stephanie sy reports.: the scope of destruction was on full display as president biden traveled to western kentucky to see for himself. five tornadoes blasted the region last friday, including one that cut a roughly 2-mile long path. the president began his visit, meeting with local leaders at fort campbell and commenting on how the tragedy was uniting communities. >> there's no red tornadoes or blue tornadoes. there's no red states or blue states when this stuff starts to happen. and i think, at least, in my experience, it either brings people together, or it really knocks them apart. they are moving you together here. stephanie: kentucky governor andy beshear said more than 600 members of the national guard are assisting in the 18 counties that were hit. >> it's something that feels pretty therapeutic. we're actually hauling some of this debris out of town. hauling a little bit of that chaos and devastation, death, out of town. stephanie: from fort campbell, biden visited the town of mayfield, which was

but as stephanie sy reports, there were warning signs. ays, active duty soldiers at joint base pearl harbor-hickam in hawaii have been distributing water to their own, thousands of military families without clean drinking water due to fuel contamination. >> i am a single active-duty mom of two special needs kids. stephanie: at several town halls in the last week, resident after resident reported harrowing medical problems, in their children -- >> on sunday, my children took a bath, and for 45 minutes after -- afterwards, they complained of burning skin. stephanie: and in their pets. >> we made the heartbreaking choice to put my beloved dog down after a mysterious illness. stephanie: the navy-run water system serves some 93,000 people. about a thousand households reported smelling fuel in the water starting in late november. it took the navy almost a week to acknowledge the problem. residents like audrey lamagna had been smelling the fuel for days. audrey: i decided, let me just fill up a cup like a plastic cup full of water. and what do yo

stephanie sy begins our coverage. >> sy: in washington, d.c., residents waited in line to get a free covid-19 testing kit in preparation for holiday travel. as the highly transmissible omicron covid variant surges, demand for testing is high. around the country, pharmacies are quickly selling out of at-home tests. and testing sites in big cities, like new york, have hours-long wait times. the white house said today it's finalizing plans to secure 500 million at-home rapid tests to distribute for free. in an exclusive interview with president biden yesterday, abc's "world news tonight" anchor david muir asked why those kits weren't ordered sooner. >> if you go to the pharmacy, we hear this over and over again-- empty shelves, no test kits. is that a failure? >> no, i don't think it's a failure. i think it's-- you could argue that we should have known a year ago, six months ago, two months ago, a month ago. >> we're nearly two years into this pandemic. you're a year into the presidency. empty shelves and no test kits in some places three days before christmas, when it's so important. i

for the pbs newshour, i'm stephanie sy. >> nawaz: since the taliban regained control of afghanistan int, the u.s. has evacuated more than 75,000 afghans through operation allies welcome. roughly 23,000 evacuees remain on six military bases across the country, but more than 50,000 have already been placed in local communities. after a tumultuous journey, these refugees are now tasked with starting over, and rebuilding the lives in a new country. earlier this week, i spoke to krish o'mara vignarajah, who leads refugee resettlement efforts with the lutheran immigration refugeservices. krish, welcome to the newsho, and thank you for making the time. we should point out to everyo watching-- anyone who arrives here has already been vetted, before they come to the united states. they're housed on these u.s. military bases across the country, and then your organization steps in. so, just tell me a little bit about the role that your group plays, and what you do when you first come into contact with these arriving afghans. >> sure. so, l.i.r.s. is one of the nine reselement agencies that work w

stephanie sy has our report. >> sy: covid continues to spread holiday misery.minute flight cancellations left thousands of travelers reeling on christmas eve. affected airlines blamed the situation on the impact of omicron, with delta and united at least partially attributing cancellations to flight crews calling in sick with the virus. globally, more than 3,000 flights were cancelled, with international airlines also citing falling demand as a factor. >> the reason that our flight was cancelled was because of a lack of flight attendants. so, yeah, on delta, so, i guess it is sad. >> sy: to ease the staffing crunch, u.s. airlines are pressuring the c.d.c. to shorten quarantine time for fully vaccinated airline staff to fi days, down from ten. the rapidly-spreading omicron covid variant is taking a toll on work forces everywhere, including police departments, grocery stores and hospitals. for health care workers, the c.d.c. is recommending shortening the quarantine time to seven days, as long as workers are asymptomatic, and test negative before returning to the

judy: -- >> i' vanessa ruiz in for stephanie sy.ll return to judy and the full program after the latest headlines. in the days other news a fourth , student has died of wounds from tuesday's school shooting in michigan. hours later, the suspect -- 15-year-old ethan crumbley -- was charged with murder and terrorism. he was arraigned via video link this afternoon. authorities said he talked about killing students in a recording monday night -- after he had trouble at school. >> the schools did have contact with the student the day before and the day of the shooting for behavior in the classroom that they felt was concerning. in fact, the parents were brought in the morning of the shooting and had a face to face meeting with the school. >> the teen was ordered held without bond. the prosecutor said his parents may also face charges. the house select committee investigating the january siege on the capitol voted tonight to hold jeffrey clark in contempt of congress. the former senior department of justice official under president trump

. ♪ stephanie: i'm stephanie sy with newshour west.eturn to the full program after the latest headlines. updating our top story, the washington post reports the biden administration is planning stricter testing requirements for all travelers entering the united states. separately, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction of president biden's national vaccine mandate for health workers. in other news, at least 3 students were killed after a shooting at their high school in southeastern michigan. police say the gunman was a 15-year-old sophomore, arrested at the scene, about 40 miles north of detroit. at least 8 people were wounded, including a teacher. >> we will get to the bottom of this. we are executing a search warrant at the suspect's house. we have talked to the parents, and all i can tell you is, they didn't want their son to talk to us and they've hired an attorney. stephanie: there is no indication that the alleged ooter had any prior run-ins with police. a federal appeals court today upheld california's ban on high-capa

stephanie: i'm stephanie sy with newshour west, we'll return to the full program after the latest headlinese availability of covid booster shots is expanding to 16 and 17-year-olds. they clear them today for fixing and 17-year-olds are to receive a third those dose of the pfizer vaccine six months after the shot. the world health organization warns against courting vaccine shotas they fight the omicron variant. the white house braced for bad news on inflation, november numbers expected to show another spike. president biden pointed to a drop in gasoline prices and said the information being released tomorrow on energy does not reflect today's reality. it cited a drop in initial claims to jobless benefits to the lowest since 1969. the president spoke with ukraine's president, assuring him of support in the face of a russian troop buildup. this week he offered u.s. diplomatic efforts to address russia's security concerns. but the state department said that does not mean bargaining await ukrainian territory. >> there have been absolutely no deals cut. there been no concessions made, no such el

vanessa: i'm vanessa ruiz in for stephanie sy. we will return after these headlines.ccine maser pfizer forecasts the pandemic will last until 2024 now that the omicron variant has emerged. the company also said it is working for a three dose vaccine for children two to 16, acknowledging the two dose regimen is not as effective as hoped. and also, the cdc endorsed letting students stay in class if they are exposed to covid test negative. officials touted the policy over home quarantines. >> the test is an encouraging public health practice to keep our children in school, and cdc is updating our materials to help schools and parents know how to best implement this promising and now proven practice. vanessa: late today, the court circuit of approvals reinforced a mask mandate ordered by the occupational safety and health administration. the fifth circuit court blocked the mandate in november and now the case will likely go to the u.s. supreme court. also, officials in western kentucky have confirmed two more deaths as a result of last friday's tornadoes. governor andy be

stephanie: i'm stephanie sy with newshour west, we'll return to the full program after the latest headlinese united states will conduct a diplomatic boycott of the winter olympic games in beijing. the white house announced today that american officials will not attend the games in february to protest human rights abuses in china. but american athletes are still free to compete. >> i don't think that we felt it was the right step to penalize athletes who have been training, preparing for this moment and we felt that we could send a clear message by not sending an official u.s. delegation. stephanie: earlier, china warned that a boycott would trigger what it called firm countermeasures. u.s.-russian tensions over ukraine are still running high ahead of tomorrow's video call between president biden and russian president vladimir putin. russian troops have massed along the ukrainian border. today, the state department warned of severe economic consequences if the russians invade. in moscow, a kremlin spokesman said that, as things stand, bilateral relations with the u.s. are in -- quote -- quit

. ♪ stephanie: i'm stephanie sy with newshour west. return to the full program after the latest headlines. updating our top story, more states are reporting confirmed cases of the omicron variant, the latest being hawaii, where an unvaccinated resident with no recent travel history was found to have it. the adult has mild to moderate symptoms. the biden administration announced plans to reinstate the so-called "remain in mexico" policy for those seeking legal asylum in the u.s., as of monday. president biden had tried to end the trump-era practice, but a federal court forced its reinstatement. under an agreement with mexico, u.s. officials will aim to process cases within 180 days, and to ensure migrants' safety. congress moved today to try to avert a shutdown of the federal government, one day before the deadline. the democratic-led house of representatives approved a bill to fund operations through mid-february. in the 50-50 senate, party leaders backed the bill, but a group of republicans demanded votes on covid vaccine mandates. th

stephanie: i'm stephanie sy newshour west. return to the full program after the latest headlines. a man accused of killing 10 people in colorado last march has been found mentally incompetent to stand trial -- for now. ahwad al aliwi alissa allegedly opened fire at a supermarket in boulder last march. prosecutors asked today that he be sent to a state mental facility for treatment. the news out on jobs today is a mixed picture. the november u.s. hiring report indicates fewer jobs were added last month than expected. the net gain of 210,000 was the smallest monthly increase since last december. however, a separate survey of households shows 5 times that many people reported finding work. the unemployment rate dropped from 4.6% to 4.2% percent, the best it's been since the pandemic struck. the two surveys typically are reconciled later. in addition, average wages rose nearly 5% from a year ago. president biden signed a short-term spending bill today that averts a govement shutdown this weekend. the legislation funds federal agen

stephanie: i'm stephanie sy with newshour west, we'll return to the full program after the latest headlinesfight against covid-19 is advancing. pfizer says its double-dose vaccine -- plus a booster -- may offer significant protection against the omicron variant. the initial 2 doses, by themselves, appear much less effective. meanwhile, the fda authorized a new astrazeneca antibody drug for people with serious health problems who need more protection. and in other covid news, late tonite, the senate voted to overturn president biden's vaccine mandate for private businesses. the measure now moves to the house of representatives. we'll turn to the issue of vaccine mandates, after the news summary. president biden today underscored his warnings to russia's president vladimir putin not to invade ukraine. leaving the white house, the president said sending in american troops is not on the table, but moscow would still pay a high price. >> economic consequences like none he's ever seen, or ever have been seen. but the idea that the united states is going to unilaterally use force to confront russi

stephanie: i'm stephanie sy with newshour west, we'll return to the full program after the latest headlinesaster has struck haiti. at least 60 people were killed and dozens injured late monday when a fuel truck overturned and exploded. it happened in the northern city of cap-haitien, burning cars and scorching buildings. the mayor toured the scene as daylight showed the extent of the destruction. >> i'm here to see the aftermath of last night's unfortunate event. i received many calls and sent the firefighters and police an alert so they could intervene. unfortunately many people died, we couldn't save them. stephanie: haiti has already seen its president assassinated this year, and an earthquake that killed more than 2,200 people and destroyed thousands of homes. back in this country, the u.s. house of representatives moved to advance criminal contempt charges against former white house chief of staff mark meadows. he's refused to testifying about the assault on the u.s. capitol last january. the u.s. justice department will decide whether to prosecute meadows. we'll return to this, after

. ♪ stephanie: i'm stephanie sy with newshour west. to the full program after the latest headlines. inflation in the u.s. has surged to its highest point in nearly four decades. the bureau of labor statistics reported consumer prices jumped 6.8% last month over what they were a year earlier. at an afternoon event, president biden acknowledged the toll that's taken on many americans. pres. biden: it's a real bump in the road. it does affect families. when you walk in the grocery stores and you're paying more for what you're purchasing, it matters. it matters for people. when you're paying more for gas, although in some states there down above three dollars a gallon, but hasn't gone down far enough. but i think it will. stephanie: will have more on this after the new summary. stocks rose despite the inflation report, which analysts said was on track with expectations. the dow jones climbed 16 points to close at 35,971. the nasdaq rose 13 points and the s&p 500 added 44 to close at another record high. covid-19 cases in the u.s. climbed 3

we begin with this report from stephanie sy. >> sy: as airports fill up with holiday travelers, the u.s., along with the rest of the world, finds itself in a precarious position. the omicron variant has made its way into at least 49 countries, as well as over 40 states in the u.s. over the weekend, infectious disease expert anthony fauci reiterated what scientists are learning about omicron and its ability to spread. >> the one thing that's very clear, and there's no doubt about this, is its extraordinary capability of spreading, its transmissibility capability. it is just, you know, raging through the world, really. >> sy: americans are pressing forward with plans to gather for the holidays, bottling up testing centers. lines in new york city wrapped around streets. >> i've been here about an hour and a half. and it's been very long. everyone's just been waiting and waiting. it's just been really scary with the new variant. very, very scary. >> sy: experts say vaccination remains the first line of defense against severe cases of covid, including the new variant. and today, moderna shar

stephanie sy has more about what's at stake. >> judy, the biden administration's extended child tax creditted to direct payments to americans raising children that were more generous and included more poor families. estimates show nearly 10 million children are at risk of slipping deeper into poverty as the credit expires. it won't disappear entirely, but instead of getting monthly yments of up to $300 per child, americans raising children will have to file a tax return to claim the funds. the government will also reduce the amount from $3,600 $2,000 per child annually. joining me now is michelle singletary, personal finance columnist for "the washington post." welcome to the program. it's great to see. i want to first go into the student loan repayment pawses that president biden announced. it was supposed to end on january 31st, why this reversal today and how does this change things? >> well, there was lots of pressure on the president to extend it because people are still suffering. so there was a lot of outcry from consumer advocates, obviously borrowers and people in congress who say

. ♪ stephanie: i am stephanie sy with newshour west.e will return to the full program after the latest headlines. explosive details tonight coming out of the house panel investigating the january 6 capitol insurrection. the committee voting unanimously to pursue contempt charges against former white house chief of staff mark meadows. the panel has subpoenaed meadows, but he has refused to appear for depositions. he is suing the committee. as the panel considered the contempt charge, republican liz cheney quoted a text that donald trump, jr. sent to mark meadows on january 6, saying about his father, the president, quote, he has got to condemn this asap. the capitol police tweet is not enough. we need an oval office address. he has to leave now, end quote. the united states passed 50 million confirmed cases of covid-19 since the pandemic began, with deaths near 800,000. that came as california re-imposed a mask mandate in indoor public spaces amid rising cases caused by the new omicron variant. separately, the u.s. supreme court upheld n

stephanie sy has our report. >> sy: hundreds of thousands of americans are now testing positive for covid each day, and that is those who can get a test, many spent christmas weekend waiting in line for hours. >> out of precaution, an abundance of precaution really and just to keep everyone around us safe, i feel it is best to get tested periodically here. >> sy: the biden administration has pledged to provide 500 million at-home rapid tests for free, but they won't become available until next month. his covid-19 task force met virtually with governors today. he defended his actions to date, while promising more federal support for the states. >> i know the lines have gotten very long in some states, that is why i ordered fema to set up pop-up sites in places with high demand, to shorten the wait. we went from no over the counter tests in january to 46 million in oober, 100 million in november and almost 200 million in december. but it's not enough, it's >> sy: all of this as new infections have surged 80% in the past two weeks, to well over if would cut the time it rims people isolate th

as stephanie sy reports, an investigation by propublica looks at just how much the program has actuallyes in need. >> sy: in 1996, president bill clinton created tanf as part of welfare reform. the federal government provides grants to states that have discretion for how to use and distribute the funds. for the past six months, propublica has been speaking with dozens of women, mostly single mothers in the southwest, who turned to their state governments for financial assistance and found the process extremely onerous. advocates have been arguing that today's version of tanf hasn't kept up with demand. propublica's eli hager has been investigating the state of investigating the state of tanf and joins us now. eli, thank you so much for being on the newshour. why did you focus on the southwest and what were sort of the major takeaways in your reporting? >> we focused on the southwest for a few reasons. one is that it's the most rapidly changing part of the country right now the cost of living has just been skyrocketing across the region. and so a lot of sile mothers with children have be

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