bnsf railway. financial services firm raymond james.th visionaries on the frontlines of social change worldwide. 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. ♪ this is pbs newshour west, from our studios in washington and from our bureau at the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. ♪ ♪ announcer: lidia: buongiorno! i'm lidia bastianich. and teaching you about italian food has always been my passion. it has always been about cooking together and ultimately building your confidence in the kitchen. so what does that mean? you get to cook it yourselves. for me, food is about delicious flavors... che bellezza! ...comforting memories, and, most of all, family. tutti a tavola a mangiare! ♪♪ announcer: funding provided by... announcer: at cento fine foods, we're dedicated to preserving the culinary heritage of authentic italian foods by offering

. ♪ being our economy, bnsf, the engine that connects us. ♪ >> johnson & johnson, financial servicesymond james. ♪ >> fostering inform communities. more online. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions. ♪ >> and friends of the newshour. ♪ this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. ♪ judy: the u.s. supreme court today heard lengthy arguments challenging the biden administration's vaccine and testing requirements in the workplace. the cases could have significant implications for 100 million workers. john has the story. correspondent: the rules being challenged are at the heart of the biden administration's pandemic response that would require big employers to make sure workers are either vaccinated were tested at least once a week, the other requires vaccinations for health care workers in facilities that treat medicare and medicaid patients. as with all things surrounding the pandemic and vaccines these days, these rules are sparking strong opinions. we asked viewers

bnsf railway.onas and james l knight foundation, fostering informed and engaged communities. >> 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. ♪ stephanie: i'm stephanie sy with “newshour west.” we'll return to the full program after these latest headlines. president biden is trying to ease criticism over the covid 19 omicron surge, as cases keep hitting new records. he argued today that those lly vaccinated and insteadre very unlikely to get seriously ill. at the same time, he said his administration is working hard to address a nationwide shortage of covid tests. pres. biden: on testing. i know this remains frustrating. believe me it's frustrating to me, but we're making improvements. in the last two weeks, we've stood up federal testing sites all over the country. we're adding more each and every day. stephanie: in other de

bnsf railway.ancial services firm raymond james. the william and flora hewlett foundation, advancing ideas and supporting institutions to promote or better world. the chan-zuckerberg initiative, working build on -- a more healthy,. just and future for everyone. and with these ongoing supports 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. >> i'm stephanie sy with newshour west. we will return after the latest headlines. the biden administration is moving tonight to make it easier to get at-home tests for "covid-19". the white house says starting saturday, private insurers must cover 8 at-home tests, per person, per month. also today, the cdc warned against travel to canada because of a rise in "covid-19" cases there. and in china parts of the city of tien-jen' were locked down, less than a month before the winter olympics in beijing -- 75 miles away. for the

bnsf railway.inancial services firm raymond james. the william and flora hewellet foundation, promoting institutions to promote a weather world. the chan zuckerberg initiative working to build a more healthy, just and inclusive future for everyone. at czi.org. and with the ongoing support of these individuals and since institutions -- and institutions. ♪ this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station fr viewers like you. thank you. judy: covid-19 has begun 2020 to the way it ended 2021, spreading quickly throughout the country. the omicron surge is forcing airlines and businesses to limit operations as more workers fall ill or test positive. the chief medical officer in congress is urging lawmakers to work from home and the virus is disrupting back-to-school plans in many communities as well. >> students around the country file back into classrooms in the new year, but many schools chose to delay that return. as parents rushed to s

bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> consumer cellular. >> johnson & johnson. >> financial servicesraymond james. >> supporting social entrepreneurs and their solutions to the world's most pressing problems-- skollfoundation.org. >> the lemelson foundation. committed to improving lives through invention, in the u.s. and developing countries. on the web at lemelson.org. >> supported by the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. committed to building a more just, verdant and peaceful world. more information at macfound.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. >> woodruff: the c.d.c. is taking new fire for shortening covid quarantine periods to five days without requiring a negative test. the agency reaffirmed its decision last night. but today, the american medical association said "the new recommendations are not only confusing, but are risking further spread of the virus." the a.m.a. suggested a shortage of

. >> johnson & johnson bnsf railway consumer cellular financial services firm raymond james the kendedaund committed to advancing restative justice and meaningful work for investments and transformative leaders and ideas. carnegie corporation of new york and with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions from viewers like you. thank you. judy: on this january 6, solemn ceremonies at the u.s. capitol replaced the violent scenes of rioters ransacking the building one year ago. it w also a day when a sitting president denounced the man he succeeded in stark terms. congressional correspondent lisa desjardins begins our coverage. pres. biden: my fellow americans lisa: today, a speech, a location and an anniversary which were all unprecedented. pres. biden: one year ago today, in this sacred place, democracy was attacked. lisa: in one of the oldest parts of the capitol, president biden took on the january 6 attack with his most direct confrontation yet of his predecessor. pres. b

bnsf railway.john s. and james l. knight foundation, fostering informed and engaged communities. more at kf.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. stephanie: i am stephanie sy with the newshour west. we returned to the full program after the headlines. the biden administration's website for requesting free, at-home "covid" tests is now up and running. it's online a day ahead of the officially scheduled launch. households can order four tests from the website, covidtest.gov. it will focus -- we will focus on efforts to deal with covid after the news summary. in oakland, administrators at three schools cancelled classes today after a third teacher "sickout" this year. in the last two weeks, the school district has closed more than a dozen schools amid organized protests from teachers and some students over cov

bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> fidelity wealth management. >> consumer cellular. >> johnson &on. >> financial services firm raymond james. >> supporting social entrepreneurs and their solutions to the world's most pressing problems-- skollfoundation.org. >> the lemelson foundation. committed to improving lives through invention, in the u.s. and developing countries. on the web at lemelson.org. >> supported by the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. committed to building a more just, verdant and peaceful world. more information at macfound.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. >> woodruff: president biden fielded questions from reporters at aarathon news conference, on everything from soaring inflation, to the stalemate on voting rights legislation, to americans' anxiety over omicron. it was his first formal meeting with the press in ten months. geoff bennett joins me now to discuss where the pre

. >> bnsf railway. >> fidelity wealth management. >> the john s. and james l. knight foundation. fostering informed and engaged communities. more at kf.org. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions: and individuals. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: president biden is trying to ease theational angst over the omicron surge of covid-19, as cases keep hitting new records. he argued today that those fully vaccinated and boosted are very unlikely to get seriously ill. at the same time, he said his administration is working hard to address a nationwide shortage of covid tests. >> on testing, i know this remains frustrating. believe me, it's frustrating to me. but we're making improvements. in the last two weeks, we've stood up federal testing sites all over the country. we're adding more each and every day. >> woodruff: in other developments, the c.d.c. approved booster shots of the pfizer vaccine, five months after the first two doses. that i

bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> fidelity wealth management. >> consumer cellular. >> johnson &on. >> financial services firm raymond james. >> supporting social entrepreneurs and their solutions to the world's most pressing problems-- skollfoundation.org. >> the lemelson foundation. committed to improving lives through invention, in the u.s. and developing countries. on the web at lemelson.org. >> the john s. and james l. knight foundation. >> supported by the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. committed to building a more just, verdant and peaceful world. more information at macfound.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. >> woodruff: the biden administration is pressing tonight to ship more covid-19 test kits to schools, to help keep classrooms open. it comes amid growing criticism of test shortages, and with infections piling up nationwide. william brangham reports. >> brangham: as cases surge

. >> bnsf railway. >> fidelity wealth management. >> the john s. and james l. knight foundation. fostering informed and engaged communities. more at kf.org. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions: and individuals. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: the biden administration's website for requesting free at-home covid tests is now open for business. it went online today, a day ahead of the officially- scheduled launch. the website, covidtests.gov, allows four tests to be ordered per residential address. we will focus on federal efforts to deal with covid after the news summary. the u.s. senate formally opened debate today on voting rights legislation-- with little prospect of passing anything. democrats want to expand voting access, increase regulation of campaign financing, and challenge states that-- they say-- restrict voting rights. republicans say it is federal overreach, and they plan to block action, again. party leaders sparred on

. >> bnsf railway. >> financial services firm raymond james. >> the william and flora hewlett foundation. for more than 50 years, advancing ideas and supporting institutions to promote a better world. at www.hewlett.org. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions: and individuals. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: this has been a day for the annual remembrance of dr. martin luther king, junior. but also, this year, a day of calls to action on voting rights. in chicago, a car caravan rolled through streets in support of voting rights legislation now stalled in the u.s. senate. in washington, vice president harris helped out at a food >> today, we must not be complacent or complicit; we must nt give up; and we must not give in. to truly honor the legacy of the man we celebrate today, we must continue to fight for the freedom to vote, for freedom for all. >> woodruff: martin luther king . the civil rights leader's son martin luther king 3rd is chairm

. >> bnsf railway. >> fidelity wealth management. >> the john s. and james l. knight foundation. fostering informed and engaged communities. more at kf.org. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions: and individuals. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: president joe biden and vice president kamala harris both traveled to georgia today to up the pressure on congress to pass long-stalled voting rights legislation. geoff bennett begins our coverage. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> reporter: president joe biden today with an urgent new call to protect the right to vote. >> reporter: the president throwing his full support behind a one-time change to the senate filibuster, to ease passage of voting rights legislation. >> i believe the threat to our democracy is so grave that we must find a way to pass these voting rights bills. debate them. vote. let the majority prevail. and if that bare minimum is blocked, we have no option but to change senate rules, including gett

bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> fidelity wealth management. >> johnson & johnson. >> financialces firm raymond james. >> the john s. and james l. knight foundation. fostering informed and engaged communities. more at kf.org. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions: and friends of the newshour. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcaing. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> nawaz: well, the u.s. has set a new daily record for covid cases, topping 580,000 new cases yesterday, and shattering wednesday's total of 488,000. for the first time in the pandemic, america recorded more than two million cases within just one week. the nation is now averaging more than 300,000 new cases a day. all of this comes as new data suggests those highly-sought- after rapid antigen tests may not be as effective as hoped in detecting the omicron variant. dr. kirsten bibbins-domingo is a physician and epidemiologist at the university of california, san francisco. she joins me now. dr. bibbins-domingo, welcome back to

bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> fidelity wealth management. >> johnson & johnson. >> financialces firm raymond james. >> the john s. and james l. knight foundation. fostering informed and engaged communities. more at kf.org. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions: and friends of the newshour. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: the u.s. supreme court today heard lengthy arguments challenging the biden administration's vaccine and testing requirements in the workplace. the high-stakes cases could have significant implications for some 100 million workers. john yang has the story. >> yang: judy, the rules at stake are at the heart of the administration'sandemic response. one would require big employers to make sure their workers are either vaccinated or tested weekly. the other would mandate vaccinations for healthcare workers at facilities that treat medicare or medicaid patients. as with all issues surrounding the pandemic and vaccines

bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> fidelity wealth management. >> johnson & johnson. >> financialces firm raymond james. >> the john s. and james l. knight foundation. fostering informed and engaged communities. more at kf.org. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions: and friends of the newshour. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: hospitals in at least 24 states are edging close to capacity tonight, as covid patients keep arriving. government data also shows more intensive care units are running out of beds. meanwhile, a federal website will begin taking orders wednesday for free covid tests. there is a limit of four per home. we will return to the hospital crunch, after the news summary. the leader of the far-right oath keepers militia pleaded not guilty today to a federal charge of seditious conspirac stewart rhodes is accused in connection with the january 6 attack on the u.s. capitol. ten followers are also charged. a federal magistra

. ♪ >> major funding for the pbs newshour been provided by ♪ >> moving our economy are 160 years, bnsfengine that connects us. ♪ >> johnson & johnson, financial rvices firm raymond james, >> the john s. and james l knight foundation fostering engaged communities. more at kf.org. >> and with the support of these institutions. and friends of the newshour. this program was made possible by the corporation for public block -- broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. stephanie: i'm stephanie sy with newshour west. we will return after headlines. hospitals close to capacity as covid patients continue arriving. government data shows more intensive care units are running out of beds, and a federal website will begin taking orders wednesday for free covid tests, a limit of four per home. the cdc clarifies cloth masks do not offer as much action against omicron as surgical or respirator masks like n95's. the best mask is one that fits well and is worn consistently. chains like cvs and walgreens closing some of their stores this weekend due to staff

has been provided by -- consumer cellular, johnson & johnson financial services firm raymond james, bnsfy. carnegie corporation of new york, supporting innovation and democratic engagement and the advancement of international peace and security at carnegie.org. the target foundation, committed to advancing racial equity and creating the change required to ship systems and accelerate equitable economic opportunity. and with the ongoing support of these institutions. this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contribuons to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. this is pbs newshour west from w eta studios in washington and from our hero at the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. -sonora, a vast open territory in northern mexi defined by rugged mountain ranges, unforgiving deserts, and the peaceful sea of cortez. but down in the valley a gift from the culinary gods. here conditions are just right to grow and harvest miles and miles of the regions most identifiable crop -- sonoran wheat. the flour produce from t

bnsf railway consumer cellular financial services firm raymond james the kendeda fund carnegie corporationf new york and with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting, and from viewers like you. judy: president biden's plan for fighting the pandemic has taken a hit at the u.s. supreme court. he lost in his effort to knock down a challenge to one vaccine mandate today, while winning another. william brangham begins our coverage. william the court ruled that the : biden administration must stop enforcing a rule that employees at big companies take the covid vaccine or undergo routine testing. the conservative majority of justices said the administration had overstepped its authority with the rule, which would have applied to more than 80 million workers. separately, the court did allow administrations requirement that most health care workers in the u.s. -- roughly 10 million -- be vaccinated against covid-19. in a statement, president biden welcomed that stance on the mandate for health care workers