WEBVTT 00:04.430 --> 00:05.430 JUDY WOODRUFF: Good evening. 00:05.430 --> 00:06.430 I'm Judy Woodruff. 00:06.430 --> 00:09.050 On the "NewsHour" tonight: tensions rising. 00:09.050 --> 00:14.050 The U.S. puts thousands of American troops on heightened alert, as the threat of Russian 00:14.600 --> 00:17.740 moves into Ukraine grows more serious. 00:17.740 --> 00:20.250 Then: volatile markets. 00:20.250 --> 00:25.250 Major stock indexes take a steep dive and then regain the day's losses amid ongoing 00:26.140 --> 00:29.020 concerns over inflation and interest rate hikes. 00:29.020 --> 00:32.960 DANA PETERSON, The Conference Board: There's a lot of concern in markets about how fast 00:32.960 --> 00:36.470 the Fed is going to go in terms of tightening monetary policy. 00:36.470 --> 00:39.050 JUDY WOODRUFF: And political stakes. 00:39.050 --> 00:44.050 Tamara Keith and Amy Walter discuss both parties' moves to punish their own members and President 00:45.350 --> 00:49.210 Biden's pledge to get out and talk to voters more. 00:49.210 --> 00:52.809 All that and more on tonight's "PBS NewsHour." 00:52.809 --> 00:57.809 (BREAK) 02:53.538 --> 02:57.279 JUDY WOODRUFF: It is the most acute crisis between the West and Russia since the end 02:57.279 --> 02:58.499 of the Cold War. 02:58.499 --> 03:02.299 And, today, both sides escalated their military deployments. 03:02.299 --> 03:05.489 The U.S. is putting troops on higher alert. 03:05.489 --> 03:10.489 NATO says it will reinforce its eastern flank, and Russia is adding to its already 100,000 03:12.400 --> 03:14.499 troops on Ukraine's borders. 03:14.499 --> 03:16.480 Nick Schifrin begins our coverage. 03:16.480 --> 03:21.189 NICK SCHIFRIN: Moscow calls them drills, but they sound like preparations for war. 03:21.189 --> 03:26.189 Russia's Defense Ministry today released new video of ships and military vehicles on trains 03:26.599 --> 03:28.680 deploying toward Ukraine's border. 03:28.680 --> 03:32.699 These trucks will travel 3,700 miles from Russia's east. 03:32.699 --> 03:37.699 From the west this weekend, American weapons traveled 4,800 miles to land in Kiev. 03:37.980 --> 03:42.769 The U.S. says the additional 200,000 pounds of ammunition and other items inside these 03:42.769 --> 03:46.110 crates shows the U.S.' commitment to Ukraine. 03:46.110 --> 03:49.930 Simultaneously, NATO's secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg, during a press conference 03:49.930 --> 03:54.809 with Swedish and Finnish defense ministers announced increased alliance support for NATO's 03:54.809 --> 03:59.809 eastern flank, heading to Southeast Europe:, Dutch F-35s and French troops under NATO command, 04:00.900 --> 04:05.900 heading to the Baltics, F-16s from Denmark, and deploying to the Black Sea, Spanish ships. 04:06.709 --> 04:10.069 JENS STOLTENBERG, NATO Secretary-General: These deployments are proportionate and in 04:10.069 --> 04:13.499 line with our international commitments. 04:13.499 --> 04:16.820 And they reinforce European security for all of us. 04:16.820 --> 04:20.820 NICK SCHIFRIN: Today, in a phone briefing, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov used the announcement 04:20.820 --> 04:22.069 to call NATO the aggressor. 04:22.069 --> 04:24.169 DMITRY PESKOV, Spokesman for Vladimir Putin (through translator): We can see the statement 04:24.169 --> 04:28.360 published by NATO on an enhancement of the contingent and the deployment of forces and 04:28.360 --> 04:30.410 hardware to the eastern flank. 04:30.410 --> 04:32.930 All this leads to the further escalation of tensions. 04:32.930 --> 04:35.159 NICK SCHIFRIN: But Stoltenberg called the deployments defensive. 04:35.159 --> 04:40.159 JENS STOLTENBERG: Of course, the NATO presence is in no way threatening, because it is, compared 04:41.729 --> 04:46.729 to the significant military buildup by Russia in and around Ukraine, a very limited presence. 04:46.840 --> 04:51.470 NICK SCHIFRIN: For years, NATO did not deploy to its Eastern European members. 04:51.470 --> 04:56.470 But since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, NATO has deployed battle groups of at least 1,200 04:57.090 --> 05:01.139 soldiers each to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland. 05:01.139 --> 05:05.330 And after a telebriefing this weekend by his national security team, President Biden put 05:05.330 --> 05:10.330 8,500 U.S.-based troops on high alert who could deploy quickly to Eastern Europe. 05:10.819 --> 05:15.460 Defense officials tell "PBS NewsHour" those forces could come from bases, including Fort 05:15.460 --> 05:20.460 Bragg, Fort Carson, and Fort Campbell, destined to the NATO Response Force, or NRF. 05:21.270 --> 05:22.750 Pentagon spokesman John Kirby: 05:22.750 --> 05:27.050 JOHN KIRBY, Pentagon Press Secretary: In the event of NATO's activation of the NRF or a 05:27.050 --> 05:31.250 deteriorating security environment, the United States would be in a position to rapidly deploy 05:31.250 --> 05:36.250 additional brigade combat teams, logistics, medical, aviation, intelligence, surveillance, 05:39.009 --> 05:44.009 and reconnaissance, transportation, and additional capabilities into Europe. 05:44.080 --> 05:48.180 NICK SCHIFRIN: At the same time, the U.S. is drawing down its Kiev embassy. 05:48.180 --> 05:53.180 All families are required to depart, and nonessential employees can leave if they want. 05:53.659 --> 05:55.870 The United Kingdom announced the same. 05:55.870 --> 05:57.490 Ukraine called it disappointing. 05:57.490 --> 05:58.970 Foreign ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko: 05:58.970 --> 06:00.800 OLEG NIKOLENKO, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Spokesman (through translator): We consider 06:00.800 --> 06:04.689 this U.S. move as premature and a manifestation of excessive caution. 06:04.689 --> 06:08.780 In fact, there have been no cardinal changes in the security situation recently. 06:08.780 --> 06:13.229 NICK SCHIFRIN: But the West is convinced the threat to Ukraine's government could be fatal. 06:13.229 --> 06:17.270 This weekend, the U.K. released new intelligence revealing Russia planned regime change and 06:17.270 --> 06:19.139 had picked a pro-Russian leader. 06:19.139 --> 06:23.669 U.S. officials tell "PBS NewsHour" the U.S. agrees with the British intelligence, which 06:23.669 --> 06:25.789 was released by Foreign Secretary Liz Truss. 06:25.789 --> 06:28.569 LIZ TRUSS, British Foreign Secretary: The reason we put that out into the public domain 06:28.569 --> 06:33.569 is, we are going to call out every instance of Russia trying to influence democracy, trying 06:34.539 --> 06:39.490 to subvert Ukraine, false flag operations, and sabotage. 06:39.490 --> 06:44.490 NICK SCHIFRIN: Calling out Russian actions, but little is stopping Russia's buildup that 06:45.259 --> 06:46.870 surrounds Ukraine. 06:46.870 --> 06:51.870 For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Nick Schifrin. 06:54.130 --> 06:59.130 JUDY WOODRUFF: In the day's other news: Jitters over Ukraine and broader economic worries 07:03.879 --> 07:08.699 sent Wall Street into a deep dive, before it climbed all the way back. 07:08.699 --> 07:13.699 The Dow Jones industrial average plunged 1,100 points in the first several hours of trading, 07:14.580 --> 07:19.580 but ended up gaining 99 on the day to close at 34364. 07:20.730 --> 07:23.189 The Nasdaq rose 86 points. 07:23.189 --> 07:25.240 The S&P 500 added 12. 07:25.240 --> 07:30.240 We will take a closer look at what's fueling the market's fears later in the program. 07:30.819 --> 07:35.819 New numbers today indicate the pandemic's Omicron wave may be peaking across the U.S., 07:37.190 --> 07:41.550 with the daily average of new cases now below 700,000. 07:41.550 --> 07:46.550 But deaths are still rising, and hospitals across the South and the West are still overwhelmed. 07:47.910 --> 07:52.910 The head of the World Health Organization forecast today that the emergency phase could 07:53.360 --> 07:55.849 end this year, but he also had a warning. 07:55.849 --> 07:59.569 TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS, WHO Director General: It's dangerous to assume that Omicron will 07:59.569 --> 08:04.569 be the last variant or that we are in the endgame. 08:06.330 --> 08:11.330 On the contrary, globally, the conditions are ideal for more variants to emerge. 08:14.280 --> 08:19.280 JUDY WOODRUFF: Also today, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a lawsuit filed against proxy 08:20.699 --> 08:23.360 voting in the U.S. House of Representatives. 08:23.360 --> 08:28.360 The pandemic era measure allows members to cast absentee ballots. 08:28.789 --> 08:33.789 Republican Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy wanted the court to reject it as unconstitutional. 08:34.650 --> 08:39.650 The High Court agreed today to hear challenges to affirmative action in college admissions 08:40.599 --> 08:43.120 for the first time since 2016. 08:43.120 --> 08:48.120 Two lawsuits charge that using race in admissions decisions at Harvard University and at the 08:49.000 --> 08:54.000 University of North Carolina discriminates against Asian Americans. 08:54.290 --> 08:59.290 Federal prosecutors in Minneapolis charged today that three former police officers violated 08:59.970 --> 09:03.970 George Floyd's civil rights by failing to prevent his murder. 09:03.970 --> 09:08.970 In opening statements, they said the men did nothing when fellow officer Derek Chauvin 09:09.199 --> 09:11.920 pinned Floyd's neck until he died. 09:11.920 --> 09:14.910 Chauvin was convicted of murder last year. 09:14.910 --> 09:19.779 The defense argued that Chauvin was a senior officer and that he called all the shots. 09:19.779 --> 09:24.779 In Iran, the government opened the door today to direct talks with the United States on 09:25.180 --> 09:28.010 restoring the 2015 nuclear deal. 09:28.010 --> 09:33.010 The foreign minister spoke in Tehran as negotiations with other world powers resumed in Vienna. 09:34.230 --> 09:38.649 HOSSEIN AMIR ABDOLLAHIAN, Iranian Foreign Minister (through translator): If we get to 09:38.649 --> 09:43.649 a stage where reaching a good deal with strong guarantees necessitates direct talks with 09:44.019 --> 09:48.019 the U.S., we will consider this in our agenda to lift sanctions. 09:48.019 --> 09:52.820 JUDY WOODRUFF: In response, the U.S. State Department said it remains open to direct 09:52.820 --> 09:55.440 meetings with Iranian officials. 09:55.440 --> 09:59.889 President Biden has indicated he wants to rejoin the nuclear deal that President Trump 09:59.889 --> 10:02.880 abandoned in 2018. 10:02.880 --> 10:07.880 Rebels in Yemen backed by Iran fired missiles into the United Arab Emirates today, and U.S. 10:10.420 --> 10:13.529 troops intercepted them with Patriot missiles. 10:13.529 --> 10:16.310 Some of the Americans had to take cover during the exchange. 10:16.310 --> 10:20.180 It was the second such attack in a week. 10:20.180 --> 10:25.180 China has made a new show of force near Taiwan, sending 39 warplanes, the most since October. 10:27.089 --> 10:32.089 The planes flew over an area near the Pratas Islands southwest of Taiwan. 10:32.519 --> 10:35.530 The Chinese declined to say what their purpose was. 10:35.530 --> 10:40.530 This took place as two U.S. Navy aircraft carrier groups sailed in the South China Sea, 10:42.010 --> 10:44.500 over Beijing's objections. 10:44.500 --> 10:49.500 Back in this country, judges in Georgia approved a special grand jury to investigate whether 10:49.630 --> 10:54.519 former President Trump tried to interfere with the 2020 election results. 10:54.519 --> 10:57.100 A district attorney requested the assistance. 10:57.100 --> 11:02.100 The special panel will be seated in May and it will serve up to a year. 11:02.699 --> 11:07.000 There's further evidence of the pandemic's toll on students. 11:07.000 --> 11:12.000 Data from 26 states shows high school graduation rates fell in at least 20 of them after the 11:14.720 --> 11:17.540 first full school year disrupted by COVID. 11:17.540 --> 11:22.540 The nonprofit education news agency Chalkbeat did the analysis. 11:22.959 --> 11:27.959 And the world's biggest galactic observatory has arrived at its destination one million 11:28.620 --> 11:29.769 miles from Earth. 11:29.769 --> 11:34.769 As depicted in this NASA animation, the James Webb Space Telescope reached its planned orbit 11:36.019 --> 11:37.589 around the sun today. 11:37.589 --> 11:40.529 That critical moment came a month after launch. 11:40.529 --> 11:45.529 The $10 billion telescope will look deeper into space than humanity has ever seen. 11:46.970 --> 11:51.970 Still to come on the "NewsHour": what is behind a volatile ride for the major stock indexes; 11:52.290 --> 11:57.290 Tamara Keith and Amy Walter break down the latest political news; a Miami dance troupe 11:58.160 --> 12:03.160 revisits the classic ballet "Swan Lake" and gives it a new spin; and much more. 12:18.920 --> 12:23.709 As we reported earlier, NATO is increasing its troop presence in Eastern Europe. 12:23.709 --> 12:28.709 And the United States announced today that it is putting 8,500 troops on high alert to 12:29.639 --> 12:31.000 deploy to the region. 12:31.000 --> 12:36.000 To discuss the details of today's developments, we're joined by two experts. 12:36.250 --> 12:41.250 Andrea Kendall-Taylor is a former senior intelligence official who focused on Russia and Eurasia. 12:42.230 --> 12:47.230 She is now the head of the Transatlantic Security Program at the Center For a New American security, 12:48.920 --> 12:53.820 which is a bipartisan national security and defense policy institute. 12:53.820 --> 12:58.699 And Phillip Karber served as an adviser to the secretary of defense under the Reagan 12:58.699 --> 12:59.699 administration. 12:59.699 --> 13:04.699 He is now the president of The Potomac Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan policy research group. 13:06.660 --> 13:10.079 JUDY WOODRUFF: And we welcome both of you to the "NewsHour." 13:10.079 --> 13:13.090 Andrea Kendall-Taylor -- excuse me -- to you first. 13:13.090 --> 13:18.029 How much of a change in posture is this for the Biden administration to be making this 13:18.029 --> 13:20.949 announcement about troop readiness? 13:20.949 --> 13:25.769 And what is your sense of how meaningful this troop deployment could be? 13:25.769 --> 13:28.690 ANDREA KENDALL-TAYLOR, Center For a New American Security: So, I think this signals a shift 13:28.690 --> 13:31.709 in the way the Biden administration is approaching the conflict. 13:31.709 --> 13:36.709 So far, they have been talking a lot about deterrence and laying out the cost for Putin 13:36.959 --> 13:38.860 if he should take action. 13:38.860 --> 13:43.860 To me, this signals that they see that conflict is becoming more likely in the coming weeks. 13:45.089 --> 13:50.089 And so they're shifting to a more proactive footing to help prepare for that conflict. 13:51.089 --> 13:56.089 I think, at this point, the key for the Biden administration and its NATO allies is to ensure 13:57.230 --> 14:02.230 that this conflict, should it happen, remains contained to Ukraine. 14:02.459 --> 14:07.459 And so they're starting to preposition forces and take these steps to prepare for scenarios 14:08.449 --> 14:12.910 in which conflict could potentially spill over or tax NATO member states. 14:12.910 --> 14:16.420 So, I think this is a real shift in their footing and how they're thinking about the 14:16.420 --> 14:19.629 likelihood of conflict between Russia and Ukraine. 14:19.629 --> 14:24.629 JUDY WOODRUFF: So, how would the presence of U.S. troops in the region, in addition 14:25.680 --> 14:29.740 to NATO forces, keep the -- any conflict contained to Ukraine? 14:29.740 --> 14:33.759 ANDREA KENDALL-TAYLOR: So, I think the key is kind of preparing for scenarios in which 14:33.759 --> 14:38.759 conflict between Russia and Ukraine could spill over into NATO member states, particularly 14:39.190 --> 14:40.970 Poland and Romania. 14:40.970 --> 14:43.730 We want to be prepared for those possibilities. 14:43.730 --> 14:48.730 I also think a key goal and objective of prepositioning forces like this is to signal alliance resolve. 14:51.019 --> 14:55.579 I think we want to be crystal clear with President Putin that the alliance has the resolve to 14:55.579 --> 15:00.579 respond, so that he doesn't look to test any other NATO member states. 15:01.310 --> 15:05.880 And I will just say, I also think there is one broader audience, and that is Xi Jinping. 15:05.880 --> 15:10.880 And I think he and China is going to be watching very closely to see the United States' ability 15:12.319 --> 15:14.709 to marshal a coalition to respond. 15:14.709 --> 15:19.709 And this is signaling the United States' willingness to move beyond sanctions and to change the 15:21.519 --> 15:24.850 security environment in which any revisionist actor would face. 15:24.850 --> 15:29.269 So, I think, for all of those reasons, to shore up the credibility of the alliance and 15:29.269 --> 15:34.269 to prepare for potential scenarios, these steps by the Biden administration and NATO 15:34.620 --> 15:37.699 allies are important ones and welcome. 15:37.699 --> 15:42.699 JUDY WOODRUFF: So, signals to NATO, to Russia, and, as you say, to China as well. 15:43.910 --> 15:46.720 Phil Karber, let me bring you into this. 15:46.720 --> 15:51.709 How do you see these troops, were they to be deployed, being used? 15:51.709 --> 15:52.709 Where would they be? 15:52.709 --> 15:54.000 What exactly would they do? 15:54.000 --> 15:57.860 PHILLIP KARBER, President, The Potomac Foundation: Well, I agree with everything my colleague 15:57.860 --> 15:59.540 said. 15:59.540 --> 16:01.529 But the response so far has been kind of underwhelming. 16:01.529 --> 16:06.529 I mean, what they announced today is that we're preparing to lean forward, get units 16:08.290 --> 16:11.509 ready to deploy, but we haven't deployed anything yet. 16:11.509 --> 16:16.509 So, to answer your question, I think the options, the most effective options would be to move 16:19.819 --> 16:24.819 air units, particularly fighters, into Romania, Poland, perhaps F-18 fighters with Harpoon 16:30.170 --> 16:35.170 anti-ship missiles into Bulgaria, and get more AWACS aerial surveillance, so that the 16:39.800 --> 16:44.800 Ukrainians, who are basically blind and in terms of having a long-distance identification 16:46.000 --> 16:49.620 of where attacks might come from, could get - - that we would pass that intelligence to 16:49.620 --> 16:50.620 them. 16:50.620 --> 16:53.920 So those would be the most significant and fastest things we could do. 16:53.920 --> 16:55.870 But, so far, they haven't left yet. 16:55.870 --> 17:00.870 Then, of course, there's the option of having a ground forces, but the most I think they're 17:03.721 --> 17:06.530 talking about is one brigade unit. 17:06.530 --> 17:08.730 And that's not very much. 17:08.730 --> 17:12.410 So it's -- has a limit. 17:12.410 --> 17:17.100 Lastly, there is an ongoing naval exercise that we're participating in, in the Mediterranean. 17:17.100 --> 17:18.450 So that's helpful. 17:18.450 --> 17:23.450 And the Danes are sending some naval units to the Baltic to try and shore up them. 17:23.720 --> 17:28.720 JUDY WOODRUFF: So, Phil Karber, just stay with you for a moment, so air surveillance, 17:29.600 --> 17:34.600 sending in air -- potentially air support, sending in naval support in -- what, surrounding 17:39.240 --> 17:40.240 Ukraine? 17:40.240 --> 17:42.850 I mean, how do you see this geographically playing out? 17:42.850 --> 17:44.100 PHILLIP KARBER: So, that's the problem. 17:44.100 --> 17:47.990 I do not see a naval forces going into the Black Sea. 17:47.990 --> 17:52.990 I think that would be -- it's just too dangerous and too outnumbered, frankly. 17:56.910 --> 18:01.910 But having AWACS flying in over Ukraine and being able to give them early warning of the 18:02.820 --> 18:07.820 impending attack and also help their air respond, their small air force respond to a much larger 18:09.010 --> 18:14.010 Russian attack, would be enormously helpful, and also having our fighters there to protect 18:14.040 --> 18:17.560 the AWACS, so they aren't taken potshots at. 18:17.560 --> 18:19.870 And that sends a very strong message. 18:19.870 --> 18:24.870 Our airpower is our strongest message-sender in terms of military capability. 18:27.970 --> 18:32.460 And yet it's still in a defensive posture deployed into NATO countries. 18:32.460 --> 18:37.460 And it also gives them a sense that -- people say, oh, trying to assure the allies. 18:38.840 --> 18:41.290 Well, when you talk to the allies, they say, we don't want assurance. 18:41.290 --> 18:42.600 We want deterrence. 18:42.600 --> 18:47.090 If this war comes to our border, we're not looking for speed bumps. 18:47.090 --> 18:48.840 We want real help. 18:48.840 --> 18:50.530 So I think that's the key. 18:50.530 --> 18:52.210 JUDY WOODRUFF: Just quick questions. 18:52.210 --> 18:57.210 One is, how quickly do you see this kind of support being deployed and making a difference, 18:58.550 --> 19:03.220 because it clearly would have to integrate with what else is on the ground there with 19:03.220 --> 19:04.220 NATO? 19:04.220 --> 19:09.220 PHILLIP KARBER: So, in terms of the air, we could probably get a number of squadrons, 19:10.290 --> 19:14.020 maybe a couple of wings, within three to seven days. 19:14.020 --> 19:18.600 And that would be very, very quick and very powerful. 19:18.600 --> 19:20.850 The ground forces take, obviously, a lot longer. 19:20.850 --> 19:23.250 We have prepositioned equipment in Germany and Poland. 19:23.250 --> 19:24.250 JUDY WOODRUFF: Right. 19:24.250 --> 19:27.221 PHILLIP KARBER: But whether the Germans would allow us to fall in on that equipment and 19:27.221 --> 19:30.990 then move it across Germany, who knows. 19:30.990 --> 19:35.990 Likewise, it takes time to move troops from essentially Western Poland to anywhere near 19:37.800 --> 19:39.930 the Belarusian border or Ukrainian border. 19:39.930 --> 19:40.930 (CROSSTALK) 19:40.930 --> 19:41.930 PHILLIP KARBER: I'm sorry? 19:41.930 --> 19:45.220 JUDY WOODRUFF: No, I was just going to say, and other one other question, in terms of 19:45.220 --> 19:46.300 military balance. 19:46.300 --> 19:51.300 These numbers are a lot smaller than the 100 - - or more than 100,000 troops the Russians 19:51.380 --> 19:52.380 have around there. 19:52.380 --> 19:55.660 So, in terms of military balance, you see them making a difference? 19:55.660 --> 20:00.660 PHILLIP KARBER: The air could seriously make a difference over Eastern Ukraine, and give 20:02.541 --> 20:07.541 the Russians a real second thought about whether they want to launch a major air offensive, 20:08.780 --> 20:13.780 which a lot of people are warning about, flying in over Belarus, over the Mediterranean, hitting 20:14.410 --> 20:15.440 Ukraine from all sides. 20:15.440 --> 20:20.440 If we had strong AWACS early warning and also strong fighter capability, I think that would 20:21.800 --> 20:23.250 give them severe warning. 20:23.250 --> 20:28.250 One other thing that should be noted is, we just sent some supplies to Ukraine. 20:28.990 --> 20:33.990 Those supplies had been ordered and purchased by Ukraine as part of their military aid literally 20:36.680 --> 20:37.680 months ago. 20:37.680 --> 20:40.900 So we haven't sent any new stuff yet to Ukraine. 20:40.900 --> 20:44.310 And we really -- that -- everything we send right now is helpful. 20:44.310 --> 20:49.300 JUDY WOODRUFF: And final quick last question to Andrea Kendall-Taylor. 20:49.300 --> 20:54.300 Is this -- what the U.S. and NATO are announcing today, is this likely to change Putin's thinking? 20:55.760 --> 20:57.800 ANDREA KENDALL-TAYLOR: I don't think so. 20:57.800 --> 21:01.490 I mean, I think, at this point, if he's going in -- and, of course, we should note that 21:01.490 --> 21:03.600 only Putin knows the answer to that. 21:03.600 --> 21:08.010 He keeps us on our toes because that works to his strategic advantage. 21:08.010 --> 21:13.010 But I would say, kind of given senior Russian official statements, and certainly the continuing 21:14.430 --> 21:18.710 buildup of Russian forces on the Ukrainian border, it does appear that we are headed 21:18.710 --> 21:20.140 towards conflict. 21:20.140 --> 21:22.950 And so I don't think that we are going to deter the conflict. 21:22.950 --> 21:27.170 So, then what we're looking to do, I think, at this point is through sanctions and changes 21:27.170 --> 21:32.170 in our U.S. force posture, is to make this as costly an action for Putin as possible. 21:33.540 --> 21:35.850 He is taking a great risk here. 21:35.850 --> 21:40.850 And we need to do everything we can to raise the costs for his actions, to reassure our 21:41.200 --> 21:46.200 allies, and, again, to make sure that this conflict stays contained to Ukraine. 21:46.500 --> 21:51.500 So I think that's the shift that we're seeing from this administration, moving towards just 21:52.190 --> 21:56.580 deterrence to recognizing that we're going to have to kind of manage and navigate the 21:56.580 --> 22:00.550 situation, thinking about refugee flows and prepositioning humanitarian aid. 22:00.550 --> 22:01.550 JUDY WOODRUFF: Right. 22:01.550 --> 22:03.290 ANDREA KENDALL-TAYLOR: So I think the conflict is coming. 22:03.290 --> 22:04.320 We're getting closer. 22:04.320 --> 22:08.830 And the steps that the administration is talking about doing, I think, signals where their 22:08.830 --> 22:11.710 thinking is, that we're getting closer to conflict. 22:11.710 --> 22:13.320 JUDY WOODRUFF: Sobering. 22:13.320 --> 22:16.490 Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Phil Karber, thank you both very much. 22:16.490 --> 22:21.490 ANDREA KENDALL-TAYLOR: Thank you for having me. 22:21.940 --> 22:26.940 JUDY WOODRUFF: As we have reported, it was a wild ride for the markets today. 22:33.560 --> 22:38.330 Amna Nawaz looks at what's behind this volatility and the market's recent slump. 22:38.330 --> 22:43.330 AMNA NAWAZ: Judy, at one point, the Dow Jones was down more than 1,000 points, and the S&P 22:44.410 --> 22:49.410 500, which is a wider gauge of the stock market, had fallen into correction territory, which 22:49.410 --> 22:52.970 is about a drop of 10 percent from its previous high. 22:52.970 --> 22:57.070 All of the major indexes came back, though, finishing on a positive note. 22:57.070 --> 22:59.680 But they are down since the start of the year. 22:59.680 --> 23:03.270 To understand more about all of this, we turn to Dana Peterson. 23:03.270 --> 23:05.500 She's chief economist at The Conference Board. 23:05.500 --> 23:07.620 That's a nonpartisan business think tank. 23:07.620 --> 23:09.530 Dana Peterson, welcome to the "NewsHour." 23:09.530 --> 23:10.580 Thanks for being with us. 23:10.580 --> 23:15.580 I want to ask you about what we saw before that late rally this afternoon, which was 23:15.890 --> 23:18.160 a continuation of a weeks-long slide. 23:18.160 --> 23:19.680 Help us understand that. 23:19.680 --> 23:20.680 What was behind that? 23:20.680 --> 23:22.870 What were investors watching and worried about? 23:22.870 --> 23:23.870 DANA PETERSON, The Conference Board: Sure. 23:23.870 --> 23:26.670 I think investors are watching and worrying about a number of things. 23:26.670 --> 23:31.670 Certainly, tech stocks have sold off, certainly as borrowing costs are set to rise, with the 23:31.760 --> 23:33.150 Fed raising interest rates. 23:33.150 --> 23:38.090 There's been a lot of misses in terms of earnings, given the fact that the Omicron variant really 23:38.090 --> 23:39.760 disrupted business activities. 23:39.760 --> 23:43.600 Many workers said that they were sick and they -- or they were quarantined. 23:43.600 --> 23:45.800 And that really affected profits. 23:45.800 --> 23:50.800 And, also, there's a lot of concern about geopolitics and certainly what's going on 23:51.740 --> 23:54.530 in Europe and implications for financial markets. 23:54.530 --> 23:58.680 AMNA NAWAZ: And what about uncertainty overseas as it relates to the U.S. weighing a response 23:58.680 --> 24:00.630 to Russian aggression in Ukraine? 24:00.630 --> 24:02.240 Is that playing into all of this as well? 24:02.240 --> 24:03.640 DANA PETERSON: Yes, I think so. 24:03.640 --> 24:08.640 And certainly, in Eastern Europe, the standoff, if you will, the issues between Russia and 24:09.540 --> 24:14.240 the Ukraine and NATO and the U.S. are putting upward pressure on gasoline prices, not only 24:14.240 --> 24:16.090 in that region, but also globally. 24:16.090 --> 24:20.840 And that's all feeding into inflationary pressures that we're feeling right here at home in the 24:20.840 --> 24:21.840 U.S. 24:21.840 --> 24:23.430 AMNA NAWAZ: So what about that late rally today? 24:23.430 --> 24:25.180 What were you thinking as you saw that? 24:25.180 --> 24:26.180 And what does that tell you? 24:26.180 --> 24:29.030 Does that tell you all those concerns among investors are gone, are fading? 24:29.030 --> 24:33.300 DANA PETERSON: Well, certainly, you can have a lot of volatility from day to day. 24:33.300 --> 24:35.390 Indeed, you could have had some good earnings news. 24:35.390 --> 24:40.390 But I think, overall, there's a lot of concern in markets about how fast the Fed is going 24:40.930 --> 24:43.460 to go in terms of tightening monetary policy. 24:43.460 --> 24:47.120 We all know that they are going to finish up the Q.E. 24:47.120 --> 24:50.490 taper by March and probably start raising interest rates. 24:50.490 --> 24:52.740 But how many interest rate hikes are we looking at? 24:52.740 --> 24:53.740 Three? 24:53.740 --> 24:54.740 Four? 24:54.740 --> 24:55.740 Five? 24:55.740 --> 24:59.420 And, certainly, the Fed has talked about reducing the size of its balance sheet. 24:59.420 --> 25:04.170 And that will probably happen through allowing assets to just kind of expire and mature and 25:04.170 --> 25:07.550 roll off, but still and all, those are all forms of tightening. 25:07.550 --> 25:11.700 And markets, I think, are getting a little concerned about what that means for them. 25:11.700 --> 25:16.110 AMNA NAWAZ: Let me ask you about the larger sort of Omicron and pandemic impact on that 25:16.110 --> 25:20.460 weeks-long slide that we saw, because even without lockdowns, right -- the big concern 25:20.460 --> 25:23.510 was lockdowns would create economic holdup. 25:23.510 --> 25:28.340 Even without the lockdowns, we have seen some major economic disruptions, both in supply 25:28.340 --> 25:29.400 and in labor. 25:29.400 --> 25:33.970 When you look in late December and early January, something like nine million Americans weren't 25:33.970 --> 25:38.010 looking for work because they were either sick with COVID or caring for someone who 25:38.010 --> 25:39.010 had COVID. 25:39.010 --> 25:44.010 So, even as cases of this latest variant could be cresting in parts of the country, is there 25:44.490 --> 25:47.700 a longer term cumulative economic toll ahead? 25:47.700 --> 25:51.210 DANA PETERSON: Well, our thoughts that this is probably going to be pretty short-lived. 25:51.210 --> 25:55.840 Certainly, the Delta variant kind of swept through the world and really impacted the 25:55.840 --> 25:58.230 U.S. in the third quarter of last year. 25:58.230 --> 26:02.660 We did see a spell of kind of tepid growth relative to other growth rates we have been 26:02.660 --> 26:05.790 seeing during the pandemic, around 2 percent. 26:05.790 --> 26:09.530 So we're looking at 2, 2.5 percent for the first quarter. 26:09.530 --> 26:14.000 But when we look at Omicron, at least experience in South Africa, it was very intense, but 26:14.000 --> 26:15.540 it was also very short-lived. 26:15.540 --> 26:19.950 So, hopefully, by the time we reach the second quarter, we will see better activity. 26:19.950 --> 26:24.650 Indeed, when we asked consumers -- our last survey was back in December -- how they were 26:24.650 --> 26:29.420 feeling, they were still looking forward to buying goods and services and going on vacation 26:29.420 --> 26:30.420 six months hence. 26:30.420 --> 26:32.320 So that's really constructive for the second quarter. 26:32.320 --> 26:35.750 AMNA NAWAZ: Dana, what about the Fed's response that we're anticipating here? 26:35.750 --> 26:38.920 Obviously, inflation is running at the fastest pace in 40 years. 26:38.920 --> 26:41.660 We know they gather tomorrow for a couple of days. 26:41.660 --> 26:46.310 Do we have any idea of when they will start to raise those interest rates, and by how 26:46.310 --> 26:47.310 much? 26:47.310 --> 26:52.310 And are you worried that if this downslide continues, they could act more aggressively? 26:52.530 --> 26:54.030 DANA PETERSON: Sure. 26:54.030 --> 26:57.170 Well, tomorrow, they will begin their two-day meeting. 26:57.170 --> 27:01.950 And I think it's pretty anticipated the Fed is going to give very strong signaling that 27:01.950 --> 27:06.950 the taper, once it's finished in around March, that the Fed is going to start raising interest 27:08.010 --> 27:13.010 rates probably by quarter percentage points, 25 basis points, potentially every other meeting. 27:13.830 --> 27:16.710 That would get us to three or four hikes for this year. 27:16.710 --> 27:21.710 But a big concern is, as you said, what if inflation doesn't cool off? 27:21.980 --> 27:26.230 What if we continue to see inflation that's notably above 2 percent towards the end of 27:26.230 --> 27:27.230 this year? 27:27.230 --> 27:28.340 Will the Fed go more? 27:28.340 --> 27:30.390 Would they go 50 basis points? 27:30.390 --> 27:34.930 Well, right now, what we're hearing and at least what the Fed is signal is that we're 27:34.930 --> 27:38.510 looking at a good three to four interest rate hikes for this year. 27:38.510 --> 27:40.990 But, certainly, there's risks that we could see more. 27:40.990 --> 27:45.990 AMNA NAWAZ: Dana, what does all this mean for Americans, for working American families? 27:46.400 --> 27:48.200 Because they see what's happening in the headlines. 27:48.200 --> 27:50.660 They are paying more for goods every day. 27:50.660 --> 27:54.810 They're living through this same uncertainty in the economy and the pandemic. 27:54.810 --> 27:58.680 What does everything that we're seeing in the markets, this volatility, that weeks-long 27:58.680 --> 28:01.070 downslide, what does that mean for that? 28:01.070 --> 28:02.070 DANA PETERSON: Sure. 28:02.070 --> 28:06.840 So, if you own assets, then, certainly, this has not been the best few weeks for you. 28:06.840 --> 28:11.840 So certainly, if you own stocks or bonds, with the sell-offs, you have lost some interest 28:12.441 --> 28:14.240 and you have lost some capital. 28:14.240 --> 28:19.240 But, certainly, if you have savings accounts or checking accounts that have interest, higher 28:20.250 --> 28:21.780 interest rates are good for you. 28:21.780 --> 28:23.820 But it's really about sentiment. 28:23.820 --> 28:28.820 Do people, even average Americans who may not own any financial assets, if they believe 28:29.420 --> 28:34.420 that the stock market is an indicator or harbinger of weaker growth going forward, then they 28:35.580 --> 28:38.030 may become concerned about their jobs prospects. 28:38.030 --> 28:40.880 But, so far, many people are working. 28:40.880 --> 28:42.350 We do have the Great Resignation. 28:42.350 --> 28:46.680 Yes, people are resigning, but they're going off and finding new jobs. 28:46.680 --> 28:50.980 And the economy, certainly, at the end of last year -- well, the last quarter was still 28:50.980 --> 28:52.140 doing quite well. 28:52.140 --> 28:57.140 And even with this first-quarter weakness, 2, 2.5 percent growth is actually pretty good 28:58.330 --> 28:59.890 for the U.S. economy. 28:59.890 --> 29:02.840 But we do anticipate stronger growth in the second quarter. 29:02.840 --> 29:07.840 So it's really about how long these disruptions last and certainly how ordinary Americans 29:09.140 --> 29:11.120 perceive what's going on the stock markets. 29:11.120 --> 29:16.120 AMNA NAWAZ: That is Dana Peterson, chief economist of The Conference Board, making sense of a 29:16.380 --> 29:18.100 wild day on Wall Street for us. 29:18.100 --> 29:21.310 Dana, thank you so much for joining us. 29:21.310 --> 29:26.310 DANA PETERSON: Thank you. 29:29.450 --> 29:34.450 JUDY WOODRUFF: After Senate Democrats were unable last week to change the Senate rule 29:37.370 --> 29:42.370 the filibuster to make it possible to pass voting rights legislation, Arizona's state 29:42.870 --> 29:46.530 Democratic Party censured Senator Kyrsten Sinema. 29:46.530 --> 29:51.530 She, along with Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, made up the only two Democratic 29:51.640 --> 29:53.630 holdouts on that major vote. 29:53.630 --> 29:58.630 The move in Arizona is part of a growing trend of political parties taking on their own members 29:59.460 --> 30:00.590 over key issues. 30:00.590 --> 30:05.590 To help us make sense of this and other news brewing in politics, I'm joined by our Politics 30:06.030 --> 30:11.030 Monday duo, Amy Walter of The Cook Political Report With Amy Walter and Tamara Keith of 30:12.890 --> 30:13.890 NPR. 30:13.890 --> 30:16.280 Hello to both of you. 30:16.280 --> 30:19.310 Let's pick up on this, Tam. 30:19.310 --> 30:21.820 It is starting -- as we said, starting to be a trend. 30:21.820 --> 30:26.820 The Republicans have been going after their members who voted to impeach former President 30:29.010 --> 30:30.010 Trump. 30:30.010 --> 30:32.900 Now we're seeing the Democrats do that. 30:32.900 --> 30:37.900 What do these kinds of moves say about the parties? 30:38.380 --> 30:41.080 Do they end up helping them politically? 30:41.080 --> 30:42.380 Do they end up healing? 30:42.380 --> 30:43.950 I mean, what are we seeing? 30:43.950 --> 30:48.650 TAMARA KEITH, National Public Radio: Yes, as you say, this is primarily been a Republican 30:48.650 --> 30:49.650 trend. 30:49.650 --> 30:53.890 In particular, Republicans who voted to impeach former President Trump have been targeted 30:53.890 --> 30:55.060 by their state parties. 30:55.060 --> 31:00.060 And now Sinema -- Senator Sinema being censured by her party, the Arizona Democratic leadership 31:03.470 --> 31:08.470 in that party believes that voting rights is one of the existential issues. 31:09.310 --> 31:11.160 And so they are censuring her. 31:11.160 --> 31:13.900 She isn't up for reelection this year. 31:13.900 --> 31:18.900 What this signals is she is out of sync with at least part of her party. 31:19.940 --> 31:24.940 And, certainly, the state parties, whether it be Republican or Democrat, that is where 31:26.440 --> 31:28.010 you're going to find the activists. 31:28.010 --> 31:29.890 That is the most active activists. 31:29.890 --> 31:34.520 They're the people who are volunteering their time and being part of these state parties. 31:34.520 --> 31:37.280 And they are expressing frustration. 31:37.280 --> 31:41.920 JUDY WOODRUFF: Amy, is there a cost to the parties for doing this? 31:41.920 --> 31:43.990 Does it end up strengthening them? 31:43.990 --> 31:45.830 How has it worked out? 31:45.830 --> 31:49.040 AMY WALTER, The Cook Political Report: Well, Judy, that's a great question, because I think 31:49.040 --> 31:54.040 there is a cost, in some cases, for the party, and there is also a cost for the way that 31:55.690 --> 32:00.160 Congress works, or, in this case, doesn't work very well. 32:00.160 --> 32:02.060 Arizona is a great example of this, right? 32:02.060 --> 32:04.300 This is a 50/50 state. 32:04.300 --> 32:09.300 We had Donald Trump narrowly win there in 2016, and, in 2020, Joe Biden narrowly wins 32:11.270 --> 32:12.270 in that state. 32:12.270 --> 32:14.170 It is a true purple state. 32:14.170 --> 32:19.170 The last three elections there for senator, John McCain, Kyrsten Sinema, Mark Kelly this 32:21.580 --> 32:24.730 last year, they all narrowly won. 32:24.730 --> 32:29.730 But all three outperformed the presidential nominee of their own party. 32:30.180 --> 32:35.180 In other words, they got voters to cross over and support them who didn't support the presidential 32:38.230 --> 32:39.230 candidate. 32:39.230 --> 32:43.940 So, you would get a Trump and a Kelly voter. 32:43.940 --> 32:48.940 You could also get a voter who voted for Hillary Clinton, but also voted for John McCain. 32:51.690 --> 32:56.690 By the way, Arizona is also a state that has censured three of its last four Senate candidates 32:58.240 --> 33:03.240 - - or members of the United States Senate, not Mark Kelly, but two Republicans, and then, 33:04.480 --> 33:05.480 of course, Sinema. 33:05.480 --> 33:08.780 So it is completely out of step with where the state is. 33:08.780 --> 33:13.140 The state, you win by attracting independent and crossover voters. 33:13.140 --> 33:15.910 So I don't know that it is particularly good politics. 33:15.910 --> 33:20.910 But, to Tam's point, the parties now have become really just about what the activist 33:22.790 --> 33:27.790 basis wants, much more than whether or not this is the kind of candidate who can win 33:29.400 --> 33:34.400 in that state, number one, and a candidate who can deliver for the state on the most 33:35.650 --> 33:37.390 important issues to people there. 33:37.390 --> 33:42.390 JUDY WOODRUFF: Well, we will see how this plays out at some point down the road. 33:42.670 --> 33:46.490 But I do want to bring up something that -- in fact, first, I was going to ask you about 33:46.490 --> 33:51.180 something President Biden said at his news conference last week about a change in approach, 33:51.180 --> 33:55.930 but I have to bring you a little bit of breaking news from the White House this afternoon. 33:55.930 --> 34:00.930 President Biden was meeting -- having a meeting the East Room talking about the economy. 34:01.100 --> 34:06.100 And I guess, as the room -- as the press was leaving, FOX News reporter Peter Doocy asked 34:08.859 --> 34:11.560 the president -- a question about inflation. 34:11.560 --> 34:14.349 This is one of those "I didn't know I was on live mic" moments. 34:14.349 --> 34:15.349 But here it is. 34:15.349 --> 34:20.349 JOE BIDEN, President of the United States: That's a great asset, more inflation. 34:21.889 --> 34:26.889 What a stupid son of a bitch. 34:27.319 --> 34:32.319 JUDY WOODRUFF: So, I don't know if you could hear the whole thing, but Peter Doocy was 34:32.700 --> 34:36.940 asking if inflation -- the fact that inflation keeps going up is an asset. 34:36.940 --> 34:38.819 And you heard the president's answer. 34:38.819 --> 34:43.819 Tam, I'm reminded of Ronald Reagan, "We're going to start bombing in five minutes." 34:44.299 --> 34:47.740 Every -- I think every president, every politician has done it. 34:47.740 --> 34:50.929 Do these kinds of things matter or not? 34:50.929 --> 34:54.500 I'm told that Peter Doocy laughed it off on the air later. 34:54.500 --> 34:56.080 TAMARA KEITH: He did. 34:56.080 --> 35:01.080 And former vice president, then Vice President Joe Biden, also had a hot mic moment with 35:01.869 --> 35:05.900 an even naught naughtier word when Obamacare passed. 35:05.900 --> 35:07.359 And that became part of his signature. 35:07.359 --> 35:10.589 I'm not sure that is where this is headed. 35:10.589 --> 35:15.589 But President Biden said right before that, I don't want to answer a bunch of questions 35:17.010 --> 35:22.010 about Russia because I don't want to distract from this event that I'm doing about inflation. 35:23.049 --> 35:28.049 Then he has this hot mic moment that is absolutely going to distract from the event he is doing 35:28.319 --> 35:29.519 about inflation. 35:29.519 --> 35:34.519 The critique that the Biden White House is trying to respond to that has come through 35:35.210 --> 35:40.210 in focus groups from voters is that the president is not directly addressing the issues they 35:40.570 --> 35:42.660 care about most enough. 35:42.660 --> 35:47.000 The White House has tried to remedy, including with this event. 35:47.000 --> 35:50.170 And now we're talking about Peter Doocy and a bad word. 35:50.170 --> 35:54.310 JUDY WOODRUFF: Amy, a quick thought on this before I ask you about something else? 35:54.310 --> 35:55.310 (LAUGHTER) 35:55.310 --> 35:57.160 AMY WALTER: No, I agree with that. 35:57.160 --> 36:02.160 And, also, I think you're going to hear some frustration, especially in conservative circles, 36:02.529 --> 36:07.529 that, look, President Trump said bad things about the press all the time. 36:07.900 --> 36:10.750 He was rebuked for it. 36:10.750 --> 36:15.750 This is following a behavior that the then-candidate and newly elected President Biden said he 36:17.640 --> 36:19.019 wouldn't engage in. 36:19.019 --> 36:24.019 So I think, again, lowering the temperature was supposed to be his calling card and unifying 36:26.710 --> 36:27.710 the country. 36:27.710 --> 36:31.950 He's got to do more to convince voters that he's doing both of those things. 36:31.950 --> 36:35.740 JUDY WOODRUFF: Well, speaking of convincing voters, one of the things the president spoke 36:35.740 --> 36:40.380 about, talked about in that news conference last week that went on for almost two hours 36:40.380 --> 36:45.299 was talking about how he hopes next -- this year to get out and connect more with voters. 36:45.299 --> 36:46.859 Here's what he said. 36:46.859 --> 36:51.859 JOE BIDEN: Part of the problem is, as well, I have not been out in the community nearly 36:54.140 --> 36:55.140 enough. 36:55.140 --> 36:57.130 I've been here an awful lot. 36:57.130 --> 37:02.130 I find myself in a situation where I don't get a chance to look people in the eye, because 37:05.299 --> 37:10.299 of both COVID and things that are happening in Washington, to be able to go out and do 37:10.349 --> 37:14.579 the things that I've always been able to do pretty well, connect with people, let them 37:14.579 --> 37:18.869 take a measure of my sincerity, let them take a measure of who I am. 37:18.869 --> 37:22.900 JUDY WOODRUFF: Tam, so does the White House think -- I mean, is it thought that getting 37:22.900 --> 37:27.900 out more, talking to voters could make a difference in how the president is seen? 37:28.619 --> 37:33.369 TAMARA KEITH: Every president believes that, if they could just get out and talk to voters 37:33.369 --> 37:36.789 more, give more speeches, they could convince them. 37:36.789 --> 37:41.789 But this White House also realizes that the last three months or so have been completely 37:42.769 --> 37:47.769 consumed by negotiating with Democrats, negotiating with their own party in Congress, trying to 37:50.030 --> 37:54.440 get legislation done that they haven't yet gotten done. 37:54.440 --> 37:58.510 And there has been a widespread perception among voters expressed through polls and focus 37:58.510 --> 38:03.140 groups that the president isn't talking about the things that they care about most, because 38:03.140 --> 38:07.190 they were so focused on these legislative negotiations. 38:07.190 --> 38:11.950 And so President Biden is probably going to keep calling senators, but the White House 38:11.950 --> 38:16.950 is now insisting they are not going to tell us about every conversation, in hopes that, 38:17.320 --> 38:20.759 if they don't talk about it, if you don't talk about Bruno, you don't talk about the 38:20.759 --> 38:25.759 calls to the senators, then maybe people will pay attention to something else. 38:26.069 --> 38:28.380 JUDY WOODRUFF: Amy, what do you -- what's your take? 38:28.380 --> 38:29.809 Can this kind of thing make a difference? 38:29.809 --> 38:34.809 AMY WALTER: So, in talking to Democrats up next year myself and then watching this weekend 38:37.920 --> 38:42.289 Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin, who's in a very competitive district outside of Detroit, what 38:42.289 --> 38:47.289 they will tell you is, we need something tangible, just one or two things for the president to 38:47.890 --> 38:50.410 focus on that we can pass. 38:50.410 --> 38:55.119 Make it something that voters understand and that it relates to their lives, whether it's 38:55.119 --> 38:59.930 about child care, prescription drugs, were the two things that Congresswoman Slotkin 38:59.930 --> 39:01.009 pointed to. 39:01.009 --> 39:03.160 That's what they're desperate to see of this president. 39:03.160 --> 39:06.539 The challenge for the president right now, in looking through some of the polls that 39:06.539 --> 39:11.539 have come out in these last few days marking the year anniversary of his presidency, is 39:12.599 --> 39:17.599 that voters have essentially lost confidence, not in his ability to be effective on certain 39:19.770 --> 39:24.770 issues, but they have lost confidence in him to actually do his job effectively, to actually 39:25.440 --> 39:30.440 be an effective president on issues like being a good commander in chief or being able to 39:31.230 --> 39:33.950 do a good job handling a crisis. 39:33.950 --> 39:37.049 He's dropped significantly among voters on those issues. 39:37.049 --> 39:40.710 He's got to show an ability to get some wins on those fronts. 39:40.710 --> 39:43.589 JUDY WOODRUFF: And that's the kind of thing that takes more than traveling around the 39:43.589 --> 39:44.589 country. 39:44.589 --> 39:45.589 AMY WALTER: That's right. 39:45.589 --> 39:50.589 JUDY WOODRUFF: Amy Walter, Tamara Keith, we thank you both. 39:51.270 --> 39:54.760 AMY WALTER: You're welcome. 39:54.760 --> 39:58.250 TAMARA KEITH: You're welcome. 39:58.250 --> 40:03.250 JUDY WOODRUFF: As COVID rages on this winter, the Miami City Ballet continues to dance, 40:05.619 --> 40:10.619 preparing to perform "Swan Lake" in February under the careful eye of celebrated choreographer 40:11.299 --> 40:13.650 Alexei Ratmansky. 40:13.650 --> 40:17.900 Jeffrey Brown spent a day with Ratmansky and dancers to see how they have brought this 40:17.900 --> 40:22.730 traditional ballet going back to its rediscovered historical roots. 40:22.730 --> 40:25.049 It's part of our arts and culture series, Canvas. 40:25.049 --> 40:30.049 ALEXEI RATMANSKY, Choreographer, "Swan Lake": Yes, now, almost good, except that you will 40:30.180 --> 40:32.990 like to exit with your feet going back. 40:32.990 --> 40:37.990 JEFFREY BROWN: A dance studio several weeks before opening the classic ballet "Swan Lake." 40:38.660 --> 40:42.799 ALEXEI RATMANSKY: You make it clear for the audience that that is how the love is born. 40:42.799 --> 40:47.799 JEFFREY BROWN: And Alexei Ratmansky, one of the world's leading choreographers, was working 40:47.950 --> 40:52.950 with dancers of the Miami City Ballet to bring to life this fairy tale of a prince, young 40:53.890 --> 40:56.599 women turned into swans, and doomed love. 40:56.599 --> 41:01.599 ALEXEI RATMANSKY: We should get the feeling that the movements are born from the music, 41:02.960 --> 41:07.440 or, vice versa, the music is born from their movements. 41:07.440 --> 41:09.019 JEFFREY BROWN: But they go together. 41:09.019 --> 41:11.569 ALEXEI RATMANSKY: Yes, exactly. 41:11.569 --> 41:16.569 JEFFREY BROWN: Ratmansky, now 53, was himself a dancer, trained at Moscow's Bolshoi Ballet 41:18.290 --> 41:21.519 school, before turning to making dances. 41:21.519 --> 41:23.930 Choreography, for him, begins with the music. 41:23.930 --> 41:28.930 ALEXEI RATMANSKY: I put on my headphones, and I have this little TV in my head. 41:30.260 --> 41:31.260 JEFFREY BROWN: In your head? 41:31.260 --> 41:35.309 ALEXEI RATMANSKY: And I see the little figures of dancers doing steps. 41:35.309 --> 41:40.309 And then I need to find good combinations of steps, remember them, develop them, explain 41:42.090 --> 41:45.920 what I mean, explain well to the dancers, inspire the dancers. 41:45.920 --> 41:49.599 JEFFREY BROWN: But, with "Swan Lake," he's done something different, returning to the 41:49.599 --> 41:53.880 origins of one of ballet's best-known and most-loved works. 41:53.880 --> 41:58.880 Composed by Tchaikovsky, "Swan Lake" was given classic shape in 1895 by choreographers Marius 42:00.740 --> 42:05.740 Petipa and Lev Ivanov in a production at St. Petersburg's Mariinsky Theatre. 42:05.950 --> 42:07.769 And then it took wing. 42:07.769 --> 42:12.769 It's been reworked and restaged for more than a century, with subtle and larger changes 42:13.259 --> 42:15.170 to both story and choreography. 42:15.170 --> 42:19.660 It got the over-the-top treatment in the 2010 film "Black Swan." 42:19.660 --> 42:24.660 Ratmansky, a student of dance history, wanted to explore 42:27.220 --> 42:31.480 it anew, and found early notations in an archive now at Harvard University. 42:31.480 --> 42:35.530 ALEXEI RATMANSKY: It's the quality of this ballet, which is a masterpiece. 42:35.530 --> 42:38.119 You always want to learn from the masters. 42:38.119 --> 42:42.240 JEFFREY BROWN: Was there a moment where you went -- you were surprised and kind of shocked 42:42.240 --> 42:43.240 yourself? 42:43.240 --> 42:44.240 ALEXEI RATMANSKY: Absolutely. 42:44.240 --> 42:48.690 Yes, I just -- I finally saw the logic in everything. 42:48.690 --> 42:53.690 JEFFREY BROWN: His new/old version, first put on by the Zurich Ballet, strips down some 42:54.140 --> 42:58.009 of the action and emphasizes the pantomime and acting. 42:58.009 --> 43:03.009 So much about ballet is different now, he says, dancers' bodies, training, even their 43:03.440 --> 43:04.460 toe shoes. 43:04.460 --> 43:08.150 So, he calls this a historically informed production.' 43:08.150 --> 43:13.150 ALEXEI RATMANSKY: I try to use all the historical materials available, but, when we get into 43:15.170 --> 43:17.420 the studio, we need to make it live theater. 43:17.420 --> 43:22.420 JEFFREY BROWN: And that, in an exclusive North American premiere, is now in the works in 43:22.549 --> 43:27.549 the art deco Miami beach home of the Miami City Ballet, a company that's taken on old 43:28.910 --> 43:33.910 and new ballets and been acclaimed for its artistry and energy. 43:34.230 --> 43:39.230 The company houses a school for the very young up to dancers like these, age 16 to 18, working 43:43.960 --> 43:48.960 under Spanish-born Arantxa Ochoa to prepare for auditions with ballet companies far and 43:49.540 --> 43:51.960 wide, training in technique, but also, she says, mental preparation. 43:51.960 --> 43:56.220 ARANTXA OCHOA, Artistic Director, Miami City Ballet School: We not only care for the training 43:56.220 --> 44:01.220 that is how do they do that perfect peg or how that leg is up there, pointed toes, all 44:01.710 --> 44:05.670 of that, but also that they're in the right place, because that's -- once that you get 44:05.670 --> 44:08.460 in the company, a lot of them, they get to the company, but then they have to survive 44:08.460 --> 44:09.460 in the company. 44:09.460 --> 44:13.440 JEFFREY BROWN: Artistic director Lourdes Lopez knows the ballet life well. 44:13.440 --> 44:18.440 Born in Cuba and raised in Miami, she became a principal dancer with the New York City 44:18.500 --> 44:19.500 Ballet. 44:19.500 --> 44:23.740 A painting in her office shows her with its legendary leader, George Balanchine. 44:23.740 --> 44:27.859 She returned home 10 years ago to take the helm here. 44:27.859 --> 44:31.039 LOURDES LOPEZ, Artistic Director, Miami City Ballet: And, somehow, it felt organic. 44:31.039 --> 44:34.309 The art form has given me so much as an immigrant. 44:34.309 --> 44:37.890 It has changed my life and it continues to change my life every day. 44:37.890 --> 44:42.059 I mean, I'm sitting in front of you today because of ballet. 44:42.059 --> 44:46.839 JEFFREY BROWN: A ballet company, she says, feeds and feeds off its city. 44:46.839 --> 44:50.890 And this one is very much Miami in its energy and style. 44:50.890 --> 44:53.750 LOURDES LOPEZ: I think American dancers have a sense of urgency. 44:53.750 --> 44:58.750 At least, certainly, Miami City Ballet dancers have a sense of urgency when they're on stage. 44:59.839 --> 45:02.809 There's a youthfulness. 45:02.809 --> 45:06.470 There's a hunger that they're just going to eat space and they're going to just go for 45:06.470 --> 45:07.470 it. 45:07.470 --> 45:11.999 JEFFREY BROWN: There's also an energy and pride here in the diversity of talent, Latina 45:11.999 --> 45:16.089 leadership, dancers from all over, especially Central and South America. 45:16.089 --> 45:20.369 KATIA CARRANZA, Miami City Ballet: For me, it was -- to come to Miami City Ballet changed 45:20.369 --> 45:21.369 my life. 45:21.369 --> 45:25.290 JEFFREY BROWN: Katia Carranza came to Miami from Mexico at 19. 45:25.290 --> 45:30.290 She'd had plenty of classical training, but found a new world of dancing here. 45:30.349 --> 45:31.349 What was the biggest difference? 45:31.349 --> 45:33.770 KATIA CARRANZA: Well, for me it was like everything. 45:33.770 --> 45:36.769 It was much faster than what I knew. 45:36.769 --> 45:41.220 And here I realized there is a lot of ways to move your body, and it was a little bit 45:41.220 --> 45:46.220 more exciting and more energy and different, different for me. 45:46.440 --> 45:50.309 JEFFREY BROWN: Nathalia Arja came from Brazil at 15. 45:50.309 --> 45:55.309 Now she and Katia are company veterans, getting the extraordinary experience of working with 45:55.740 --> 46:00.740 Alexei Ratmansky to create his new-old vision of "Swan Lake," especially honing their mime 46:01.920 --> 46:04.329 movements to convey the emotions he wants. 46:04.329 --> 46:09.329 NATHALIA ARJA, Miami City Ballet: We will spend hours just having a conversation of, 46:09.539 --> 46:12.809 how do you say, you promised to love me, so what... 46:12.809 --> 46:14.519 JEFFREY BROWN: Without the words. 46:14.519 --> 46:16.720 NATHALIA ARJA: Without the words, just body language. 46:16.720 --> 46:21.720 And "Swan Lake" nor is also -- it's difficult technically, but, most, there is an extra 46:23.369 --> 46:27.920 layer of how -- being clear of how you tell the story. 46:27.920 --> 46:28.920 JEFFREY BROWN: Yes. 46:28.920 --> 46:31.680 Can you say that to me right now? 46:31.680 --> 46:33.059 You promise to love me? 46:33.059 --> 46:37.630 NATHALIA ARJA: It would be you, to me, promised to love. 46:37.630 --> 46:40.759 But there are so many ways to do that. 46:40.759 --> 46:44.849 JEFFREY BROWN: Of course, the real black swan in the studio, COVID. 46:44.849 --> 46:49.559 This production has already been postponed due to the pandemic and several weeks out, 46:49.559 --> 46:51.920 Lourdes Lopez knew it could happen again. 46:51.920 --> 46:54.450 LOURDES LOPEZ: It's like the bird just doesn't want to land here, but... 46:54.450 --> 46:55.450 (LAUGHTER) 46:55.450 --> 46:57.770 JEFFREY BROWN: But you're going to bring her down at some point. 46:57.770 --> 47:00.569 LOURDES LOPEZ: I'm going to bring her or him down, whatever it wants to be. 47:00.569 --> 47:05.569 JEFFREY BROWN: For now, the hard work and the giant leaps go on. 47:05.660 --> 47:10.660 For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Jeffrey Brown at the Miami City Ballet. 47:11.839 --> 47:16.839 JUDY WOODRUFF: Originally from Mexico City herself, Gaby Hernandez understands firsthand 47:23.819 --> 47:26.950 the challenges immigrants can face in the U.S. 47:26.950 --> 47:31.910 As the executive director of the Long Beach Immigrants Rights Coalition in California, 47:31.910 --> 47:36.910 she empowers those in her community to push for better resources and protections. 47:37.119 --> 47:42.119 Tonight, Hernandez shares her Brief But Spectacular take on immigrant justice in the U.S. 47:42.680 --> 47:45.059 GABY HERNANDEZ, Executive Director, Long Beach Immigrants Rights Coalition: Being undocumented 47:45.059 --> 47:46.890 and being vocal about it is just one of my identities. 47:46.890 --> 47:50.319 But it's one of the identities that shapes who I am and what I do. 47:50.319 --> 47:53.089 The immigration system, many people say it's broken. 47:53.089 --> 47:54.089 It's not broken. 47:54.089 --> 47:57.230 It's exactly working how it was designed to work. 47:57.230 --> 48:02.230 And that is to work against poor immigrants of color. 48:04.869 --> 48:06.999 It's risky to be so vocal about this, right? 48:06.999 --> 48:11.999 But, at the end of the day, I know that citizenship is not going to be the savior of everything. 48:12.420 --> 48:17.349 I see a lot of Black and brown communities still being impacted by the systems even while 48:17.349 --> 48:18.349 they have citizenship. 48:18.349 --> 48:23.029 It definitely does provide an avenue of resources for folks, but there's more that we need to 48:23.029 --> 48:24.029 do. 48:24.029 --> 48:28.869 And I think the key is to work towards dismantling the systems that are oppressing us beyond 48:28.869 --> 48:29.999 citizenship. 48:29.999 --> 48:31.349 I'm from Mexico City. 48:31.349 --> 48:34.289 Little did I know how much I was going to have to face in this country. 48:34.289 --> 48:37.039 I didn't speak any English at all. 48:37.039 --> 48:40.249 And I came here when it was seventh grade. 48:40.249 --> 48:45.249 I wish I would've had support from counselors, from more mentors in the school. 48:46.280 --> 48:47.749 That didn't actually happen. 48:47.749 --> 48:51.029 They place you in ESL classes, and then that's all you take. 48:51.029 --> 48:54.079 The realization that I had was that the system wasn't set up for me. 48:54.079 --> 48:58.730 So I think we need a system that is actually welcoming families in a dignifying way, and 48:58.730 --> 49:01.739 that gives people the resources that they need once they get here to thrive. 49:01.739 --> 49:05.069 And, also, I say a lot of times we're here because you're there. 49:05.069 --> 49:06.559 And that's the reality of it. 49:06.559 --> 49:10.540 We're in this country because the U.S. has put their hands in our countries for many, 49:10.540 --> 49:13.039 many years and many generations in many ways. 49:13.039 --> 49:14.039 And that's through policies. 49:14.039 --> 49:15.090 That's through interventions. 49:15.090 --> 49:20.090 And I think, for me, it's important to have that context in mind to then work towards 49:20.400 --> 49:22.970 abolishing it, because it's not working for us. 49:22.970 --> 49:23.970 We know that. 49:23.970 --> 49:24.970 We have seen that. 49:24.970 --> 49:29.640 I think it's in my blood to do organizing, and I think, when I realized that the resources 49:29.640 --> 49:32.540 don't really come to you unless you're demanding them. 49:32.540 --> 49:37.210 The organization that I serve as an executive director for is the Long Beach Immigrant Rights 49:37.210 --> 49:42.210 Coalition, led by immigrant women, women of color, undocumented women, immigrant women, 49:42.509 --> 49:43.509 first-generation women. 49:43.509 --> 49:46.109 And we're not only fighting for immigrant policies. 49:46.109 --> 49:49.640 We're working with immigrants and fighting for those policies. 49:49.640 --> 49:54.640 For us, safety is somebody having housing, right, not being kicked out of their home, 49:54.730 --> 49:59.200 someone not having to fear that police is going to collaborate with ICE, and then end 49:59.200 --> 50:00.549 up deporting them, right? 50:00.549 --> 50:01.890 For us, we're looking at the bigger picture. 50:01.890 --> 50:05.250 And I think that's what makes us unique too as an organization. 50:05.250 --> 50:10.250 We are combining immigrant justice work, along with criminal justice, right, because we know 50:11.210 --> 50:13.039 that our communities are impacted by both. 50:13.039 --> 50:16.109 And, sometimes, there's that separation that exists. 50:16.109 --> 50:20.849 And, for us, we want to highlight that, no, actually as a person of color, as an immigrant, 50:20.849 --> 50:23.010 you're impacted by many systems in this country. 50:23.010 --> 50:24.010 So, there's more. 50:24.010 --> 50:26.349 And it's intersectional, and our lives are intersectional. 50:26.349 --> 50:31.349 And so our hope is that we're able to help people have the tools to organize in their 50:31.420 --> 50:35.470 communities and their own neighborhoods, because that's really going to get us to the real 50:35.470 --> 50:36.470 change. 50:36.470 --> 50:40.599 My name is Gaby Hernandez, and this is my Brief But Spectacular take on immigrant justice 50:40.599 --> 50:41.599 in the U.S. 50:41.599 --> 50:46.599 JUDY WOODRUFF: And you can watch all our Brief But Spectacular episodes at PBS.org/NewsHour/Brief. 50:50.240 --> 50:55.240 The pandemic have been difficult for all of us, but particularly for students, who have 50:55.660 --> 51:00.080 experienced major disruptions to both their education and their social lives. 51:00.080 --> 51:05.080 In a special program, our Student Reporting Labs team explores how young people are dealing 51:05.670 --> 51:07.369 with this new normal. 51:07.369 --> 51:12.369 Here's a slice of their reporting, a look at one teacher taking an unconventional approach 51:12.430 --> 51:13.430 to learning. 51:13.430 --> 51:16.200 SKATEBOARDER: Go do some tricks. 51:16.200 --> 51:21.200 KENDALL VANVALKENBURG, Teacher, Red Canyon High School: During the pandemic, I noticed 51:22.059 --> 51:23.779 that a lot of students were skateboarding. 51:23.779 --> 51:25.849 I can see the skate park from my house. 51:25.849 --> 51:29.920 So, when I see kids interested in something, I'm going to figure out a way to brick that 51:29.920 --> 51:30.920 into the classroom. 51:30.920 --> 51:35.190 NARRATOR: Ms. V. is a teacher at Red Canyon High School in Gypsum, Colorado, trying to 51:35.190 --> 51:37.529 solve a problem that students know all too well. 51:37.529 --> 51:40.579 KENDALL VANVALKENBURG: There is something missing in the education system. 51:40.579 --> 51:45.579 Kids find themselves not wanting to go to school and at the skate park. 51:46.599 --> 51:49.660 Why can't we take that something else that makes school a part of it? 51:49.660 --> 51:53.410 NARRATOR: While the class may just look like students fooling around at the skate park, 51:53.410 --> 51:57.670 they're actually learning about urban planning, design and how to build a stronger community. 51:57.670 --> 52:02.339 KENDALL VANVALKENBURG: We talked about barriers that stand in the way of kids being able to 52:02.339 --> 52:03.339 skate. 52:03.339 --> 52:08.200 And then we came up with solutions to those barriers to make skateboarding more accessible 52:08.200 --> 52:09.640 to all kids in our community. 52:09.640 --> 52:13.509 CLAIRE EVANS, Student: Mostly, what we're doing right now is trying to get a skate park 52:13.509 --> 52:18.509 in Avon to make things a little more accessible to kids there and also help reduce the crowding. 52:20.320 --> 52:25.320 We are working on getting funding from Tony Hawk Foundation to revamp this place that 52:27.269 --> 52:28.380 we're standing at right here. 52:28.380 --> 52:33.380 And we -- my group specifically has been working on a design that we think could be really 52:34.579 --> 52:35.579 cool. 52:35.579 --> 52:37.549 DAVID CARRILLO, Student: I'm actually, like, doing work for my community. 52:37.549 --> 52:40.529 And it's not really like just a class anymore. 52:40.529 --> 52:43.410 I'm part of something bigger than just this class. 52:43.410 --> 52:48.029 NARRATOR: With each new trick, students understand more about themselves, as well as how to connect, 52:48.029 --> 52:50.619 how to teach, and how to learn from one another. 52:50.619 --> 52:51.930 KENDALL VANVALKENBURG: It's hard. 52:51.930 --> 52:56.930 If you're learning to do from the most basic skill to a really difficult skill, it takes 52:57.289 --> 53:00.930 a lot of resilience to get back up and try again. 53:00.930 --> 53:03.829 CLAIRE EVANS: It's one of those things where, if you could put your mind to something and 53:03.829 --> 53:07.329 just kind of get into it, you can really prove to yourself that you can do whatever you want. 53:07.329 --> 53:09.499 CALVIN PARRISH, Student: I always thought it was like super cool. 53:09.499 --> 53:12.029 And I thought the skaters were super cool. 53:12.029 --> 53:13.970 So it just -- it makes me feel good. 53:13.970 --> 53:16.520 And I like learning new things. 53:16.520 --> 53:18.009 CLAIRE EVANS: School can be stressful for kids these days. 53:18.009 --> 53:22.460 And I think it's really important that we have these days to be able to just be able 53:22.460 --> 53:24.810 to relax, because it's not like we get recess anymore. 53:24.810 --> 53:28.329 We don't get to go play with our friends and use our imaginations. 53:28.329 --> 53:33.329 If we get rid of that creativity, by the time we're adults, we're not going to be doing 53:33.349 --> 53:34.440 anything useful with the world. 53:34.440 --> 53:38.130 We're not going to be able to solve these world problems because we're all looking at 53:38.130 --> 53:43.009 the straight -- what's ahead of us, just not taking time think about things that are outside 53:43.009 --> 53:44.009 the box. 53:44.009 --> 53:47.900 JORGE JIMENEZ-VELAZCO, Student: It helps a lot with conquering your fears, because it's 53:47.900 --> 53:49.849 scary to do some things. 53:49.849 --> 53:53.499 And when you finally own up to it, it is relieving. 53:53.499 --> 53:57.170 I recently learned how to drop in. 53:57.170 --> 54:00.269 It's really scary, but I did it. 54:00.269 --> 54:04.539 NARRATOR: And while Ms. V is teaching her students how to face their fears, at the same 54:04.539 --> 54:05.880 time, she had to do it herself. 54:05.880 --> 54:09.380 KENDALL VANVALKENBURG: I learned how to drop in. 54:09.380 --> 54:13.299 And I was scared, because you fall. 54:13.299 --> 54:18.299 And I'm looking at a student who is a language learner who I have watched take so many risks 54:21.609 --> 54:26.500 in the classroom, and I have watched sit there and struggle when he was younger. 54:26.500 --> 54:31.500 And I have, like, forced him to read and write and grow. 54:31.569 --> 54:32.579 He's got the drop in. 54:32.579 --> 54:34.390 He totally can do it. 54:34.390 --> 54:36.369 And he's cheering me on. 54:36.369 --> 54:38.900 And so, of course, I'm going to take that risk. 54:38.900 --> 54:42.150 JUDY WOODRUFF: What a great teacher. 54:42.150 --> 54:43.749 And this program is exceptional. 54:43.749 --> 54:48.749 You can watch Student Reporting Labs' full program, "Our New Normal," tomorrow at 7:00 54:49.369 --> 54:50.369 p.m. Eastern. 54:50.369 --> 54:52.670 And that's on our YouTube channel. 54:52.670 --> 54:54.249 And that is the "NewsHour" for tonight. 54:54.249 --> 54:55.249 I'm Judy Woodruff. 54:55.249 --> 54:57.970 Join us online and again here tomorrow evening. 54:57.970 --> 55:02.970 For all of us at the "PBS NewsHour," thank you, please stay safe, and we'll see you soon.