GOVERNANCE - Inflation Reduction Act

"How Democrats coalesced around the Inflation Reduction Act" PBS NewsHour 8/8/2022

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  After working through the weekend, Democrats are on the cusp of passing an historic, half-trillion dollar spending package.  It's a mere fraction of what President Biden first sought more than a year ago, but significant nonetheless.  Lisa Desjardins is here to unpack what's in the deal and how party leaders managed to shepherd it to the finish line when losing a single vote would have sunk it.

 

 

"What the reconciliation bill would do to boost clean energy and combat global warming" PBS NewsHour 8/8/2022

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SUMMARY:  If the House passes the Inflation Reduction Act in the coming days it will lead to by far the biggest investment the federal government has made on tackling climate change.  Several estimates have indicated the initiative may mean a 40 percent reduction in America’s carbon emissions by 2030 from 2005 figures.  Paul Bledsoe of the Progressive Policy Institute joins William Brangham to discuss.

 

 

"Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer discusses Democrats’ major climate and health bill" PBS NewsHour 8/9/2022

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SUMMARY:  President Biden on Tuesday signed the bipartisan CHIPS Act into law, just days before his top health care, tax and climate change bill known as the Inflation Reduction Act heads to the House, where it's likely to pass after proceeding through the Senate along party lines.  Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who played a key role in getting the bill passed, joins Judy Woodruff to discuss.

 

 

"How the Inflation Reduction Act could affect your taxes" PBS NewsHour 8/10/2022

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SUMMARY:  There’s a $1 trillion gap between what Americans owe in taxes and what the government collects.  The Democrats’ budget deal would unleash nearly 100,000 new IRS agents to round up all that missing money.  Former IRS Commissioner John Koskinen joins Lisa Desjardins to discuss the impact the crackdown on tax evaders will have on the nation’s bottom line.

 

 

"Democrats celebrate legislative win in passing of climate, health and tax bill" PBS NewsHour 8/8/2022

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SUMMARY:  Congressional Democrats are celebrating a landmark legislative victory after passing the Inflation Reduction Act, which President Biden is set to sign into law this week.  Meanwhile, the Justice Department is investigating Donald Trump for potentially violating the Espionage Act after classified documents were found in his home.  Special correspondent Jeff Greenfield joins Geoff Bennett to discuss.

AMERICA - The Digital Divide

"White House tries to close the digital divide in rural America with more broadband access" PBS NewsHour 5/9/2022

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SUMMARY:  The so-called “digital divide” remains a major issue in America when it comes to providing high-speed internet, particularly in rural and other low-income communities.  The Biden administration on Monday announced new commitments from 20 internet providers to help close that gap by lowering the cost for millions.  The Brookings Institution's Nicol Turner Lee joins Stephanie Sy to discuss.

OPINION - Brooks and Capehart 4/1/2022

"Brooks and Capehart on Biden’s shifting immigration policy, the Jan. 6 investigation" PBS NewsHour 4/1/2022

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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 President Biden's decision to tap the country's strategic petroleum reserve, a return to pre-pandemic border policies and the latest on the Jan. 6 investigation.

Judy Woodruff (NewsHour):  What you were just hearing about, that return to pre-pandemic border policies, President Biden's attempt to reduce pain at the pump, and the January 6 investigation all heating up.

To discuss another busy week, we turn to the analysis of Brooks and Capehart.  That is New York Times columnist David Brooks and Jonathan Capehart, associate editor for The Washington Post, new position.

Congratulations.

Jonathan Capehart (Washington Post):  Thank you, Judy.  Thank you.

Judy Woodruff:  So good to see both of you.  And there is a lot to talk about.

Let's start, David, with the report that we just heard Amna talking to a reporter about.  And that is the Biden administration rescinding this rule that was handed down under President Trump, the argument being that COVID — we're in a different place with COVID, this is the humane thing to do.  Is it the right thing to do?

David Brooks (New York Times):  Intellectually, yes.

I mean, it was — there seems to be a bipartisan agreement, Republicans and Democrats, saying the reason it was put in place for COVID reasons doesn't pertain anymore.  It's just not — it's not a health matter.  It's become an art of convenience to simplify what goes on at the border.

The question is what plan they have in place.  And we're at a rate now where there are two million encounters at the borders a year.  Like, two million times, U.S. officials are encountering immigrants or people are trying to get in.

And it's just flooding the system.  And there's a lot of skepticism that there's a system in place, if we not get rid of 42, that they will be able to have the hearings, do all the stuff we normally do with asylum seekers.

And so, as we just heard, it's just a gigantic political issue.  And in the bumper, that little quote there, that 21 percent of Americans say immigration is the highest, if you think about the dominant issues right now, inflation is number one, immigration is probably number two.  Probably education and crime are three or four.

These are all nightmare issues for Democrats right now.  And so Republicans put up this long fact sheet.  And I don't want to vouch for its veracity.  It's a partisan fact sheet.  But you see the ads writing themselves, chaos at the border, drugs coming in, record opioid deaths.

Republicans are going to go to town on this one.

Judy Woodruff:  So, Republicans against it, Jonathan.  Even some Democrats are saying they think it's the wrong thing.

Jonathan Capehart:  Right.  And I think the — what it points to is the lack of a comprehensive immigration overhaul.

And this is something that's vexed Republican presidents.  I remember when President George W.  Bush wanted to do something.  It's vexed Democratic presidents.  President Obama wanted to work with Congress.  And Congress gave him the stiff-arm.  And that's what pushed him to do DACA, after saying over and over again that he had no power to do anything about immigration.

This is a political problem for the President, for the White House, for Democrats.  In a normal, functioning Congress, the White House and the House and the Senate would be able to get in the room, get together, and come up with a solution.

But there's no political will on the part of Republicans.  And it's great that they put out what — you called it a fact sheet, but a fact sheet with no policy prescriptions.  A functioning party would say, Mr. President, you're in trouble, the country's in danger.  Here's what — here's our proposal.

I have yet to hear what the Republican proposal is, other than fearmongering.

David Brooks:  Build a wall.

(LAUGHTER)

Judy Woodruff:  Oh, yes, there's that.

(LAUGHTER)

(CROSSTALK)

David Brooks:  Yes.

(CROSSTALK)

Judy Woodruff:  But we just — yes, we just seem stuck on this issue.

David Brooks:  Yes.

Well, it's a complicated moral problem.  People are coming here not because their lives are great back home.  They're coming here because situations in a lot of Latin American countries are deteriorating.  And some of them are genuinely in horrific circumstances.  And one's heart leaps out to them.

And yet they're coming in such large numbers, it's probably beyond our capacity to absorb all the people who want to come.  And a lot of people are coming for economic opportunity.  I don't blame them.  My ancestors came for economic opportunity.  And they — I wish they would go through the regular means.

But it takes a morally complicated government or a policy or a collective mind to say, we're going to help the people we are capable of helping.  How many people are we capable of helping?  And how do we help them humanely?  And how — for those who can't, how do we say sorry, but how do we do it humanely?

And that kind of moral nuance is not something we have seen a lot of in American policymaking for a while.

Judy Woodruff:  We're not seeing that.

Jonathan Capehart:  No.

And it's made more complicated because the party opposite the President, instead of lending a hand, is hurling brickbats and not being part of the solution.  The only way we get to this nirvana you're talking about, David…

(LAUGHTER)

Jonathan Capehart:  … is if the Republican Party wanted to be a true negotiating partner wanting to get something done.

Judy Woodruff:  Well, another hot issue, I think it's fair to say, that surface this week, and it's something the president announced yesterday, David, and that's that he said, yes, the jobs numbers are looking good.  And we had more proof of that today.

But the administration is still very worried about inflation, very worried about the price of gas.  The president announced he's going to release 180 million barrels from what's called the Strategic Petroleum Reserve just to try to get gas prices down a little bit.

Is this — is this a good move at this moment?

David Brooks:  It's hard to know.

Presidents always do this.  They always release from the reserve, and it never works.  Now, in Biden's — to his credit, this release is way bigger than any other President has done.  And so they're trying to dump stuff on the market.  And they're saying that it may produce a 10, 15, 20 percent gain per gallon at the pump.

And so that would have some effects.  That is far from certain, because when we release from the reserve, the markets think, well, they're releasing now, but they're going to have to put back in the reserve.  And so the markets can think long term and think, well, that's not going to really reduce demand.

Second, we're not the only people producing oil, in this country.  OPEC could say, we want to keep prices up.  If they're releasing, we will just limit our supply for a little while.  And so there are plenty of other actors who have the chance to mess with our plans.

And so I remain, I guess I would say, guardedly skeptical…

(LAUGHTER)

David Brooks:  … that this is going to do — that this is going to do much for the people who are paying 60, 70 bucks to fill up their tank.

Judy Woodruff:  How do you size this up?

Jonathan Capehart:  Well, the key thing you said, David, is that markets think long term, but Presidents think in short — well, they try to think long term, but when presidents go to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, this is short-term thinking.

There is short-term pain that the President has to deal with.  And the reports I saw showed that this release would/could lead to 10 cents per gallon, up to 35 cents per gallon for consumers.  When you — when you are a consumer, and you're saving 10 cents, that adds up; 35 cents, that's huge.

And gas prices is — they are the one thing that consumers feel immediately.  And so, if you're a White House looking at tough economic news, and the American people are angry about inflation and everything, if you can give them something where they're saving in the short term, you will go with it.

But David is right.  The market does think long term and think, yes, they're releasing it, but they're going to have to buy it back.  So — but I think administrations always do this, but I think it's the right thing to do for their political calculus right now.

Judy Woodruff:  They're saying it's — excuse me.  They're saying it's for six months.  I looked at the calendar.  That's right about November, David.

David Brooks:  Yes.

(LAUGHTER)

Judy Woodruff:  Do you think — do you think this is going to matter in the elections this year?

David Brooks:  Oh, yes.  Oh, absolutely.

Judy Woodruff:  Hello.

David Brooks:  As Jonathan said, you look at the — you drive down the street, you see the gas prices.

And I was out in California, and it's like, whoa.

Jonathan Capehart:  Oh.

David Brooks:  And so it's definitely going to matter.

The — substantively, the better policy, in 2015, Barack Obama and Paul Ryan, the Republican House speaker, did a deal where they increased production, which the Republicans wanted, lightening regulations on producers, but then, in exchange, increased money for green energy, which the Democrats wanted.

And Joe Manchin saying, let's do that all over again.  And that sounds like a good idea.  But it probably won't help Joe Biden between now and November.

Judy Woodruff:  Yes.  That's the question.

Do you think it helps Democrats at all between…

Jonathan Capehart:  Which…

Judy Woodruff:  Between now and the midterms.

Jonathan Capehart:  David — what David was just talking about, it's long term.

Judy Woodruff:  Yes.

Jonathan Capehart:  So, in the short term, no, it's not going to help them.

But I do think the SPR, that will help.

Judy Woodruff:  The January 6 Committee, two developments this week, David.

One of them, there's this seven-and-a-half-hour gap in the phone records from the White House on January the 6th.  There appears to be a gap.  The committee's still figuring out what that's all about, whether that was deliberate where it was an accident.  We will see.

The other is that the members of the committee — I ended up talking to two of them this week, Adam Schiff and Zoe Lofgren, who are just more openly critical of the Justice Department for not picking this up and running with it and moving towards some kind of prosecution of people like Mark Meadows, the former White House Chief of Staff.

Zoe Lofgren said to me yesterday — what did she say?  What he [Trump] did was completely lawless, she said.

David Brooks:  Yes.

Well, first, on the gap, it sparked a bunch of conspiracies, reminded us all the Watergate, so we could all plug and play on that one.

Judy Woodruff:  Yes.

David Brooks:  But is he using a burner phone secretly?

And I think CNN seems to have the most plausible explanation, which is, when — the record-keeping in the Trump administration is not always meticulous, was 'not always meticulous' which I know was a shocker for everybody.  And — but, apparently, when he went into the Oval Office, he didn't use the White House phone system, and then it wasn't recorded.

That could be it.  They were just bad record-keepers.  It is weird that it happened to be at the crucial moment on January 6.  So I assume we will find out here.

To be honest, I trust Merrick Garland.  The political players on Capitol Hill are political players.  And they're going to go maximalist.  They have no incentive to be balanced.  Merrick Garland and the Justice Department have an incentive to be like prosecutors.  And my overall approach to this whole deal, there have been a lot of extremely questionable things that have been done.

But the Trump administration does us a favor by doing most of their questionable things out in the open.

(LAUGHTER)

David Brooks:  And I haven't seen much that would make me think that there's some hidden, gigantic scandal, like, there's some phone call somewhere where Donald Trump was saying, storm the Capitol.

If that call exists or that e-mail exists or that tweet exists, then we're in a whole new ball game.  But it's easy for people who want to delegitimize Donald Trump to get excited that they have got something and get a little overpoliticized about it.  So, right now, my trust would be of the Justice Department.

Judy Woodruff:  How do you read all this?

Jonathan Capehart:  Well, when it comes to the Attorney General, I think what Chairman Schiff and Congresswoman Lofgren, their upset with him over the contempt charges, I think, are — they're valid.

They have passed out of the House.  They're sitting at DOJ.  And no one knows what's happening with them in terms of prosecution.

Where I agree with David in terms of trust Merrick Garland is on the call from the — from Democrats and folks on the left for the DOJ to investigate Donald Trump.  And I think these are two separate things.  And when it comes to investigating the former President, I — it would be, I was about to say, insane if Merrick Garland telegraphed that this was happening before he had all the I's dotted and the T's crossed.

This has been — there are lots of former prosecutors out on television who keep saying the same thing you're saying.  Trust — they trust — they trust Merrick Garland.  But, at some point, that trust is going to erode.

But, right now, when it comes to the contempt charges, I say, Mr. Attorney General, what are you doing?  But when it comes to the overall issue of, should Donald Trump be investigated, I'm willing — I'm willing to wait, because I want DOJ, I want the attorney general to be as careful as possible, to make his case as bulletproof as possible, if there is one, so that it doesn't make things worse by falling apart.

Judy Woodruff:  Their focus right now seems to be Mark Meadows, but we will see.

Jonathan Capehart:  Yes.

Judy Woodruff:  We will see.

Jonathan Capehart, David Brooks, thank you both.

Jonathan Capehart:  Thanks, Judy.

AMERICAN IMMIGRATION - Trump-era Rule Ended

"Biden administration ends controversial Trump-era immigration rule" PBS NewsHour 4/1/2022

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SUMMARY:  The Biden administration announced Friday that it will be phasing out what's known as Title 42, a policy that prevented migrants from seeking asylum in the U.S. due to public health concerns amid the COVID-19 pandemic.  Washington Post immigration reporter Nick Miroff joins Amna Nawaz to discuss.

FEDERAL TAXES - Tax the Rich!

I'm all FOR it!  These rich people and corporations never have to worry day-to-day about losing their home, deciding which bill to pay and which to not pay, being able to afford enough food, etc.  So they can afford to pay more taxes to support the poor and middle-class thanks to the huge GOP tax breaks.

"Democrats unveil new plan to increase taxes on billionaires" PBS NewsHour 3/29/2022

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SUMMARY:  President Biden unveiled a budget proposal this week that includes a new wealth tax targeting the richest Americans and aimed at addressing wealth inequality.  The latest Democratic proposal would affect households worth $100 million or more.  Dan Primack, business editor at Axios, joins Lisa Desjardins to discuss.

A LONG TIME COMING - Lynching Federal Hate Crime

"Biden signs law making lynching a federal hate crime" PBS NewsHour 3/29/2022

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SUMMARY:  The Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act became law on Tuesday, a bipartisan step towards acknowledging the history of racial violence in the United States.  Amna Nawaz reports on the law's significance and what it took to get here.

UKRAINE CRISIS - Putin's War

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.

OPINION - Capehart and Abernathy 2/4/2022

"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.

U.S. SUPREME COURT - Biden's Choice

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.

OPINION - Capehart and Abernathy 11/5/2021

"Capehart and Abernathy on Virginia elections, Build Back Better plan, Colin Powell" PBS NewsHour 11/5/2021

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  Washington Post columnists Jonathan Capehart and Gary Abernathy join Judy Woodruff to discuss Tuesday’s surprising election results, the fate of the infrastructure and Build Back Better bill, and reflect on the life and legacy of Colin Powell.

Judy Woodruff (NewsHour):  Democrats and Republicans across the country are examining Tuesday night's surprising election results, with an eye toward crafting their strategies for next year's crucial midterm election races.

Meanwhile, dignitaries in Washington today gathered to remember the life and legacy of former Secretary of State Colin Powell.

Here to add perspective on all this and more are Capehart and Abernathy.  That's Jonathan Capehart, columnist for The Washington Post, and Gary Abernathy, an Ohio-based writer and contributing columnist for The Washington Post.  David Brooks is away.

It's very good to see both of you.

And, Gary, you're here from Ohio, and we're glad to see you.

Gary Abernathy, Washington Post:  Thank you for having me.

Judy Woodruff:  So, what a week, as the three of us were just saying.

Jonathan Capehart, you have now had three whole days to think about what happened, what the voters said on Tuesday, and what do you think it was?

Jonathan Capehart, Washington Post:  So, I split it between Virginia and New Jersey.

With Virginia, governor-elect Glenn Youngkin showed that it's possible to embrace Trump voters with — but, at the same time, keep Donald Trump out of your — physically out of your state.  He showed, as I mentioned last week, the role of playing on racial fear to drive people out to the polls, particularly when it comes to so-called Critical Race Theory.

In New Jersey, the near political death experience of Governor Phil Murphy, Democrat, to my mind shows the larger, bigger national — the problem that the national Democratic Party has.  Governor Murphy is popular in New Jersey.  He was running on the President's agenda, basically, and the fact that he squeaked it out says that folks in New Jersey are tired, seemingly, of the dysfunction of Democrats arguing with each other over bills, not being able to show they can get anything done.

Judy Woodruff:  We saw more of that today.

Jonathan Capehart:  Yes, and still going on today.

Judy Woodruff:  Right.

Jonathan Capehart:  And so the party has to figure out how to reach those voters that Glenn Youngkin reached, be able to talk to them, but also show the country that they're competent, that they are worthy of being entrusted with governing.

Judy Woodruff:  Gary Abernathy, what messages do you think the voters were delivering?

Gary Abernathy:  Well, a lot of Democrats are saying that the message was:  We need to do more.  We haven't done this.  We were punished for not passing these bills we promised we were going to pass.

I think it's the opposite.  I think voters were saying:  We don't like what you're doing.

Now, there are two different things here, and the Democrats try to tie them together, the infrastructure bill and the Build Back Better bill, two different things.  The infrastructure bill has tremendous bipartisan support.  They should pass that.  They should pass that tonight and show they're doing something, not just politically, but the country needs this infrastructure bill.

But people thought — we have to remember, the 2020 election was a referendum on Donald Trump.  It was not about issues.  It was not about what Biden was promising to do.  It was, we either want Trump, more of him, or we're going to kick him out.  They voted to kick him out.  The majority did.

But they thought they were getting a safe alternative with Joe Biden.  And he turned out to be a guy who's been much more aggressively liberal with the Bernie Sanders wing than people were voting for.

One key thing from the exit polls on — the Edison exit polls that I think The Washington Post used and other networks…

Judy Woodruff:  Right.

Gary Abernathy:  … said that Trump is still unpopular in Virginia.  Seven out of 10 voters thought that Youngkin's policies and ideas were much like Trump's.  Didn't hurt him a bit.  He won.

People are OK with Trump's policies.  They just didn't like Trump.

Judy Woodruff:  But what about what the Democrats are offering?

I hear you, the two of you, saying different things about whether Americans want what the Democrats are debating and still haven't been able to pass yet, Jonathan.

Jonathan Capehart:  Well, I think that's the problem.  They still haven't been able to pass it.

If you tease out every little thing out of both the infrastructure bill, which we know has bipartisan support, but even what's in the Build Back Better Act, last I checked — there are so many things in it — but if you tease out the individual pieces, they have popular support.

It's just that, if you're going to go for it, and you have got the House and you have got the Senate and you have the White House, to the larger American public who doesn't follow the stuff the way we do, they sit back and think, why can't you get anything done if you have all three of these branches?

And that is why this is such a problem for Democrats and the President.

Judy Woodruff:  What I hear you saying, Gary, is, even if they pass this other piece of legislation, that may not help the Democrats.

Gary Abernathy:  I think it hurts them.

I think that it's — again, I'm going to say — and Jonathan and I are disagreeing on this, but the message Tuesday was:  We don't like the direction you're going.

The Democrats, really, if they stopped to evaluate what happened Tuesday, they would be better off sitting and letting Joe Manchin lead the discussion, while Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez kind of sit to the side a little bit and listen, because I think Manchin, to his credit, kind of has a pulse on where America is at now.

And, no, the Democrat Party doesn't have to become the Republican Party, but Joe Manchin is a pretty centrist Democrat who's trying to wave the red flag and ring the warning bells, and no one's listening to him yet.

Jonathan Capehart:  OK.

The Democratic Party, in the Build Back Better plan, for instance, would love for there to be paid family leave.  And I guess conservatives look at paid family leave as paying people to stay home, instead of looking at the domino effect of what it means in order for a family to not risk their job in order to stay home for whatever — for whatever reason, grieving the loss of a parent, a new child coming into the family.

Judy Woodruff:  Right.

Jonathan Capehart:  There are economic benefits that the American people want, the Earned Income Tax Credit for children, any number of things.

It's not — I don't think it's that the American people don't want these things and that these aren't a grab bag of things to just give away.  They have a benefit for the long-term health and security, economic well-being of this country.

Gary Abernathy:  I think Americans do want a lot of those things, and they do poll as popular item by item.

But Americans love ice cream.  If you did a poll, you would find out almost 100 percent of Americans love ice cream.  It doesn't mean they approve of spending trillions of dollars to give everyone free ice cream.  Not everybody can have things that we all agree, gee, that would be nice.

But, at some point in time, there comes a point where we have to say, we don't have any money.  I mean, we're — I don't care if we're talking $6 trillion, $3 trillion, $1 trillion.  It doesn't exist.  So I think the American people know that too.

Yes, we'd like to have all these things, but our great-grandchildren pay for it?

Judy Woodruff:  One other piece of analysis that's been out there, and it came from James Carville, a longtime Democratic strategist on this program Wednesday night, Jonathan, essentially said this woke business has gone too far, the focus on injustice in our society.

Does he have a point or not?

Jonathan Capehart:  He has a point up to a point.

I understand where James Carville is coming from.  I have heard the quote in full and in context, I get where he's coming from.

But what he's done is, he's basically said to the base of the Democratic Party:  Who cares what you think?

He calls it wokeness.  Is it — it's not wokeness to want to be treated fairly by the police.  It's not wokeness to want law enforcement to not view you instantly as a criminal, instantly as a bad guy.  It's not wokeness to demand that our nation's history be taught and reflected accurately.  That's not wokeness.

That's — at a minimum, it's asking for dignity and respect.  And so for someone, a Democratic strategist like James Carville, to say those things basically to the base of the Democratic Party is really unfortunate, because I think we can talk about these issues of injustice and talk about how to move the country forward together.  These don't have to be two separate conversations.

Judy Woodruff:  This is a larger debate that's been out there, Gary.

Gary Abernathy:  And I actually agree with a lot of what Jonathan just said.  I think that we can talk about the role of slavery, the role of racism in this country.  And we should do more of that.  I agree with that.

But there doesn't have to be — I think what happens is with the wokeness, what a lot of us think of as the wokeness, the cancel culture, is that we have to create villains.  We have to demonize.  To lift up one set of people means we have to demonize another set of people.

And that's what turns a lot of people off to having the conversation.

Jonathan Capehart:  No, I mean, I understand where the sentiment comes from about demonizing people.

But — the people I talked to and the people who I'm associated with and related to, we're not about demonizing anybody.  We're about — could you recognize for a hot minute what we go through?  Can you recognize that there was a clip of a Youngkin supporter saying, well, if young people just treat police with respect when they're stopped, everything will be OK?

No, that is not true.  That is not true.  And so for — until someone like her is able to see that perspective, we're always going to have this problem.

Judy Woodruff:  Like that young person.

Gary Abernathy:  Yes.

We tend to — on all things, whether we're talking about Critical Race Theory, which is not a thing being taught in Virginia schools, but it's a thing.  I mean, it's a theory that a lot of people would like to have taught.

Jonathan Capehart:  In — well, it…

Gary Abernathy:  Go ahead.

Jonathan Capehart:  It's taught in law school.

Gary Abernathy:  Yes.  But there have been — I mean, there have been pushes to get it more into curriculums.

Jonathan Capehart:  Well, that's a larger conversation that we don't have time for.

Judy Woodruff:  It's a larger conversation.

Gary Abernathy:  But there are — it's like one extreme and the other — or the other.

We need to talk, to recognize more about what?  As I said, slavery and race and racism have played a role throughout history in the building of this country, and do that honestly.  And white people shouldn't be afraid to say, you know what, we really haven't done that well, and we need to do a better job of that recognize it, but without making us feel like the villains for doing it.

And I think there is a lot of that.  There's a lot of emphasis on white people need to feel a certain amount of guilt over this.  And we need to get past that.

Judy Woodruff:  I want you to make a comment, and then I want to bring up something else.

Jonathan Capehart:  Sure.  Yes.

I'm not — I'm not asking for guilt.  But I do think white people have to get over the — feeling villainized just even when the word race is used in a sentence.  That's all.

Gary Abernathy:  And you may be right.

Judy Woodruff:  It's a conversation we should continue to have next Friday.

(LAUGHTER)

Judy Woodruff:  But speaking of all this, someone who I think represents what black Americans have meant to this country was memorialized today.  And that was, of course, Colin Powell.

There was a service for him.  He was remembered as someone who is an example for generations to come, someone who worked across party lines.

In just a few words, Jonathan, what is his legacy?  What should we take away from this man?

Jonathan Capehart:  He was a statesman.  He was a warrior statesman.  He was the best of this country.

He — when he was thinking about running for President in 19 — in the '96 election, you know what?  I was a young editorial writer at The New York Daily News.  I was a big fan of President Clinton.  But the idea that a black man would run for President and had a chance to win left me a little conflicted, because he was a walking role model of who we should be as Americans, but also a walking role model for me, a young black man, seeing a black man like him walking through the corridors of power as if he was just walking in the park.

We need more — we need more people like Colin Powell, regardless of party.

Judy Woodruff:  Admired by so many.  Just 30 seconds.

Gary Abernathy:  Yes, I can't improve on that, but — other than to say, to me, Colin Powell always represented a very classy person, just conducted himself with class.

Even when he was upset about something, even when he was angry about something, even in his criticisms of people, it was done with style and class, which is why I think he was so widely admired across the divide.

Judy Woodruff:  Well, we remember him fondly today.

Gary Abernathy:  Yes.

Judy Woodruff:  Gary Abernathy, Jonathan Capehart, thank you both.

Jonathan Capehart:  Thanks, Judy.

Gary Abernathy:  Thanks, Judy.