and tamara keith of npr. ska hello to both of you on this monday, very good to see you.e're going to begin with what we're leading with in the program tonight and that is this new variant of covid. amy, just when i think we thought maybe we were on the good side of this. >> right. >> it turns out that there is a big question mark out there. we don't know yet how serious, how severe the symptoms are, but we know that it is on the move. and president biden is imposing a travel ban, he's saying no reason to panic. we know there are health reasons, health things he has to worry about. >> that's right, i thought it was note worthy that he said be concerned but don't panic and also that he said we're not going to do lockdowns. made very clear we can defeat this with vaccines and with boosters, we don't have to go into where we were in 2020, the challenge though for the president as he noted also in that speech is he doesn't have any control over what other countries are doing and this is as you know be, a global paemic. yes, the u.s. can send lot of that around the world but w

tamara keith and amy walter break down the latest political news. plus much more. >> woodruff: the bipartisan infrastructure bill, a key part of president biden's legislative agenda, passed congress last week and is headed to the president's desk to be signed into law. the one trillion dollar plan will bring historic investments to roads, bridges and public transit, as well as other major projects across the country. joining me now on all this, someone closely involved in the push for infrastructure, secretary of energy jennifer granholm. , secretary granholm have good to have you with us again. thank you for being here. a lot of parts to this legislation. and i want you to remind the audience of just a few of the major parts of this. where the public may see something in the near term, and maybe in the next six months? >> well, certainly, there are different parts of this legislation that will go quickly. and some that will take a little bit more time to develop. the ones that will go quickly are the ones that are pursuant to formula, things like w

and tamara keith of npr.to you both, nice to see you. >> thank you. >> let's start where we left off, tam, the interview with governor cristie, a lot for prescripgs forp the way forward, what did you make of that. >> in essence he is tieing himself in a bunch of knots, trying to figure out like so many republicans are, how to navigate a republican party where donald trump is still a dominant force. he's trying to speak truth to trumpism at the same time, he can't reject trump because he can't be a never trumper, because then he would lose all credibility with the people that he claims he is trying to persuade. it is a quandary that many republicans who could see themselves running for president in 2024 find themselves in. >> a quandary, a balancing act. >> an enigma, so many things, very appropriate for this time of year. >> but in essence, what tam is saying is to the tally correct. that trying to find trumpism is without trump, which is you can keep the policy that everybody loves, just let's leave the cons

amy walter, tamara keith, thank you. >> and and that's the newshour for tonight. i'm judy woodruff.and again here tomorrow evening. for all of us at the pbs newshour, thank you, please stay safe, and we'll see you soon. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> the landscape has changed, and not for the last time. the rules of business are being reinvented, with a more flexible workforce, by embracing innovation, by looking not only at current opportunities, but ahead to future ones. resilience is the ability to pivot again and again, for whatever happens next. >> people who know, know b.d.o. >> a raymond james financial advisor tailors advice to help you live your life. life, well-planned. >> the kendeda fund. committed to advancing restorative justice and meaningful work through investments in transformative leaders and ideas. more at kendedafund.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 institut

here to take stock of it all are amy walter of the cook political report with amy walter, and tamara keitho both of you. it was a week of up and down. it was long in coming, the infrastructure bill, but it did pass late friday night. in the end, how much at this moment, how much of a political win is it for the president? exit is a win. you take them where you can get them. it is a bipartisan win in the senate and the house. the president can now go out and members of the democratic party can go out in 2022 and say we worked in a bipartisan manner as we promised, to pass things that matter. the challenge is, while the president and the energy secretary say we will go and sell this to the public, the sausage making isn't done yet. they are still trying to do the build back better bill and that will have a back-and-forth between the senate and the house that will probably go on. we have talked about this, probably this number -- december, most reporters are talking about spending christmas and new year's covering this. there is a waste to go. the other big piece, and you raised this with the

tamara keith and lisa lerer weigh in on the president's infrastructure win and steve bannon's appearance in federal court. pareshnts arthe eir questions about vaccininatg eithr chdr.en and chmu more. woodruff: t todayhe depart omentf fedense said that secretary d lloyauinst is qutiesng more infoiormatn about a au.s.irristke that llkied civiliansth at e d enof e r waagainst isis. is weekend, "nthe ewor yk tis"ub plished a stobory aut th siktre, and what tithe mes describes cas aov-uerp by the u.s. mily itarfoowlling one of the deesadlit mbboings on vicilians in years. nick srichifn porerts. >>if schri in:n march 2019e, th u.s. marility d anits syrian liales isolated fithe nal remnants of isis in a small ercorn osyf ria, called oubaghz, along the euphrates river in eastern syria. it was the end of four-and-a- lfha years of fingghti ttha stroyed the miislac atste, s. military said it was supporti ingts allies on the ound, the mo kstlyurshdi f.s.d., soryrian defense fo, rcesagnsait 200 isis tefighrsin, cluding womedn an chilmbd attsan. on march8, 1 201u.9 s. acriraft heavily bombhoed tsesi i