survival of the fittest? the answer is yes. it is out of the question for the european union to let any nation in the world, whichever it is, and let me say starting with russia, to attack its sovereign borders. sherri goodman: putin would like nothing better than to continue to drive a wedge between the united states and its nato allies. so, in that sense, i think this type of discussion is very unhelpful. we're not going to be using military force to take over greenland. we're using military force to defend against russian and chinese actions in and around greenland. nick: but this isn't the first time trump has expressed interest. donald trump: essentially, it's a large real estate deal. and strategically for the united

states, it would be nice. nick: and trump wasn't the first american president who thought that. in the 1860s, the andrew johnson administration bought canada and considered buying greenland. the truman administration secretly offered denmark $100 million in gold or to swap parts of alaska. but the island's national security importance has accelerated as its ice melts, thanks to climate change. david holland, new york university: land is very valuable since they stopped making it. and so the idea that new land can appear is an enormous resource to anyone. nick: david holland is a new york university professor of environmental sciences. he's visited greenland 30 times and has dedicated his life to decoding the arctic and its long-term impact on the planet. david holland: greenland is perhaps now likely to melt significantly, if not completely, and to become an island without ice. and you scale it 1,000 years, that is a lot of change in sea level, a lot of change in the global coastline. nick: and possible change to the climate that could be so accelerated and dramatic, it

inspires hollywood dystopias. david holland: when you remove a mountain, because greenland is a mountain, more than a mile high of ice sitting north of the u.s., and so weather patterns will be changed by the removal of that mountain range. "the day after tomorrow" is really a story about greenland and the ocean adjacent to it and how critical and special that place on earth is to our climate. nick: greenland is so large, it serves as a kind of thermostat that keeps the climate balanced. if it melts, the thermostat could break. david holland: if you abstract and look at earth from space, you see earth as a blue and white sphere or marble, and the white reflects all the sunlight from the sun back to space and the blue parts absorb a lot of heat. we are in danger of losing the ice and changing the color of the earth, such that it becomes effectively more blue or green and absorbing a lot more heat. and that change is far bigger by

many times over than the change to the greenhouse gases. nick: all of that might not be at the top of the new administration's mind. trump has dismissed manmade climate change as a hoax. but the ice is melting, and that makes this enchanted land ever more crucial and coveted. for the "pbs news hour," i'm nick schifrin. amna: roger carson's work over the last five years as is no special presidential envoy for hostage affairs has led to the release of a number of americans held by countries like venezuela and iran. he was also part of a team that negotiated brittney griner's freedom as well as a complex multi-country deal that led to release of evan gershkovich, alsu kurmasheva and paul whelan from russia. carstens is leaving his job in

the coming days and he joins us now. ambassador, welcome back. in the middle east this is obviously a multiagency effort not only to negotiate a cease-fire but secure the release of hostages. we understand the president said a deal is close, possibly this week. has either party taken this deal? do you see it happening? mr. carstens: you have to be optimistic in these cases. it's hard to tell whether the sides are going to narrow the gap that has been between them in main part because we have been close before and have not been able to do it. we remain hopeful. i've had a chance to talk to the families about this. their hearts are breaking. they see how close a deal might be. i was in israel talking with my counterparts and we are all

waiting. almost wringing her hands hoping this can get done. nothing would make me happier than to conclude this job watching people leave gaza and go home. amna: as the next administration comes in, how do you make sure the incoming administration adheres to deals made by their successor? have you been in contact with him about this? mr. carstens: he has an extensive background in negotiations. he is very well-informed. i think he's going to do a fantastic job. amna: that's adam thaler? mr. carstens: voler. we are giving him a good team. we have been able to build a good team at the state department that handles these issues and he will be coming in and taking charge of that and i wish him the best and i will always be a phone call away if i

can be helpful. amna: meanwhile in a number of countries, we know there are a number of americans still being held in afghanistan by the taliban, including two men we have interviewed their families and the president spoke with their families over the weekend and the taliban i , understand have been pushing for the release of a man held at guantanamo bay described by u.s. officials as a senior aide to osama bin laden. you were in doha earlier this month. did you offer him in exchange for the three americans? mr. carstens: i would love to tell you more but this negotiation is still in motion. in a perfect world we would be able to close the gap between us and the taliban. having said that, we are not area. we are working on it. as far as specifics go it is best not to talk about it in public.

amna: is there any deal -- you seem to be pushing for this one senior official. is there a deal in which not all three americans come home? mr. carstens: again, i don't want to get into the specifics. just because that negotiation is ongoing right now. amna: on to syria, i need to ask you about austin tice. you yourself travel to syria after the assad regime had fallen. part of the effort to find him and hopefully bring austin home. he is a journalist who has been over there since 2012. in the month plus since the assad regime has fallen, have you learned anything else about where he was held or where he might be? mr. carstens: after damascus fell on the eighth we were able to find more information and were able to take information we had for years and overlap it to get a sense of where he might be held. we came up with a list of about six places we believe t might be or had some relation to, and

from december 8 two about the 20th, we were working with people who could go to the prisons, the secret prison sites , and conduct investigations. we had a chance to look at a jail sale that we believed had a high probability of having held him. we looked for dna samples and gathered evidence along with a wonderful team from the fbi and what we are doing is seeing tons of information from people on the ground that will eventually inform our search once we are able to put boots on the ground in the coming days or weeks. >> so u.s. officials are not on the ground? you are relying on ngos, other partners on the ground? mr. carstens: correct. eventually we will get the u.s. embassy reopened. i would imagine we will get some teams to work with the interim government to conduct the searches, but other than the visit we had on the 20th and one or two after that we don't have

the enduring presence to conduct the search. amna: looking at the work you lead over the last five years, i know the state department put out this plan about how to reduce the risk of citizens being detained overseas. the line that we want to deter and prevent wrongful detention by raising the cost for states involved. you have seen this recent reporting from the wall street journal about how the venezuelan regime has been ramping up his detention of a number of foreign nationals, including american citizens, some 50 foreigners since july. it seems like leaders are taking away the opposite lesson, that they are incentivized to hold american nationals hostage? how do you deter that happening? mr. carstens: let me gently push back on your assertion. the data does not back out that some of the deals we have had to make to bring americans home is increasing the amount of people nationstates are taking hostage. maduro might be a notable exception but for the most part

our numbers have been as high as 74 and have gone down to a small number at this point, but in terms of raising the costs, if you could build a multilateral coalition that can work together to impose costs, to share information, to enact preventative measures, that's a good step. secondly, we want to expand the u.s. toolkit. we have been quick to use diplomacy in terms of our national elements of power but there are other tools we need to create and strengthen and that could be across the information space, economic, financial, legal. there are other tools we will be growing to build -- to put a lid on this action. we are also working with multilateral partners. additionally, we are trying to build partnerships that will allow us to work on this with the private sector and

nongovernmental sources. and strengthening norms so we have an ecosystem of organizations, government and nongovernment, so we have the mechanisms to put this to rest. amna: ambassador, thank you for joining us. mr. carstens: thank you. ♪ geoff: this week, confirmation hearings will begin for a number of president-elect trump's cabinet nominees. tomorrow, pete hegseth, mr. trump's controversial pick to lead the defense department, will face questions from senators on the armed services committee. our white house correspondent, laura barron-lopez, has more. laura: since pete hegseth's nomination to run the pentagon, a number of misconduct allegations have surfaced against the former fox news host. these include excessive workplace drinking, financial mismanagement of organizations

he's led, and sexual assault. according to a police report made public last november, hegseth is accused of sexually assaulting a woman in 2017 in a california hotel room. the woman said hegseth took her phone and blocked her exit. it was first reported to police by a nurse after a patient requested a sexual assault exam. hegseth settled with the woman, but denies any wrongdoing. i'm joined now by gretchen carlson, former fox anchor and co-founder of lift our voices, an organization dedicated to ending non-disclosure agreements in the workplace. gretchen, thank you for joining. after some initial concern from republican senators about these allegations against hegseth, it seems as though many are prepared to vote to confirm him. what does it say that an allegation of sexual assault does not appear to be disqualifying? >> the power of donald trump. that is the first thing that i would mention. but it's also interesting for

-- is frustrating for those of us who work in this advocacy space to see that even allegations of drinking too much or mismanaging other nonprofits seem to climb to the top of the list ahead of any kind of sexual assault or harassment claim. we have worked hard over the last 8.5 years to change the culture and we have made amazing strides. we passed two bipartisan federal laws to get rid of these kinds of silencing mechanism but changing culture is incredibly difficult and that's what we are up against right now, mixed in with a true menace amount of -- a tremendous amount of pressure politically. laura: and your organization sent a letter today to the top republican and democrat on the senate armed services committee saying support of mr. hegseth's nomination would fly in the face of the senate intent in passing two bills, which you just mentioned, that were signed by president biden that make it easier for victims to tell their

stories. how does it fly in the face of their intent? gretchen: you know, so many americans are tired of politicians because of the hypocritical nature of many of the and i think this is a pure example of that. all 100 speakers -- senators voted for the speak up act in 2022, which would give women voice and get rid of predispute ndas in the workplace so i find it hypocritical and disingenuous that now they would not have any interest in finding out more about what this woman might have to say from the event in 2017. laura: in terms of the nda in this sexual assault allegation, the woman who accused hegseth signed one but hegseth's attorney, tim palatore, said last month that the nda is no longer in effect. >> i sent notice to her attorney that that agreement is no longer has any force in effect, so

there is no nda to release her from. and if if she wants to go and talk about it, she can do it. i mean, certainly she would do it at her own peril of a further defamation lawsuit. laura: given your experience, gretchen, as a survivor of sexual harassment in the workplace, why do you believe that eradicating nondisclosure agreements is critical? gretchen: first of all, that is, you could argue, is witness tampering with a threat that he will let you out of your nda. but if you do speak, we'll sue you for defamation and you know you will be in more trouble. i mean, that is -- that's the old school way of approaching survivors. number two, this this woman has been in hiding ever since this story came to light because she's seen what happens to women when they come forward. we have made great strides but women are still penalized. and so this is not about her not wanting to tell her story. the greatest solution for this would be if members of the

senate would meet with her privately and not subpoena her in front of the entire world to be shamed, potentially, but to talk to her privately and see what her side of the story is and then make their determination about what they think about that. laura: gretchen, are you concerned as well that hegseth in particular would be head of the pentagon and that strides made to combat sexual harassment and assault for women in the military could be impacted by this? gretchen: yes, of course. i mean, the majority of people that we hear from in this world about sexual harassment and sexual misconduct are from members of our military. and many of these senators who are going to be making these decisions have been very proactive in trying to pass laws to make the military safer for women. so i'm going to point out that senator joni ernst, i know a lot of responsibility falls on her shoulders, but she's a sexual assault survivor. she's also a combat veteran. and

she's also been instrumental in trying to pass legislation to make military women have a safer environment. so i would hope, especially she, along with men in the senate as well, and other women, that they would take a real close look tomorrow when they start this hearing and that they would not overlook putting somebody in power who has these kind of allegations against him and then would be in charge of rectifying these kinds of allegations if they come forward. laura: hegseth is not the only one to face sexual assault allegations. trump himself is accused of sexual misconduct by two dozen what does it mean for the future of the metoo movement that these men could fill some of the highest positions across government? gretchen: let me just be clear, i will never give up this fight. i've been doing this for eight and a half years, and i'm accompanied by so many other people who are also fighting

against this wrongdoing. it may seem like a setback for the movement, but no, we have made tremendous strides in these last couple of years. i mean, women are actually being believed and there are consequences for predators. at the same time, it is completely upsetting that these would be nominees and that they would be overlooked by members of congress as or that their actions would be overlooked. that is completely frustrating and disappointing. but it should not signal that this is the end of the movement. we will continue our fight every single day. laura: gretchen carlson of lift our voices, thank you for your time. gretchen: thank you. ♪ geoff: president biden has just one week left in office and the raging wildfires in california have become fodder for political debate. for the political stakes of the

moment, we are joined tonight by tamara keith of npr and andrew desiderio of punchbowl news. amy walter is away. welcome to you both. as we continue covering these destructive wildfires out west, the state's governor and los angeles's mayor are fending off attacks from donald trump and his allies, namely elon musk. how is this unfolding and what is at stake if donald cuts off or withholds federal disaster relief? tamara: to be fair, they are also fending off criticism from residents of their own states, who are frustrated with the response and, you know, the reality is that these fires move so fast and so furious, it was like hundreds of simultaneous house fires they were trying to

fight, so there's only so much that can or could be done in that moment. but, yeah, the politics broke out immediately. i mean, the fires were 0% contained when the politicization of the fires was well underway. the question is what does that mean for california? and, you know, it probably does not help california that there is a republican trifecta in washington and california is a blue state and where this happened in california is a blue part of a blue state and trump in the past has openly speculated about not helping states that he didn't agree with or withheld a major disaster declaration in washington state for an extended period of time back when he was president. he is not projecting exactly what he would do this time. president biden has in some ways tried to lock it in. we will see if he succeeds but he's offered the state of california, you know, 100% coverage of recovery efforts from the federal government. normally it is a split, like 75-25, and biden has come out

and said it's 100% for 180 days. he's not going to be president for 180 days. geoff: here's how governor newsom responded to the political acts from donald trump while speaking to meet the press yesterday. >> i called for him to come out, take a look for himself. we want to do in the spirit of an open hand, not a closed fist. he's the president-elect. i respect the office. we have a president of the united states that within 36 hours provided a major disaster declaration over a text. we had support from the president of the united states, joe biden, with 100% reimbursement, all the resources you could hope for or imagine. constant communication. i'd like to extend that to the president-elect. geoff: and we learned today that mr. trump reportedly plans to visit california soon. andrew, from your perch on the hill, it appears congressional republicans want to condition some of this aid. andrew: speaker mike johnson said that's a possibility and

also floated the idea of attaching it to a raising of the debt ceiling, which i will plant the marker now is highly unlikely. it will not work. it will not happen. that is not a vehicle for it, in other words. i do think trump's nominee for omb director, the office that controls all the aid that goes out both domestic and foreign, he will get questions about this at his confirmation hearing on the hill this week, and i will say too that senate republicans who we talked to earlier this evening on the hill made clear that they are not really comfortable with this idea either, including and especially people like senator rick scott from florida, who deals with these natural disasters on a yearly basis, senator tillis, who just pushed for a major disaster relief package for his home state of north carolina due to the the hurricanes that ravaged the western part of his state as well, so we are seeing these republicans who have traditionally supported disaster aid without conditions when and

where it's needed come out and say that's not a good idea, and i will note the filibuster still exists in the senate and democrats will not vote for disaster aid that has conditions on it, especially in the manner in which some congressional republicans and president trump might be suggesting. geoff: at the very least that might be precedent-setting. let's talk about president biden's farewell this week. he has two speeches planned, one he delivered today about his foreign-policy achievements as he sees them, one from the oval office. how was he trying to craft the perception of his presidency as he leaves office? tamara: he's trying to write the first draft of his legacy. obviously a lot of other people are as well and they are not as rosy as he describes it, but he today said that america has more friends now than it did when he left. he talked about what he wants donald trump to continue of his policies. there's likely going to be a very strong break for many of biden's policies, like on

climate, for instance, and ai. the speech wednesday in the oval office,, it really is this formal traditional farewell address. however, biden also just a couple of days ago was asked if he will go quietly into the night or whether he's going to speak out against trump or in his post-presidency and he's like i'm not going to be quiet. we will see. we will see where the appetite is for commentary from biden once he's no longer in office, but he's trying to cement his legacy to say that america is already great and does not need to be made great again. >> i know you're paying attention to the confirmation hearings set to start for trump's cabinet nominees. senator john cornyn described it is a train wreck of nominations because they are coming back to

back. well you be watching? andrew: this is a nomination that republicans think is safe at this point but that democrats are using tomorrow's confirmation hearing for to advance a narrative about him so that they can say this person is unqualified, he's unfit. they are going to bring up the allegations of sexual and financial misconduct. they have a lot of women on that committee in particular who have been outspoken about this. for example, senator mazie hirono from hawaii, elizabeth warren from massachusetts, tammy duckworth from illinois, who herself was injured in combat. they have the right people to deliver that message. whether it's going to make a difference at this point is unclear, but they think that tomorrow is one of those rare confirmation hearings that could actually matter, where the responses from pete hegseth and

in return from republicans both on and off the committee could make a difference for his confirmation prospects. republicans on the armed services committee have already noticed a vote -- a committee vote on his nomination for next monday, which is inauguration day, at around 5 p.m. it will be members only, limited staff allowed in the room. that will be presumably where they vote on hegseth's nomination to advance it to the senate floor. based on the composition of the armed services committee on the gop side, i don't anticipate any no votes there, so he will be fine to advance out of committee. the republicans can lose no more than three votes so there's a number of people we will be watching for. geoff: the idea to get as many people confirmed as humanly possible on day one. tamara: and trump had two confirmed on inauguration day last time. i think his team once a higher number than that though it's not clear that's possible. geoff: thanks to both. tamara: yeah. andrew: thank you. ?

♪ geoff: and that is the newshour for tonight. i'm geoff bennett. amna: and i'm amna navaz. thank you for joining us. >> major funding for the pbs news hour has been provided by -- >> we are a proud supporter of public television. on a voyage with cunard, a world awaits, a world of flavor, diverse destinations, and immersive experiences, a world of leisure and british tile -- style, all with our service. >> in 1995, two friends set out to make wireless coverage accessible to all. with no long-term contracts,

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from the david m rubenstein studio at weta in washington and in the west from the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university.

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