geoff: i'm geoff bennett. amna: and i'm amna nawaz. robert f. kennedy junior faces tough questions at his confirmation hearing.

geoff: president trump signs the first bill in his second term. we check in on the nation's rapidly changing policies and what it means for seeking entry to the u.s. >> there is no path to asylum in any other manner. amna: pentagon revokes security detail for general mark millly. >> major funding for the pbs "newshour" has been provided by -- >> on american crews lines' journey experience the maine coast and new england islands. our fleet of small crews

ships -- cruise ships explore landscapes and historic harbors where you can experience local customs and cuisisines. >> in 1995, two friends made out wireless accessible to all. no long-term contracts consumer cellular. freedom calls. >> the judy and peter bloom foundation upholding and strengthening democracies. the walten family foundation to protect water during climate change so people and nature can thrive together. supported by the john d. and

catherine t. macarthur foundation. more information. 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. amna: welcome to the "newshour." the trump administration today walked back some of its message about a spending freeze of trillion dollars of federal grants and loans. geoff: they sent a memo that will outlined a temporary pause on many government-funded programs was rescinded. but white house press secretary said that would not stop the federal funding freeze tied to

president trump's executive orders. laura, our viewers could be for dlif given. >> that funding freeze that was said nonprofit agencies, state officials across the country faced uncertainty and confusion because the white house only specified that medicare and social would not be touched and said medicaid and snap wouldn't be touched. o.m.b. said they were rescinding the memo and white house press secretary said this should end the court case. this was a move to get around the lawsuits but said over and over again today this does not halt that spending freeze and white house officials said the memo served its purpose and they are not backing off the freeze.

amna: and the white house rescinded the memo to stop the backlash but it doesn't? >> judge john mcconnell plans to issue a restraining order against the funding freeze and brought by a lawsuit. and reporters, judge mcconnell said the memo was ambiguous and a distinction without a difference. the white house is facing two restraining orders from two judges in two different lawsuits that are temporarily stopping that funding freeze. and so essentially the heart of the matter is that memo whether it is in effect or rescinded does not change the way judges are viewing thinks lawsuits. geoff: how are people concerned? >> little to ease the confusion and just one example. white house officials said meals

on wheels, a program that delivers food to seniors would not be affected. meals on wheels said that's not how they are approaching this and still flying completely blind, they told us. while this is happening, federal workers are facing a lot of confusion because the office of personnel management, the government's h.r. sent an email seeking mass resignations to say yes to this resignation up until next week and told if they agree to take this resignation they could potentially work from home. but it's not clear exactly how the white house is able to do this. geoff: thanks to you as always. amna: on capitol hill, one of president trump's most consequential and controversial nominees made his case for the top job of the department

ofhealth and human services. geoff: former environmental lawyer and candidate took tough questions as he faces criticism from his own family. >> robert f. kennedy junior, president trump's pick to lead the department ofhealth and human services greeted with applause and said he is concerned. >> americans' overall health is an issue. over 70% of adults and third of children are overweight or obese. >> he rallied against processed food. but he has sparked concern evident by rows of doctors and nurses in the room to address him. he addressed his opposition to vaccines. >> these reports saying i'm

antivaccine, i am neither. i am pro-safety. [. >> it's ar past change in his words. >> entire generation of american children. >> he has a long history of vaccine skepticism. and there was skepticism like for measles, mumps and wrongly claiming that vaccines cause autism. >> it is chicken soup and vitamin a. >> he put his views this way. >> i will be the h.h.s. secretary and makes it difficult or discourages people -- anybody in my advocacy i have disturbed the status quo by asking uncomfortable questions. i'm not going to apologize for that.

>> democrats railed against him as someone with -- >> did you say liem disease is a bioweapon? >> i probably said that. >> and someone posturing to get the job. >> doesn't matter what you come here other jobs we are confirming. this job is life and death. >> his first of two days, today is the most important. he will oversee one of the largest budgets in the u.s. including medicaid, medicare, food and drug administration and centers of disease control. >> we believe in science and thankful that you do, too. >> democrats hope to crack that unity. >> i have never seen any major politician flip on that issue

quite as quickly as you did when trump asked you to become h.h.s. secretary. >> republican senator asked if he might try to limit pills used for early abortions? >> he asked me to study. he has not yet taken a stand on how to regulate it. >> democrats fired back. >> here are the safety studies saying the drug is safe and effective. >> kennedy suggested more pilot programs. not in the room but part of the nomination fight is carolina ien kennedy and in a scathing letter, she urged centers to reject. kennedy accused r.f.k. junior an exploiter. >> it is incomprehensible that

someone willing to exploit their own personal tragedies would be part of america's life and death situations. >> republicans are attempting to abridge divide. >> i truly appreciate what you are doing here. >> elsewhere on capitol hill, two more wall street interior commerce department and kelly loffler and more picks, pam bondi advanced through committee. lee zeldin to head the environmental protection agency was confirmed. >> we are joined by the vaccine center at children's hospital in philadelphia.

geoff: we heard r. qumplet k. junior said he will not on owes any obstacles. do you buy that? >> not for a second. he has told you who he is. he has been a vigorous antivaccine activist and he said no vaccine is a benefit and poll yeoh vaccine killed many more people than saved. he is currently in the midst of suing the maker of the human papilloma vaccine. if if he is in a position to do everything about it, he will make it less affordable and less affordable. geoff: he said he was for vaccine safety and not the same as being opposed to vaccines. how did that strike you?

>> what he is, he is for studies in this fixed science-resistant belief. he says vaccines cause autism and dozens of studies have said they don't. he just cares trying to find studies that support these beliefs that have been refuted by scientific studies. he wants studies that prove him right even though they don't exist in good journals. geoff: he would have control of a sprawling bureaucracy and a budget of more than $1 trillion. and at a certain point in the hearing he appeared to mix up the federal programs medicare and medicaid, what questions does that raise for you? >> over the last 20 years with his work on children's health

defense, his focus has been on vaccines. he has adopted this make america healthy again and not eat processed foods. it sounds good. when you have science deniers like him, you don't want him to be in charge of that. geoff: focus on nutrition and chronic health conditions and his against processed foods. >> his point is right. he spent a lot of money. and look at other developed and longist and mortality. we can do much ■better and agree. we can better and exercise better and make us healthier and

drink and smoke less. but he is not the guy to head that because he has fixed beliefs. if you are showing something where he is wrong, he won't believe it because he holds on to these beliefs like a religious belief. geoff: he said regulators are took to the industries that they are supposed to hold to account. does he have a point there? >> it is always about the science. certainly the people who make money make it from foods. it's always about the science. this whole sort of notion that these industries are too close to the regulators sounds good. but what is the evidence? what is the evidence that vaccines are unsafe or food that is unsafe? show that rather than this vague

hand waving that there is a vast conspiracy to do us harm. geoff: doctor, thank you for your insight this evening. >> thank you. >> "newshour" west. latest headlines. in northern india, authorities say at least 30 people were killed and dozens more injured in a stampede during the world's largest religion. behind dues have -- behind u.s. -- hindus said it could stop the process of reincarnation. the stampede broke out when people tried to jump a line of barricades. they rushed people to hospitals as others tried to escape the

crowd. family members are still missing. >> we were walking when people started pushing aggressively and people were stepping and walking over us. nobody helped us. my father has gone missing. >> the state department raised its travel advisory from the republic of congo advising americans not to come there. the m-23 rebel group is claiming more towns. the rwanda-backed group saying they had restored peace. soldiers fighting for congo and foreign mercenaries laid down their weapons. armed groups have battled for control of east congo. federal prosecutors are dropping all criminal proceedings against president trump's co-defendants in his classified documents

case. nauta, mr. trump's valet, and mr. deoliveira were charged to conspiring to obstruct the f.b.i.'s investigation. if approved, today's move would end the entire case. mr. trump appealed to overturn his conviction in the new york her money case and he was sentenced to an unconditional discharge making him the first president with a criminal record. president trump signed education executive orders today. one ending indoctrination and how schools teach about race and gender. another grants the department of justice to investigate ant semitism.

meta, the company of facebook and instagram have settled a lawsuit filed by trump. trump sued in 2021 after meta stopped his account. $22 million will fund his presidental library. senator bob menendez was sentenced to 11 years today. he was found guilty acting as a foreign agent and accepting gold bars in exchange for political. menendez was in tears as he addressed the judge. the judge told him quote, you stood at the apex of our political system. somewhere along the way you lost your way and working for the public good was your good. a democrat, maintained his innocence outside court and said

he was the victim of a political witch hunt. >> president trump is right. this process is political and it is corrupted to the core. i hope president trump cleans up the crest pool and restores integrity. >> asian community mark the beginning of the year of the snake with festivities today. in beijing, people rank bells and wished for good fortune as they celebrated the spring festival in china. and performer took parade. the lunar new year is time to wish good luck and prosperity. still to come, new national test scores paint a bleak educational picture in the aftermath of the covid pandemic. and we remember more of the

victims of california's devastating wildfires. this is the pbs "newshour" from the david rubenstein studio in washington and from the walter cronkite university of arizona. >> president trump has signed the first bill an immigration action how i. c. e can arrest illegal immigrants. laken riley allows undocumented immigrants charged with crimes related to theft and allows state attorneys general to sue the federal government if they think their state has suffered. the president announced executive order to open a 30,000 bed detention facility at guantanamo guantanamo bay.

amna: it is far beyond illegal immigration. we have a closer look at migrants have been navigating the changes. >> the trump administration has shut down or halted most legal avenues for migrants to come to the use. the c.b.p. mobile app and parole from four countries and protected status extension for more than 600,000 venezuela wailance. we have the director of add voi cassie of the immigrant status in the el paso. jennifer, thank you for joining. i want to start with c.b.p. one that allowed them to schedule an

appointment at a legal border entry point to be processed by american immigration officials and tom homan was asked about this. >> all appointments have been canceled. that is a legal way to claim asylum. what should people do who are seeking asylum? >> the -- do it legally. >> what legal options do migrants have? are there any options to claim asylum? >> at this point in time, there is no pathway to asylum or any other manner in the united states. and c.b.p.-1 was the legal way up until the 20 of this month with the suspension of c.b.p. one.

it was a legal system and part of another executive order issued by president bidden. and showing umh at the point of entry at the scheduled time and then you were scheduled to a screener. and we have no pathway. >> the president also halted all refugee resetment and organizations like yours. explain the scope who is impacted and what it means for refugees who were ready to come to the u.s. and those who are here. >> confusion rules the day. we are seeking clarity on what this means for our afghan allies, refugees, because it is difficult to have against the work order and the agencies and then the federal injunction.

but it could have a devastating impact for families who are already here. they are serving 6,000 people. these are refugees who are relying on assistance to secure housing and health care and enroll kids in school and after they went through a legal pathway years waiting in our country or refugee camp after going through extreme vetting, they jumped through every legal hoop and only after they got clearance did they come into the u.s. and we hope they are not stranded. >> all those refugees have been through extensive vetting. what are you hearing from immigrants in el paso and how they are feeling with this shutdown? >> so much fear and so much confusion and it has been difficult to disseminate

accurate information. we have seen a drop in school participation so students are not showing up at school due to fear. and individuals not attending community services and people are scared to come to legal cases. it is devastating. and our role is to try to provide some sense of security and promise we aren't going anywhere. >> jennifer, what are you advising immigrants to do, the ones stuck in limbo, who had their appointments to claim asylum and it was canceled? >> it is difficult. a team of us are trying to explain what the current situation is. the answer for now is we don't know what's going to happen next but it doesn't look like your

appointment is going to be rescheduled and we are advising to make safety plans where they can go next with food, to keep their children safe and secure housing. and individuals who never intended to remain in northern mexico and hoping to find safety with that appointment. >> the president has shut down humanitarian parole from nicaragua and venezuela. annette: what does it send that the u.s. is not open to people fleeing danger. >> these have a devastating impact for people who have bought their lives. many have felt shortages.

i love and not the people from venezuela and parents of u.s. travel who now face the terrifying impact of people being forced to return and it is an important emphasis in explaining that though there has been so much focus on the response to undocumented immigrants, the brunt of these executive orders dismantle legal immigration systems. and what that means, when you started working in creatings functional and other legal pathways to the u.s., it means a deterrence is going to lead people and people are fleeing to their lives and lives for their children. they are out of fear do whatever it takes to reach safety.

and what that means many will pay their lifesavings. u.s. immigration policies can push people towards exploitation and line the pockets of the very transnational crime organizations we are trying to fight. >> thank you so much for your time. geoff: secretary of defense pete hegseth removed the security detail protecting former you joint chiefs of the staff mark milley. hegseth also told his security clearance and could demote milley in retirement.

>> in the pentagon today with portrait of the 39th army chief of staff there is a blank wall. but now the trump administration is doing more than painting over his legacy. it is threatening to punish him. >> we don't take an oath to a king, queen or tyrant or dictator or a wanna-be dictator. >> pete health seth said conduct an investigation in his conduct. >> if you undermine the chain of command as he did, we are going to review those actions administratively. >> the pentagon stripped milley of his security detail even though the threat from iran is still active.

senate intelligence tom cotton said it is going on. >> and the threat is persistent and real. >> the senior most military advisory and they clashed over milley's when trump appeared in lafayette square after protestors demanding justice for george floyd -- >> i shouldn't have been there. it created a perception of being involved in politics. >> he said he called his chinese counterpart and called it approved communication but trump called it an act so egregious and said the punishment would have been death.

milley cannot be court martialed but any decision could reduce his rank even in retirement. geoff: for perspective on this, we turn to jim mcpherson. he also had a 25-year career in the navy and top lawyer in uniform. your reaction to the trump white house ending general milley's detail and stopping his security clearance and opening an investigation for the apparent offense to his parent disloyalty to donald trump. >> dismay, surprise, sadness. many assumed that the rhetoric during the campaign was that, just rhetoric, that the president's promise there to be

our retribution is rhetoric. the recent spade of executive orders indicates it wasn't rhetoric and take him at his word and what he says getting even even is very real. removing general milley is a threat to him and his family. those threats are ongoing and those threats came because he performed them as an army officer and the country owes him that protection. to remove it is just shameless. >> defense secretary hegseth accruesed him breaking the chain of command. what impact might that assertion and accusation have on the inspector general investigation and how might that impact hegseth's recommendation to dodged trump ends whenever it

ends. >> first of all. i don't exact how it impacted the chain of command. general milley was not in an operational chain of command. it advises the secretary and president. he doesn't command any forces whatsoever. i don't know how that impacted the chain of command. perhaps the secretary doesn't understand the chain of command. it sends a terrible message and not only towards general milley what he said, but i think the message is to others who are serving in active duty, if you don't tow the line, you run the risk of the same retribution that general milley is the subject of. any good leader wants to empower those who work for him, to offer

alternatives and challenge assumptions and not what this administration is signaling. you better get in line or we will come after you. geoff: that is the message how will officers review it and respond? >> they will be shocked as i am. they are removing that protect. and took the photos down. i couldn't think of anything more petty than that. and finally, threatening his retirement grade. there is a process for that and the process involves the secretary of defense analyzing whatever report he receives. sounds like this secretary has prejudged that and already in mind what his recommendation is going to be even before an investigation. geoff: what are the practical effects? what are the negative

consequences could result from this? >> chilling on the senior military and senior civilians to give their varnished recommendations to criticize assumptions and offer alternatives and creates an atmosphere. yes, mr. president, yes, mr. secretary, that is what we are going to do. and it will take effect. geoff: jim mcpherson, thanks for being with us. amna: the gap between the highest and lowest performing kids are rising, according to

new data from the biennial national tests for eighth and fourth graders. test scores remain below prepandemic numbers. and eighth graders dropped eight points in math. and slielt uptick in math results. we are joined by jared polis and governor of cole -- colorado and leading a policy initiative. governor, thanks for being with us. >> pleasure. amna: the federal government sent some $190 billion across the country since 2021 moving out of the pandemic and people thought it would be a bounceback aside from fourth grade math. we didn't see that. why not?

>> here's what was announced today and why is nows. this is nation's report card, the same task given to fourth graders and eighth graders. what we have is state standardized tests but it differs and hard to compare. this report card and allows to compare between alabama, california and colorado. what we did with our idea funds over the last couple of years from the federal government is target them around the areas that we thought were most in need of improvement like math. and guess what? we saw significant improvements in colorado particularly in students of colorado and it's a question of how we can target the resources we have towards those most needed to achieve at grade level and shouldn't take the federal government doing

this. and states are major funders of education. in colorado, second biggest line item. and states and governors need to step up and drive better results in the schools because we have the leverage of being funders. amna: does that say to you that we saw declines everywhere else, does that say to you the funds were not used they could or should have been across its board? >> there is some bright lights. louisiana was another bright light of significant increases. what you try to do both across the states and interstate, here is what works. part of what we use the money is called bright school awards. even during the pandemic years had significant increases in improvements in student

achievement and we said wow! more importantly, we tried to learn what the practices were that led to significant increases in student achievement. two bans in our state accountability matrix and trying to spread those best practices. you look for the bright spots. at the same time, you look for ok, where were some of the decreases. where does it show the red flashing light on at the district level and state level. amna: divergence between the highest and lowest achieving students. eighth grade math results and shows the highest in the 90o, they bounced back since 2022. students in the lower achieving, 25, 10th per sen tile and seeing alarming learning loss. what is the difference?

>> where we think we can make a difference, after school hours, tutoring, we did a master license for some of the best math software to drive interventions of work for teachers to teach better in those areas. another thing in colorado, it wouldn't show up, we instituted universal preschool. those kids are now in first grade and show up in fourth grade in three years but the data points to the fact that high quality prevents those gaps, for low-income, english language learners and prevents those gaps. amna: i need to ask about a story reported which is the confirmation hearing of robert f. kennedy junior to lead the department of health and saw

tough question from senator michael bennet. many oppose his nomination and you said you supported it, why? >> watching the nominations are improving education and reducing health care costs. i was very critical of president trump's last head of that agency which was secretary azar who became the head of the agency, the fox guarding the hen house. i hope they can be more independent and continue to work with the department ofhealth and human services on our weafers that we need on medicaid spending and lower prescription drugs. we have a pending application for them as well. amna: there has been a lot of talk about the city in aurora.

and president trump has focused on this city and said it was taken over by gangs and i. c. e operation was called off due to leaks. what can you tell us about anything you have heard and are colorado law enforcement officials working with federal officials? >> i can tell you little because the administration did not reach on out to us on any kind of action. we don't know what they are planning, if they are planning ongoing after criminals. we are ready to help however we can to locate people that violated our laws and whether they are american citizens or immigrants and we need to keep colorado safer. there has been no communication about what that operation would or might entail. amna: when you look how these operations have unfolded should

i. c. e agents be allowed on school grounds? what do you support or not support here? >> i supported kamala harris for president. we had executive order around safe spaces and not go into schools and churches and now rescinded by president obama and now they are not prevented. many of our school districts have been very active in making sure that students and families know their rights and principles and school clerks know what to do. amna: governor, thank you for your time, good to speak with you. >> thank you.

amna: now we continue with our remembrancees of the 29 people who died in the southern california fires. the los angeles county medical examiner's office is working to identify. tonight, we remember seven individuals recently identified by officials and the legacy they leave behind. >> carolyn burns was considered at-risker missing person. the examiner later confirmed her death. burns was 56 years old. 75-year-old oswald was known as ozzie and his dog died with him. he was the fun uncle and had the treats and cookies you weren't supposed to have.

barbara lewis had impaired memory and died in the eaton fire. the resident passed away on her home on january 15. lewis was 84 years old. diana webb had lost contact with her family january 9 two days after the palisades fire. she died in her home in malibu. she was 82 years old. neeba, 86 came here from costa rica. and her family tried to reach her home. fire was on all sides. her niece said we are saddened by the news but rejoice in knowing she is with the lord. laura swayne were at risk person. she was 71 years old.

and the neighbor joy wrote on facebook she was the sweetest lady who made the best brownies and lemon bars and water color cards for her neighbors. omer was 94 years old. geoff: a moment of uplift. a viral online phenomenon opens the door to k-9 communication and dogs can talk with their humans. amna: are they barking up the wrong tree? brian along with his pup macy pursued the truth.

♪ ♪ >> been a fascination of ours for generations, getting man's best friend to talk. >> i like to play ball. >> and for good reason, tens of millions of us live with and love the dogs in our lives. >> we love dogs and binding with them. many of us still struggle making sense. >> fred rico stunning animal cognitive. >> you may know they want to get out. >> our furry friends have remained mum that is until this australian kettle dog stella stepped on to a button and

online fame. her mom is a speech pathologist got a idea working with buttons. >> at the same time, i brought a puppy home who was bursting with communication and led me to the question, if dogs understand words we say to them. similar to kids who use devices. >> the idea behind these buttons, you record a word or phrase that you use all the time. for my dog macy could be -- and then every time i do that action in the course of the day, i press the button and with enough repetition, the hope is that macy would push that button to communicate back with me. she demonstrated her buttons.

about to call it quits when stella seemed to get it. >> she was looking at the buttons or squat and miss it. that's quhen i knew there was some potential here and a week later she said her first word oidz. >> her blog and social media have drawn million of viewers. >> outside. >> i was like, you know, there is one dog doing it and it's great and there is a history of communication and that history was complicated. >> that is a horse who wowed crowds for being able to do math. he was picking subtle cues from his handler.

but the buttons and dogs kept growing in popularity. >> yes! >> i had no business to teach my dog how to talk. but what the heck. >> alexis and her dog were inspired by christina and started posting her progress online. after six years of steady work, bunny knows over 100 words and uses them in novel ways. >> one of the most powerful moments is when she had a fox tail webbing embedded and she pressed ouch. and i said ouch. and she pressed stranger paw and stranger being something foreign object. >> videos like this went crazy

and eight million followed bunny and divine and sells her own brand of button boards and inspired millions more to try them. cats, otters and pot bell yessed pigs are experimenting with the buttons. this sudden growth gave her an opportunity, a large scale study of button communication focusing on dogs. >> it turned into 110,000 participants and largest communication study are attempted. >> they collected and analyzed millions of button pushes and video of dogs using them and controlled behavioral studies. research published in august concludes that the dogs can

comprehend specific words and can give responses. but that's still a far cry from proving they can use human life like language. >> i don't see they are understanding language anywhere as we talk to each other here. >> the k-9 science at arizona state university. he says dogs using those buttons is fine but don't get carried away. >> i don't think inside their mind, there is a human mind desperate to get out. inside a dog's head is a dog's mind and it has hison way. >> when my dog wants to communicate when she is hungry. stands by her food bowl or nudges me. >> that is a beautiful example

of how you have learned your dog's language. your dog communicates with you about their desire for food and you wouldn't gain everything about a dog pressing buttons. >> christina sells her own line of button boards. there is a deepg relationship with these animals that have lived with us. >> they are another tool that is on top of and gives clarification for both the dog and the human. >> macy, what a treat? >> from the new frontier in human k-9. >> want a treat? geoff: how many buttons are you going to put in your house? amna: all of them. treat, now. geoff: that is the "newshour"

for tonight. i'm geoff bennett. amna: i'm a.m. far nawaz. thank you. >> major funding has been provided by -- >> on a voyage with cunard, the world awaits, a world of flavor, diverse destinations and immess i have experiences. a world of leash and british style, all with cunard's white star service. >> friends of the "newshour" ann working with visionaries on the

edge of social change and ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and from viewers like you. thank you. this is pbs "newshour" west from the david m. rubenstein studio and our bureau at the walter

cronkite school of journalism at the arizona state university.

(pleasant music) - cooking is really at its best when it's shared. (drums booming) wow. so i'm off to visit inspiring communities across the country to see how food brings them together. that's a bit of all right. - hey. - [mary] exploring some exciting places. it's extraordinary, it's huge, isn't it?