"UK races to mine lithium as it focuses on electric energy" PBS NewsHour 2/26/2022
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SUMMARY: As the global energy transition continues to promote electrification, governments around the world are looking to support businesses that can help them transform their economies, particularly transportation. In the UK, that means funding for all aspects of the electric ecosystem, as Special Correspondent Willem Marx reports, from mines to making batteries.
"Brooks and Capehart on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Biden’s Supreme Court nomination" PBS NewsHour 2/25/2022
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SUMMARY: New York Times columnist David Brooks and Washington Post columnist Jonathan Capehart join Judy Woodruff to discuss the week in politics, including Russia's invasion of Ukraine and President Biden’s selection for the U.S. Supreme Court.
Judy Woodruff (NewsHour): With the world's eyes on Ukraine, and President Biden moving forward on his pick for the U.S. Supreme Court, we turn to the analysis of Brooks and Capehart.
That's New York Times columnist David Brooks and Jonathan Capehart, columnist for The Washington Post.
Very good to see both of you. Thank you for being here on this Friday night.
We're going to talk about Ukraine in just a minute.
But, David, I want to start with President Biden's choice of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson for the court. What did you make of his choice of her?
David Brooks, New York Times: She seems great.
What you want on the court is someone with a lot of intellectual firepower, but without intellectual arrogance. And she seems to have that. As Marcia and others mentioned before, she has the defender. She was a regular old judge on — with real trials, not just a fancy appellate judge.
So, she has been in the trenches. She seems like just a wonderful person.
I read a very good story in The 19th about four friends — or three friends she had starting at freshman year in Harvard. These were four Black women who entered Harvard together. They roomed together. They were sisters together. All four of them went to Harvard Law together. And, since then, they have been in each other's weddings, they have been at each other's childbirths.
And what they describe, her three friends describe about her, is someone who's the social organizer, someone who early on said, I'm going to take up a lot of space. I'm going to make my point of view known.
And I think one of them early in college said, you know, you're going to be on the Supreme Court one day.
So, if she could see it that early, maybe she's fit to be there.
Judy Woodruff: Jonathan, what's your take on her?
Jonathan Capehart, Washington Post: Well, she's definitely fit to be there.
I didn't read the story you read David, in The 19th. I read this big profile of her online in The Washington Post. And what came — the four women were also featured in that profile. But what I got from that was a woman and a lawyer and now a judge who is and has been pragmatic on the bench. Sure, she follows the law and she's grounded in her belief in the law and belief that the law should be meted out equally.
And throughout her career at Harvard, both undergrad and law school, when she — there were moments when other Black students were looking to protest X, Y, or Z, sometimes, she participated. Other times, she didn't. And the reason why she didn't was because she thought it was more important that she be in class and prove folks wrong.
And I'm thinking about a situation where, at Harvard, someone in her dorm unfurled a Confederate Battle Flag out the window. And, initially, she did protest, but she told her friends, look, one of the things they want us to do is to not focus on our classes. And if we don't focus on our classes, we flunk out, thereby proving to them, at least, that we don't belong here.
So, I think what President Biden has done was nominate someone who is coming to the bench, as David said, with intellectual firepower, but also someone who's going to be somebody who tries to bring the liberal and the overwhelming conservative majority together on some of the key issues that are coming up before the court even after she's confirmed.
Judy Woodruff: And, David, how do you see her potential effect on the court?
We're starting to hear some Republicans raise objections, questions about her. Mitch McConnell is one of them. But what do you think lies ahead, if she's confirmed?
David Brooks: Well, she's — there are nine personalities on the court. And so each personality adds something to the little family drama there, they have there.
My impression of the court has always been, they find ways to get along. And — but bringing in a new personality will widen the perspective of the court, will bring a new set of perspectives, a new lived set of experiences. It can't help but have a humanizing aspect.
Ideologically, there are all these rating systems that rate judges on how liberal or how conservative they are. She's pretty much in the mainstream of Democratic nominees. One of the rating systems I saw put her slightly to the right of Elena Kagan. Another put her a bit to the left. But she's very much in the mainstream of a Democratic nominee.
And she's obviously replacing a Democratic nominee, so, as Marcia Clark said earlier today, that it's probably not going to alter the ideological balance, but it'll widen the human aperture.
Judy Woodruff: And, Jonathan, how do you see her fitting in? And how do you read the coming Republican opposition?
Jonathan Capehart: Well, I think she will fit in just fine, considering she's been on the bench for a few years now, and folks love her.
When it comes to the Republican opposition, the idea — I can't remember which Republican member of Congress said this — that she's some left-wing radical, it's just sort of — that would have been branded on to any — whoever the President named. It just now happens to be Judge Jackson.
I think that, if Republicans stick to substantive criticisms of Judge Jackson, either her record or rulings or cases, they will be fine.
But the moment they stray into the territory that Senator Kennedy of Louisiana did by saying he hoped the President would choose someone who could tell the difference between a J. Crew Catalog and a law book; or another member of Congress who said before even a person was named that, no matter what, that the President was making an affirmative action hire, if they go down that route, they should be prepared for withering criticism.
And, also, Republican leaders, those who say that they're Republican leaders, should be prepared to condemn those folks, because there is no question that Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is qualified to be on the court, should be on the court, and is not some radical, but, as David said, is in the mainstream of American political thought and life.
Judy Woodruff: So, now we turn to the thing that we have all been, I guess, fixated on for the last several days.
The last time I talked to the two of you, last Friday, the Russians hadn't begun their attack, their assault on Ukraine.
But, David, now they have. This, I think, is the first time in modern memory that we have been able to watch a war unfold, one country attacking another in real time on television and social media and the rest of it.
But what do you make of what Russia has done and is doing so far?
David Brooks: Well, I'm just impressed by the Ukrainian people. I'm impressed by the Russian people who are on the streets protesting.
But the Ukrainian people are facing very long odds. And they seem to be facing them with resolve and sometimes heroic self-sacrifice. And I'm just — my hat is off, and my eyes of admiration are for them.
I think we're entering another era. We were blessed to live for many years, probably all of our lives so far, in this era of rules. We may be ending that era and reentering an era of great power rivalries, such as we saw in the 17th century and the 18th century and the 16th century and the 15th century.
And it's just not pleasant to live in those eras, because nobody is secure. Vladimir Putin only thrives in areas where nobody is secure. And so we may be, with Russia, with China, defending Taiwan, we may be one great power forever after, or least for a long time after, engaged in constant struggles to head off authoritarian tyranny.
And that will involve different defense budgets. It will involve electing different sorts of people to be our leaders. It will involve a much more bloody and much less pleasant way to live in a set of mutual democracies.
Judy Woodruff: It's hard to watch, isn't it, Jonathan?
Jonathan Capehart: It is, again, the first major land war on the European continent in more than 70 years.
As David said, this is now — this is a battle of ideas. But, as Hillary Clinton and Dan Schwerin write in "The Atlantic" today, this is — what's happening now in Ukraine is much bigger than that. They write: "Ukraine is one flash point in a larger global struggle between democracy and autocracy."
And they point out that the day that Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Beijing, which was February 4, on Friday, was the same day that the Republicans said that the January 6 insurrection was — quote — "legitimate political discourse."
The battle between autocracy and democracy is — has — was a factor in President Biden's presidential campaign, but there on the streets in Ukraine, in the air, where — in terms of the war that Russia is waging on Ukraine, we are seeing right there the battle between democracy and autocracy.
And the fact that the United States and President Biden is leading the alliance to, at a minimum, defend the NATO alliance, but also help the Ukrainian people, shows that everyone takes this seriously.
There was a lot of talk about whether the NATO alliance was going to wither on the vine, whether it could be — could hold together. And in the face of this war, before the impending war with Vladimir Putin, they have rallied, and they're stronger. But that battle between democracy and autocracy and having democracy win is not assured, especially because democracy here in the United States is the weakest it's been in memory.
Judy Woodruff: David, a lot of people watching President Biden very closely because of what happened in Afghanistan.
But what's your assessment of how he has managed this, handled this so far?
David Brooks: I think quite well.
He's organized the alliance. For once, we won the information war. He really leaked all the intelligence. And it was all vindicated. Our intelligence community was excellent in predicting what the Russians were going to do. And they went ahead and did it. So he did that part well.
He is playing with an extremely weak hand. Putin is willing to commit troops. We, wisely, are not — unwilling to commit troops. That's one disadvantage.
Second, we're unwilling and our European allies are unwilling to impose sanctions that would impose any costs on Putin. To do this right, we have to go after the Russian economy, which is essentially going after the energy sector. We're not going to do that because European and American economies don't want to impose any costs on themselves.
So, I think the sanctions are weak. I think the alliance between Russia and China, which seems to be reasonably strong, is extremely troubling.
The hope I have, and I think the place to focus our efforts and our attention, is on the Ukrainian resistance. If the Ukrainian resistance, with the help of the west, can make the occupation of Ukraine very costly, then this whole thing does backfire on Putin.
But I would focus on that, rather than, say, the sanctions, which have been symbolic and not nothing, but clearly not strong enough to impose any real costs on the Russians.
Judy Woodruff: Jonathan, how do you size up the reaction here and in Europe?
Jonathan Capehart: Well, I would say that, late this afternoon, the United States, United Kingdom and the European Union announced sanctions on Putin and his foreign minister, Lavrov, personally. So that is a ratcheting up of the pressure on Putin, on Russia.
This is the — I think the third — second round of sanctions. And there are plenty more things that the United States can do.
I think one thing that everyone should do is to sort of remind — we should remind ourselves that, in a culture that we have, where everything is instantaneous, you order something online, it can be — depending on which service you use, could be at your house in a few hours, but definitely by the next day.
We are talking about war. And we're talking about responding to war. And some of the things that have to be done and should be done, the impacts that they have don't — the impacts don't reveal themselves in an hour, in 10 hours, in a day. They take time.
And I think the more people sort of reorient themselves and realize that some of the things that the United States and the West are doing to put pressure on Putin, to bring this war to a close whenever that can happen, that this takes time, the better off we will be.
Judy Woodruff: Well, one thing is for sure. We're going to have a lot of — we're going to be watching a lot of painful scenes in Ukraine, as we watch the Ukrainian people deal with this in the hours and the days to come.
Jonathan Capehart, David Brooks, thank you both.
Jonathan Capehart: Thanks, Judy.
David Brooks: Thank you, Judy.
"Biden selects Ketanji Brown Jackson for the U.S. Supreme Court" PBS NewsHour 2/25/2022
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SUMMARY: President Biden on Friday delivered on his promise to nominate the first Black woman to serve on the United States Supreme Court. After a month-long search to fill the seat of retiring Justice Stephen Breyer, Biden selected a former Breyer clerk and sitting federal judge, Ketanji Brown Jackson. Geoff Bennett reports on how she was chosen to receive a nomination that was decades in the making.
"How Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson could reshape the nation’s highest court" PBS NewsHour 2/25/2022
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SUMMARY: President Biden's nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court is a landmark moment for Black women across the legal field, who throughout American history have made up less than 2 percent of the federal bench. Margaret Russell of the Santa Clara University Law School, and Marcia Coyle of the National Law Journal, join Lisa Desjardins to discuss Jackson's nomination.
"Claiming abuse, Texas tries to prevent gender-affirming care for trans children" PBS NewsHour 2/24/2022
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SUMMARY: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and the state's Attorney General have directed state agencies to investigate families who provide gender-affirming medical care for transgender children. Dr. Stephen Rosenthal, a pediatric endocrinologist and the medical director of the Child and Adolescent Gender Center at the University of California San Francisco, joins Amna Nawaz to discuss.
The only abuse is by Texas GOP.
"Can 3D printing become a solution for the housing shortage?" PBS NewsHour 2/23/2022
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SUMMARY: It's often said that there’s no place like home. But what if that home was built with a 3D printer? Only a handful of people in the U.S. currently live in these types of houses, but some believe this will soon change because of 3D-printing technology’s potential to reduce construction times and costs. Stephanie Sy reports.
"Alarming new climate report predicts ‘catastrophic’ global wildfires in the coming years" PBS NewsHour 2/23/2022
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SUMMARY: There's grim new reports about potential causes and effects of climate change. The United Nations Environment Program has projected intense wildfires linked in part to climate change could increase 50 percent by the end of the century, and the International Energy Agency said energy sector emissions of methane are 70 percent higher than governments claim. William Brangham reports.
"U.S. women soccer players reach $24 million settlement in fight for equal pay" PBS NewsHour 2/22/2022
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Women's National Soccer Team has reached a $24 million equal-pay settlement with the U.S. Soccer Federation. The federation also committed to equalizing future pay for women. Julie Foudy, an ESPN analyst, retired two-time World Cup champion and Olympic gold medalist, joins Stephanie Sy to discuss the momentous day for women's soccer.
"Exploring the Kennedy White House through the eyes of the ‘First Children’" PBS NewsHour 2/21/2022
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SUMMARY: On Presidents Day, we look at the White House during the Kennedy years. A new exhibit called "First Children" at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston, shows how the young residents navigated their new home, and how mother and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy tried to protect her children from the press and public. GBH Boston's Jared Bowen reports for our series, “CANVAS.”
COMMENT:
I wish to apologize to Ukraine and our allies for the United States (again) failing to actually fight for democracy. When any nation attacks another with tanks, aircraft, troops, and rockets a 'paper' response will NOT stop the attack. Sanctions did NOT stop Putin and he knew it.
The ONLY response that hand any chance to stop Putin was full sanctions being applied BEFORE he attacked, with a statement that if he DID attack we would follow with a declaration of war. Sorry, but a military attack requires a military response and we should have taken the risk.
"Putin orders Russian troops into Ukraine’s separatist regions as the West levies sanctions" PBS NewsHour 2/21/2022
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SUMMARY: Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized as independent two separatist regions of Ukraine Monday, and hours later ordered Russian troops to conduct what the Kremlin called a "peacekeeping operation" in those regions. After Putin's earlier moves, the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union all announced targeted sanctions. Nick Schifrin reports.
"Putin ‘raised the stakes’ on war in Ukraine. Will sanctions deter him?" PBS NewsHour 2/21/2022
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SUMMARY: Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized as independent two separatist regions of Ukraine Monday, and hours later ordered Russian troops to conduct what the Kremlin called a "peacekeeping operation" in those regions. After Putin's earlier moves, the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union all announced targeted sanctions. Nick Schifrin reports.
"U.S., Europe ramp up sanctions on Russia as Ukraine prepares for a broader incursion" PBS NewsHour 2/22/2022
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SUMMARY: President Biden, the European Union, and the United Kingdom all lodged new and harsh sanctions against Russia Tuesday as the Russian parliament authorized Vladimir Putin to further invade Ukraine. It was an active and urgent day, from Ukraine to Moscow and wider Europe, and to Washington. Nick Schifrin reports.
NOTE: The discussion on harm to Russian economy as a deterrent overlooks the question, does Putin care? We now know the answer is NO.
"How U.S. sanctions could ‘constrain’ Russia’s economy" PBS NewsHour 2/22/2022
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SUMMARY: We take a closer look at the new sanctions the Biden administration announced Tuesday on Russia and how it could affect the Russian economy. U.S. Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo joins Judy Woodruff to discuss.
"Will punitive measures against Russia deter a full-scale invasion of Ukraine?" PBS NewsHour 2/22/2022
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SUMMARY: For more on the impact of the new sanctions on Russia and the wider U.S. and European Union reaction to Russia's invasion of Ukraine we get two views. Stephen Hadley, a former national security adviser during the George W. Bush administration, and Andrew Weiss, who served as director for Russian, Ukrainian, and Eurasian affairs on the National Security Council, join Nick Schifrin to discuss.
"Ukraine declares state of emergency as U.S. warns Russia is prepared for invasion" PBS NewsHour 2/23/2022
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SUMMARY: The Pentagon said Wednesday that Russia is 80-percent prepared for a full invasion of Ukraine. That word came as Ukraine put in force a state of emergency, and Moscow said the separatists that Russia backs in eastern Ukraine had asked for Russian military help to fend off what they call "Ukrainian aggression." Nick Schifrin reports.
"Russia uses disinformation on Ukraine military aggressions as a pretext for war" PBS NewsHour 2/23/2022
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SUMMARY: Russia this week claimed Ukraine’s military crossed into Russia and even released a video of an invading tank, while Russian media highlighted supposed attacks inside the self-declared separatist republics. The U.S. and Ukraine accuse Russia of staging videos to justify an imminent invasion. Nina Jankowicz, a Wilson Center fellow studying eastern Europe, joins Nick Schifrin to discuss.
"How U.S. lawmakers are reacting to the escalating Ukraine crisis" PBS NewsHour 2/23/2022
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SUMMARY: As the United States on Wednesday warned Ukraine to be prepared for an imminent Russian invasion, we take a look at how U.S. lawmakers are reacting to the latest situation in Ukraine. Congressional correspondent Lisa Desjardins joins Judy Woodruff to discuss.
"Russian airstrikes bombard Ukraine as ground forces advance" PBS NewsHour 2/24/2022
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SUMMARY: Russia has launched what U.S. officials describe as the most significant military action in Europe in 77 years. Across Ukraine, Russia has attacked with airstrikes, missiles and troops. Ukraine says at least 57 people were killed and dozens wounded as the Russian army heads toward the capital, Kyiv. Nick Schifrin reports.
COMMENT: Too little, too late.
"Biden imposes new sanctions on Russia amid military onslaught in Ukraine" PBS NewsHour 2/24/2022
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SUMMARY: Russia's invasion of Ukraine is testing the Biden administration and President Biden himself, with concerns growing that Russia's goal in Ukraine is to take over the country and evict the government. Lisa Desjardins joins Judy Woodruff from the White House to discuss developments on both sides of Pennsylvania Avenue.
"What Russia is hoping to achieve in Ukraine" PBS NewsHour 2/24/2022
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SUMMARY: As Russia presses toward Kyiv and the death toll continues to rise across Ukraine, we explore what Moscow's next move may be along with Ukraine's response. Michael Kofman, senior fellow for Russian studies at the Center for Naval Analyses, joins Nick Schifrin to discuss.
"As Russia charges across Ukraine, can the West stop a more expansive conflict?" PBS NewsHour 2/24/2022
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SUMMARY: For more on Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the U.S. and European reactions we get three views. Doug Lute, a retired Army Lieutenant General and former U.S. Ambassador to NATO; Andrew Weiss, of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; and Angela Stent, a Georgetown University professor, join Judy Woodruff to discuss.
"How the Biden administration is responding to the Russian incursion in Ukraine" PBS NewsHour 2/24/2022
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SUMMARY: President Biden on Thursday imposed new sanctions on Russian banks, oligarchs and other strategic sectors after Russian troops entered Ukraine. But will the U.S. consider even harsher sanctions moving forward and can Congress and U.S. allies in Europe maintain a united front? State Department spokesperson Ned Price joins Judy Woodruff to discuss the Biden administration's response.
"Russia begins assault on Kyiv amid fierce fighting across Ukraine as U.S. sanctions Putin" PBS NewsHour 2/25/2022
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SUMMARY: The battle for Kyiv appears to be underway, with Russian missiles and airstrikes targeting Ukraine's capital and reports of pitched fighting on its outskirts. Ukrainian President Zelensnky told the people of Kyiv to prepare for the storming of the city by Russian forces. This comes as fighting continues in the central, southern, and eastern reaches of Ukraine. Nick Schifrin reports.
"NATO Secretary-General Stoltenberg on the war in Ukraine: ‘Russia has to pay a high price’" PBS NewsHour 2/25/2022
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SUMMARY: The war in Ukraine is bringing Russia more economic pain as the U.S. and some of its NATO allies move to sanction Russian President Vladimir Putin. NATO members also pledged to bolster the alliance's eastern flank with the movement of additional allied troops. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg joins Judy Woodruff from NATO headquarters in Brussels to discuss the escalating war.
"On the ground in Ukraine: mass exodus, armored helicopters, bomb shelters" PBS NewsHour 2/26/2022
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SUMMARY: Fighting intensified in Ukraine today as Russian forces closed in on the capital city of Kyiv and other regions. Neighboring nation Moldova has declared a state of emergency as tens of thousands of refugees pour into the country; others have chosen to stay in Ukraine and fight. For an on-the-ground perspective NPR Correspondent Frank Langfitt joins us from western Ukraine.
"Ukrainians resist attack as countries sanction Russia" PBS NewsHour 2/26/2022
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SUMMARY: Special Correspondent Simon Ostrovsky has been covering Ukraine for many years. In 2019, he interviewed President Zelensky when he was running for office about his foreign policy and strategy on Russia. Ostrovsky joins Hari Sreenivasan to discuss the ongoing invasion.
"Sanctions, protests: How Putin’s war is impacting ordinary Russians" PBS NewsHour 2/27/2022
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SUMMARY: Hundreds of Russians have been arrested for demonstrating against Ukraine’s invasion across the country. Meanwhile, sanctions aimed at crippling Russia’s economy are slowly having an impact: the ruble is fluctuating, people are queuing up outside ATMs and prices are rising. Anton Troianovski, Moscow Bureau Chief of the New York Times, joins.
"Fighting continues in Ukraine as hundreds of thousands flee" PBS NewsHour 2/27/2022
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SUMMARY: Fighting in Ukraine continues as thousands of young people join the resistance against Russian troops. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians are fleeing to neighboring countries. President Volodomyr Zelensky has agreed to hold peace talks with Moscow at the Ukraine-Belarus border. Yaroslav Trofimov, Chief Foreign affairs Correspondent, Wall Street Journal joins from Kyiv.
"After escaping Kabul, an Afghan interpreter reunites with an American vet" PBS NewsHour 2/5/2022
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SUMMARY: As Kabul fell to the Taliban last August, Abdul Qader Zaman and his family were among the tens of thousands desperately trying to flee the country. With the help of volunteers and veterans from his time as an interpreter for U.S. soldiers, Zaman and his family eventually escaped. Hari Sreenivasan reports from Erie, Pennsylvania, where the Zamans are now beginning life again.
"9/11 suspect, Gitmo detainee to be transferred back to Saudi Arabia" PBS NewsHour 2/5/2022
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SUMMARY: The U.S. is preparing to transfer a man suspected of being a 9/11 hijacker from Guantanamo Bay to Saudi Arabia. The Pentagon announced that this comes after a review board recommended Mohammed al-Qahtani be transferred so he can be treated at a rehabilitation and mental health care program for extremists in Saudi Arabia. New York Times reporter Carol Rosenberg joins.
"Capehart and Abernathy on the GOP censuring its members, Fed nominees, rising crime rates" PBS NewsHour 2/4/2022
Correction: During this segment, we referred to Sarah Bloom Raskin as an economist. She is an attorney who has long worked on economic policy. She previously served as a deputy secretary of the Treasury, a former member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors and a former financial regulator.
SUMMARY: Jonathan Capehart and Gary Abernathy, both columnists for The Washington Post, join Judy Woodruff to discuss the week in politics, including Pence's pushback against Trump, Republican Party’s censuring of two members of Congress, President Biden's nominees to the Federal Reserve Board, and rising crime rates.
Judy Woodruff (NewsHour): And we now turn to the analysis of Capehart and Abernathy. That is Jonathan Capehart and Gary Abernathy, both columnists for The Washington Post. David Brooks is away.
It's very good to see both of you on this Friday.
Jonathan, I want to start with some news that former Vice President Pence made today. He made a speech. A lot of people were watching to see what he would say. And he — what caught our attention is, he said President Trump is wrong to say that he could have overturned the results of the 2020 election. He said it's time to turn — turn to the future.
What does this say about the state of the Republican Party, when you also have, what, the Republican National Committee today censuring Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, the only Republicans working on the January 6 investigative committee?
Jonathan Capehart, The Washington Post: Well, Judy, to me, it says that the Republican Party is still undergoing a huge identity crisis.
Former Vice President Mike Pence has been saying what he said today in various forms over the last year with less heat than he did today. But saying flat out that Donald Trump is wrong, and that he had — and that Vice President — then-Vice President Pence had no ability, no power whatsoever to overturn the will of the American people is the clearest break we have seen between the two.
And it says to me that the former vice president has decided: Whether I run for president or not, I can't win over Donald Trump. I can't win over his people. And so right now the focus is stay in the party and do everything I can to shore up that side of the party.
And it's that side of the party, Adam Kinzinger, Liz Cheney, both Republican members of Congress, who today were censured by the national party, but that is the fight. It's the Pences, the Cheneys, the Kinzingers, and I'm sure a whole lot of other unnamed folks vs. Donald Trump and all of those people within the Republican Party who are taking it down a very dangerous road, not just for the party, but for the country.
Judy Woodruff: Gary Abernathy, an identity crisis, as Jonathan said?
Gary Abernathy, The Washington Post: I agree with most of what Jonathan said. I think that that's right.
There's been a lot of talk lately about, what does the Republican Party stand for? And I wrote a piece last week saying it doesn't really need to figure that out this year, except that it needs to spend 2022 divorcing itself from Donald Trump slowly, but surely.
I think Pence — I have always admired Pence for saying what he's always said. And he said it again very strongly today. I think the party's wrong to try to discipline Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger. I just think that's a mistake.
So I think that the party is slowly, but surely trying to — there are more and more people. I think — I disagree with Jonathan on one thing. I think Pence does have a chance to peel away some folks. I mean, people have to give Mike Pence a lot of credit for the role he played in helping elect Donald Trump, in the successes that Trump had as president.
But, yes, there's no doubt the Republican Party is trying to figure out what it is and what it's going to be going forward. And I think, as time goes by, it will come to the conclusion, painfully for a lot of people, that it can be the party of Trumpism, but not with Trump.
Judy Woodruff: But just quickly to both of you, so this — Jonathan, this doesn't put an end to questions about what the Republican Party is going to do with Donald Trump?
Jonathan Capehart: Oh, no.
And the fact that there are still arguments over — within the party over whether — over what to call the January 6 insurrection just goes to show, just in high relief, what this identity crisis is.
You have the Kinzingers, the Cheneys — and the Cheneys in particular who are making it clear that what happened on January 6 was an affront to the Constitution and an affront to American democracy, and that a functioning national party should have no — shouldn't give it any quarter, should not give it any — anyone who subscribes to that any comfort.
And the fact that we are even having this conversation just goes to show how far gone the Republican Party is.
Judy Woodruff: Gary Abernathy, turning to something else we were watching this past week, a few weeks ago, President Biden nominated three economists to join the Federal Reserve Board, and this at the same time there's so much attention to who he may appoint to the Supreme Court to succeed Stephen — Justice Stephen Breyer.
Of course, the President has said it will be a Black woman. He did appoint three economists. We're going to remind you who they are. Sarah Bloom Raskin is one. Lisa Cook is another, Philip Jefferson. Again, they're all economists with a string of credentials to their names.
But Republicans in the Senate, Gary, have gone after all three of them, questioned their qualifications, and especially gone after Lisa Cook and questioned whether she has the credentials to be a member of the Federal Reserve Board.
What does it say about the ability of a President to argue, I want diversity on the Federal Reserve?
Gary Abernathy: Well, I think it's OK to go question people.
These are high-profile positions. And it's fine to ask tough questions. I don't think that necessarily implies or insinuates anything, other than differences, political, ideological differences, that Republicans tend to have with whoever President Biden is going to nominate.
But, Judy, I'd like to see us get back to the place where partisanship is OK when it comes to when you win elections. When you win elections, you also win the right to do certain things. You win the right to make appointments to boards and to the courts of people who you want.
And I'd like to see us get back to the day where the opposition party respects that and says, even though that's not who we would appoint, that's not who I would like to see there, I respect the fact that you have won the right to make the appointment of whoever you want.
And I'd like to see us get back to where we don't have to worry, gee, is this a 50/50 Senate when it comes to approving appointments, because you respect the process, you respect the fact that Joe Biden won this election, so he can make the appointments that he wants.
And I'd like to see — when a Republican is President again someday, I'd like to see Democrats say, we know you're going to appoint conservatives to these boards and to the courts, but you know what, you won, we're going to respect that and we're going to vote for that person.
Judy Woodruff: But, Jonathan, that's not where we are. We are watching just a lot of criticism of these three nominees and, as we said, especially Lisa Cook.
Jonathan Capehart: Yes.
Why is it, Judy, that whenever a person of color is nominated to one of these prominent positions, the immediate first question is, are they qualified, or their qualifications are questioned, when that person of color, in particularly Lisa Cook, are overwhelmingly qualified?
It is galling. And it is ridiculous. And these questions to start to morph from, are they qualified to serve in these positions to questioning their humanity.
I mean, in Lisa Cook, we're talking about somebody with a BA from Spelman, a BA from Oxford, a Ph. D from the University of California at Berkeley, the Obama White House Council of Economic Advisers. She's on the Federal Reserve board in Chicago.
I mean, this is someone who is eminently qualified. And yet, when we're talking about someone's qualifications, it's all focused on her. And I don't think — it is not coincidental that she is Black. And it's not coincidental that she's also a Black woman who's being put through this.
And I just have to say, as an American, and certainly as an African American, it pains me to see someone who worked so hard, who's given so much to the people and the institutions she's worked with, but also to her country, to then have to sit before members of the Senate who question who she is, what she's done, and what value she — she brings.
How these folks, anyone who sits before these confirmation hearings, is able to sit through that and not just lose it to defend themselves and defend where they come from and who they are is a testament to why they should be confirmed to the positions that they have been nominated to.
Judy Woodruff: The last thing I want to turn both of you to, and that is a subject in the news this past week, rising violent crime in the country, especially homicide.
In New York City, Mayor Eric Adams had President Biden come and meet with him and talk to him about what's going on and what to do about it.
Here is just an excerpt of what President Biden had to say when he was in New York City this week.
President Joe Biden: Mayor Adams, you and I agree. The answer is not to abandon our streets. That's not the answer.
The answer is to come together, police and communities building trust and making us all safer. The answer is not to defund the police. It is to give you the tools, the training, the funding to be partners, to be protectors, and community needs you.
Judy Woodruff: How do you see, Gary, the — how this discussion has evolved?
Because, after the death of George Floyd, a lot of conversation about the need for police reform. Of course, Mayor Adams is coming at it from a different — with a different approach. Where are we headed on this — on these issues — on this issue?
Gary Abernathy:
But I also thought it was kind of sad that he had to say it. I think it's unfortunate when a President — and presidents may rule here when it comes to this, is setting the tone. And you need to say, you know what? We support our police departments. When someone calls 911, we want someone to come.
And the fact that there were members of his party calling a couple of years ago for defunding the police, both in Congress and at the city level, and he has to come out and say — and, to his credit — I mean, to be fair, I have never heard President — President Biden's always said, we don't need to defund the police.
But it's a shame he's in the position he has to do that. He also talked a lot about gun control. I don't think guns are the problem. People using the guns are the problem. A gun has never gotten up and walked out and killed anyone.
So, gun violence, it's the people who would use guns for violence, Judy. And we need to look at the root cause of that. We know we have a drug problem. I was looking at an article just a little while ago about record number of fentanyl coming across our border. We need to shut that down. That leads to gun violence.
So I'm glad President Biden said what he said yesterday. Again, I think it's unfortunate that he has to be a guy saying, we shouldn't defund the police, because that should be obvious. Of course, we shouldn't defund police.
Judy Woodruff: Jonathan, just — I know it's a big subject. Just 30 seconds left to talk about how this debate has shifted.
Jonathan Capehart: It shifted in that, one, on defunding the police, no one serious out there wants to defund the police.
I think what President Biden and certainly Mayor Eric Adams are trying to do, they are trying to walk this line of support supporting the police, but also supporting communities who have serious concerns about how the police do their jobs in terms of protecting the community.
I think the two of them want to make the police and the community partners. And in a lot of places around the country, they are.
But, as we have seen, especially tonight in Minneapolis, with William Brangham's report, there are serious issues.
Judy Woodruff: It's such a big subject. And I know we're going to be coming back to it.
Thank you both, Jonathan Capehart, Gary Abernathy.
Jonathan Capehart: Thanks, Judy.
Judy Woodruff: Have a good weekend.
Gary Abernathy: You too.
COMMENT: Note that 'defunding police' has never been about actually defunding. It is about reallocating police funds to help with the other issues police departments have to deal with, like (example) training on handling psychiatric people.
"As the 2022 Winter Olympics begin, Beijing becomes ‘a fortress against COVID’" PBS NewsHour 2/3/2022
Excerpt
SUMMARY: The 2022 Winter Olympics officially kick off Friday in Beijing. Over the next two weeks, more than 2,800 athletes from 91 countries will compete for their shot at the gold. But with the excitement comes intense criticism of China, its record on human rights and the decision to host the games there. USA Today columnist Christine Brennan joins Judy Woodruff to discuss.
"How China is trying to maintain a zero-COVID policy while hosting the Winter Olympics" PBS NewsHour 2/4/2022
Excerpt
SUMMARY: The Beijing Winter Olympics officially begin Friday. The Games are usually a celebration of sport and co-existence, but this year, the U.S. and some allied governments are boycotting diplomatically and accusing China of human rights abuses. Nick Schifrin reports on an Olympics in the era of COVID and how measures designed to keep athletes safe are also silencing Beijing’s critics.
"Despite brutal repression, Afghan women demand the right to go to school and work" PBS NewsHour 2/3/2022
Excerpt
SUMMARY: Afghanistan's women saw two decades of progress vanish when U.S. forces withdrew in August as the Taliban took back control of the country. The group's arch-conservative interpretation of Islam pushed women out of the workplace and cast most young women and girls out of school. But as Jane Ferguson and videographer Eric O'Connor report, some women in Afghanistan are not taking this lying down.
"Sarah Palin takes The New York Times to court, raising First Amendment concerns" PBS NewsHour 2/3/2022
Excerpt
SUMMARY: A court case in New York began Thursday that will pit a Republican political star against a media giant and could put the First Amendment on trial. Sarah Palin versus The New York Times is a case more than four years in the making after the former governor of Alaska and 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee, sued the times for defamation. Geoff Bennett reports.
"U.S.-led raid kills ISIS leader. What’s next in the fight against the terrorist group?" PBS NewsHour 2/3/2022
Excerpt
SUMMARY: U.S. special operations forces conducted a raid overnight Thursday in Syria that ended in the death of the leader of the Islamic State, Abu Ibrahim al Hashimi al-Qurashi. Nick Schifrin examines the collateral damage and the future of the fight against the terrorist group
"New book explores how the American South has ‘done the dirty work of the nation" PBS NewsHour 2/2/2022
Excerpt
SUMMARY: In her new book "South to America," author Imani Perry seeks to change how people view the American South and, thus, the country’s history as a whole. Jeffrey Brown spoke with Perry, who traveled through the southern regions of the U.S. and explored the complexities and misperceptions she found along the way.
"What Whoopi Goldberg’s Holocaust remarks can teach us about antisemitism" PBS NewsHour 2/2/2022
Excerpt
SUMMARY: The history of the Holocaust has been part of school curriculums for decades, but how much Americans really know about it has changed. That was brought to light this week when comedian and actress Whoopi Goldberg made race remarks that were widely condemned and led to her suspension from "The View." Ethan Katz, of the Berkeley Antisemitism Education Initiative, joins Judy Woodruff to discuss.
Reminder, the GOP is on a campaign to stop ALL of Biden's agendas so they can use failures against him.
"Examining President Biden’s pledge to diversify the federal judiciary" PBS NewsHour 2/2/2022
Excerpt
SUMMARY: It is another big week in the U.S. Senate with a major push by President Biden to reshape American courts. As a candidate he pledged to diversify the federal bench and his decision to appoint a Black woman to the Supreme Court has dominated recent headlines. NewsHour's Lisa Desjardins joins Judy Woodruff to discuss.
