AMNA NAWAZ: Good evening. I'm Amna Nawaz. GEOFF BENNETT: And I'm Geoff Bennett. On the "NewsHour" tonight: The U.S. Supreme
Court agrees to hear arguments on whether former President Donald Trump is immune from
prosecution in the 2020 election interference case. AMNA NAWAZ: A Senate shakeup. Kentucky Republican Mitch McConnell announces
he's stepping down from leadership after 17 years at the helm. GEOFF BENNETT: And the results of Michigan's
presidential primary and the warning signs they conta
in for the leading candidates of
both parties. (BREAK) AMNA NAWAZ: Welcome to the "NewsHour." The Supreme Court says it will now hear arguments
over whether Donald Trump is immune from prosecution for his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential
election. GEOFF BENNETT: The justices have set oral
arguments for the week of April 22. Mr. Trump's pending trial in a federal court
in Washington will stay on hold until then. William Brangham has been following all of
the Trump legal cases and joins u
s now. So, William, what did the justices say? And how might it affect the potential scheduling
of Mr. Trump's January 6 case? WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Well, the justices, as you
both just reported, said that they will take up this question, which has been sort of simmering
in the background of the whole January 6 election interference case. And it is whether or not Donald Trump is immune
from prosecution for any of his activities leading up to that election. This is a clear victory for Donald Trump an
d
a clear blow to Jack Smith, the special counsel in this case. Donald Trump, as we have reported, had wanted
to dismiss that case and/or delay it as long as possible. And the Supreme Court taking this up does
exactly that. This decision by the court is something of
a surprise, simply because the bipartisan rigor with which the D.C. Circuit Court of
Appeals rejected Trump's immunity appeal -- and that's what kicked this up to the Supreme
Court -- that seemed like such a strong ruling that many p
eople thought that the Supreme
Court would not take this up. So, to your question, Geoff, about timing,
as you mentioned, hearings at the end of April. If Trump wins that appeal and the Supreme
Court decides that he does have immunity, then the January 6 case goes away, as do many
of other cases against the former president. If the court rules against him that he does
not have immunity, then the January 6 case in Washington, D.C., could start likely by
the end of summertime. GEOFF BENNETT: And,
William, remind us, what
is the specific immunity argument that Mr. Trump's attorneys are making? WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Donald Trump argued, and
his lawyers, that all of his behavior leading up to the 2020 election, in the aftermath
of that election, they were all part of his official duties -- that's the official term
there -- and that that is part of what the president did, and thus he cannot be prosecuted
for those acts. He argues, his lawyers argue, that this would
cripple future presidents and
make it impossible for them to make decisions about anything. Special counsel Jack Smith has rejected that
argument, as has the appeals court and the judge overseeing the January 6 case, saying
that, if a president gets complete immunity for anything that they do while they're president,
that just opens the floodgates for any potential behavior. They argue that what the president did in
all of the fake electors scheme and all of the attempts to subvert the fact that Donald
Trump lost to Joe Bide
n, that those were clearly illegal, outside of the responsibilities of
a president, and that, if you grant him immunity, it basically capsizes any sense of accountability,
allowing future presidents just endless freedom to act with impunity. That's what the court's going to rule on. GEOFF BENNETT: William Brangham, our thanks
to you for that reporting. We appreciate it. WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Thank you. AMNA NAWAZ: A swirl of news at the U.S. Capitol
today, where, this afternoon, the top four leaders
in Congress agreed to a deal to avert
a partial government shutdown for at least a week, that after one of those leaders, Republican
Senate Leader Mitch McConnell, announced he will step down from leadership this fall. McConnell's news came as Republicans on the
other side of the Capitol also made headlines, questioning President Biden's son Hunter behind
closed doors as part of their impeachment inquiry. Our Lisa Desjardins has been following it
all, and she joins us now. Lisa, a busy, busy da
y. Let's talk about this spending deal first. What's in it, and has the shutdown now been
averted? LISA DESJARDINS: Yes, with two important caveats,
yes, for now. And, two, this still has to pass through both
chambers of Congress. Let's talk about this deal, what's in it. Here's a look. First, the deadline that was coming up the
fastest, March 1, that deadline moves to March 8, so buying time to pass the bills that were
about to run out of money. So what this means is, now they're going to
try a
nd pass six separate spending bills between now and March 8. They basically have those bills ready to go,
but they need to kind of -- they need to write the text, get it out and give members time
to read it. So, the other deadline, the harder one, the
March 8 deadline, as it is now, would move to March 22. That one is harder, Amna, because, among other
things, it includes the Department of Homeland Security, border spending, those kinds of
things. So that is one we will watch very closely. This
next week will be important to see if
we can actually not kick the can down the road again, at least on half of these bills. But, basically, they're buying time. At least they agree on that. AMNA NAWAZ: At least they agree on that. Let me ask you now about the news from Leader
McConnell, the longest-serving Senate leader in history. Why is he stepping down and what does his
stepping down mean? LISA DESJARDINS: McConnell is a historic figure,
not just because he's a master strategist. And you cou
ld say he's the reason, for example,
that Roe v. Wade was overturned because of how he handled Supreme Court nominations. But he is also the most powerful opponent
of some of Donald Trump's policies and statements in the Republican Party. Why is he stepping down? He says simply he is in his 80s and he realizes
that now it is time for him to hand this over to a next generation. SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY): Father Time remains
undefeated. I'm no longer the young man sitting in the
back hoping coll
eagues would remember my name. It's time for the next generation of leadership. LISA DESJARDINS: He was first elected in 1984. He mentioned that Ronald Reagan in fact got
his name wrong when he was first elected. Now, what's going to happen here is that Senator
McConnell will step down from leadership in November, he says. There will be a fight among Senate Republicans
to replace him. He, it sounds like right now, will stay in
the Senate itself. But, Amna, this is also meaningful because
what we
're seeing here with Senate Republicans, that group that really has been sort of a
traditional Republican force, that's changing, as we saw in the Ukraine vote. More than 20 Republicans voted against Ukraine
funding. Those are the younger members. Those are the folks who are more Trump, more
hard right. Mitch McConnell stepping aside changes some
dynamics there. AMNA NAWAZ: OK, what about news on the other
side? LISA DESJARDINS: Right. AMNA NAWAZ: In the House, meanwhile, we know
the president's
son Hunter Biden spent some seven hours testifying behind closed doors
today. What did we learn? LISA DESJARDINS: We need to wait for the transcript. It's going to be a long one after seven hours
of questioning, but a couple of things. Hunter Biden did not plead the Fifth at all,
even though, of course, he faces criminal charges. He's in the midst of his own criminal proceedings. He was responsive. Even Republicans said he responded to most
questions that they asked him. However, it was highly
contentious. It was even messy at the beginning, both sides
interrupting each other. And Democrats say that part of the problem
here was that Republicans were asking personal questions. As for Hunter Biden, I want to read you part
of his opening statement. This is what he says his message was all day
today. He told members that he was here "today to
provide the committee with the one uncontestable fact that should end the false premise of
this inquiry. I did not involve my father in my business.
" And Democrats say, in fact, that's what happened
all day long, that Republicans sometimes brought on personal attacks against him, but nothing
against former President -- or President Biden. Here's what Democrats said to the cameras. REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-NY): What we just
witnessed over the last hour was, I think, a deep sea fishing expedition, because the
Republican case has completely fallen apart over the last several weeks. REP. JAMIE RASKIN (D-MD): This whole thing really
has
been a tremendous waste of our legislative time and the people's resources. REP. VERONICA ESCOBAR (D-TX): This is nothing more
than a distraction from what Republicans don't want us to pay attention to. They don't want us to pay attention to the
fact that they cannot govern. LISA DESJARDINS: That was across the board
from Democrats. And when you talk to staffers behind the scenes,
they say they felt like there was nothing new here from Hunter Biden. Republicans saw something a little differently
. Here's Republican Nancy Mace of South Carolina. REP. NANCY MACE (R-SC): Hunter Biden is being defiant
and also dishonest. And his testimony, some of it, is in direct
conflict with other witnesses. And so the transcripts will be out. I won't go into detail. You will be able to see it for yourself. But it's no surprise. It's no shock that he is being that way. And, in some cases, he doesn't recall. He said that multiple times this morning,
which, again, is not a shocker either. LISA DESJARDINS:
Here's the thing. We definitely do want to see this for ourselves,
whether there are inconsistencies or not. Now, we know that there is very little direct
evidence that Republicans have presented that President Biden knew anything about Hunter
Biden's business deals. There are two witnesses that say they think
perhaps Joe Biden was going to get a cut of profits. But today in testimony, Hunter Biden said,
no, the people who said that were out of their minds for thinking that. We will watch that.
But, right now, we don't know that there is
that direct evidence right now of Joe Biden being involved in anything that was a problem. We may find out more ourselves, because one
thing we heard today was that they expect to have public hearings now with Hunter Biden. That is the next step, as folks might remember,
when we went through Trump impeachment proceedings. Public hearings are the next step before potential
articles of impeachment against Joe Biden. AMNA NAWAZ: Lisa Desjardins quite lite
rally
covering it all on Capitol Hill. Lisa, thank you so much. LISA DESJARDINS: You're welcome. GEOFF BENNETT: In the day's other news: High
winds pushed wildfires across the Texas Panhandle, and one grew into the second largest in that
state's history. The fire has charred more than 1,300 square
miles and destroyed homes around the towns of Canadian and Fritch. Disaster declarations covered dozens of counties,
and officials said the burned areas now look like moonscapes. Hundreds of people wer
e urged to evacuate. The U.S. Supreme Court will also decide whether
to uphold a ban on bump stocks that let semiautomatic weapons fire like machine guns. Arguments today centered on whether the devices
fall under laws against machine guns dating back to the 1930s. A decision is expected by summer. An appeals judge in New York refused today
to let former President Donald Trump delay paying a huge civil fraud penalty. Instead, he will have to post a bond worth
$454 million while his appeal contin
ues. But the judge also lifted for now a ban on
letting Mr. Trump seek bank loans in New York. Trump lawyers argued he will need the loans
to cover the bond. In the Middle East, the leader of Hamas says
his group will consider making concessions in the Gaza cease-fire and hostage talks. But he added that Hamas is equally ready to
continue fighting. ISMAIL HANIYEH, Chairman, Hamas Political
Bureau (through translator): Any flexibility we are showing in the negotiations is to protect
the blood of
our people and to put an end to their huge pains and sacrifices in the
brutal war of extermination against it. In parallel, we are ready to defend our people. GEOFF BENNETT: Meantime, families of Israeli
hostages held in Gaza began a four-day march from Southern Israel to Jerusalem. They carried signs and pictures demanding
that their loved ones be released. Loved ones and supporters of Alexei Navalny
now say they will hold a funeral for him on Friday at a church in Moscow. The Russian oppositio
n leader died this month
at a prison in the Arctic. In France today, Navalny's widow told the
European Parliament that she's worried about arrests at the funeral. She also warned against negotiating with Russian
President Vladimir Putin. YULIA NAVALNAYA, Widow of Alexei Navalny:
Putin must answer for what he has done with my country. Putin must answer for what he has done to
a neighboring peaceful country. And Putin must answer for everything he has
done to Alexei. GEOFF BENNETT: The head of Nav
alny's foundation
said today the funeral was originally planned for tomorrow, when Putin makes his annual
address to Russian lawmakers, but no venue would host the service on that day. Back in this country, President Biden had
his annual physical and his doctor reported that he's in good health. A summary described Mr. Biden as -- quote
-- "a healthy, active, robust 81-year-old male who remains fit to execute his duties." The physical did not include a cognitive test. White House officials said
his neurologist
did not believe one was necessary. The president signed an executive order today
to block China and Russia, in particular, from gaining access to Americans' personal
data. The goal is to prevent so-called data brokers
from selling information to so-called countries of concern. It could take months to set up enforcement
mechanisms. And dreams took flight in Dubai today as the
Persian Gulf city-state held its first-ever jet suit race. Pilots zoomed around the marina, controlling
je
t engines attached to their backs and hands. The suits, with 1,500 horsepower, were capable
of doing 80 miles an hour. One flier ended up in the water, but he was
not hurt. On Wall Street, stocks edged lower. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 23 points
to close at 38949. The Nasdaq fell 87 points. The S&P 500 was down eight. And comedian Richard Lewis has died in Los
Angeles after battling Parkinson's disease. For years, he starred on HBO's "Curb Your
Enthusiasm" and performed in clubs and o
n late-night TV for decades. His self-proclaimed paranoia about everything
earned him the nickname the Prince of Pain. Richard Lewis was 76 years old. And still to come on the "NewsHour": we speak
with Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in an exclusive interview about the congressional
funding deal and the state of the economy; and how some governors are trying to solve
their states' problems at a time of intense political polarization. President Biden and former President Trump
both secured victor
ies in Michigan's primaries last night. Mr. Trump claimed 68 percent of the Republican
vote over challenger Nikki Haley, and President Biden won 81 percent of the Democratic vote
in that state, with over 100,000 voters casting uncommitted ballots in protest of the president's
approach toward the Israel-Hamas war. For analysis, we turn to Republican strategist
Kevin Madden, who advised Mitt Romney's presidential campaign, and Democratic strategist Faiz Shakir,
who served as campaign manager for B
ernie Sanders' presidential campaign. It's great to have you both here. And, Faiz, we will start with you and talk
about the number of uncommitted ballots in the Michigan primary. I have been talking and texting with Democratic
officials and campaign hands today, and there are those who say that, look, this really
shows that President Biden has to really fight to keep his coalition together heading into
November. And there are other Democrats who say Michigan
has a tradition of these -- sort of
these ballot protests. Yes, the campaign needs to be aware of it,
but they have eight months to turn it around. When you look at these numbers, what do you
see? FAIZ SHAKIR, Democratic Strategist: I see
that there are people who, because of American democracy, were able to express their hurt
and their pain about the Middle East war through the ballot box, right, not only just in a
protest, but also to vote. And I think, for President Biden, he's got
good information now, right? He's not only in
strong standing with Democrats,
but he knows that he's got some issues with young people, with Arab and Muslim Americans,
with a progressive left that he can fix and cure and heal. To his credit, you could imagine a different
candidate who gave the stiff-arm to the -- hey, if you don't like me, then go vote for Trump. He didn't do that. What he's maintained, I think, as a posture,
said, I want you in this coalition. Even if you didn't might disagree with where
I'm at right now on this policy, I
want you to know that I am values-aligned with you. So he's got some time and period. Ultimately, his biggest problem is fixing
the policy. So he's going to the State of the Union. He's working -- as you know, working his brains
out with the secretary of state trying to get a six week cease-fire and a hostage release. If he can do it, I do think it'll help so
much. And that's what people are asking, because
it's not as if the movement has, like, specific, concrete solutions attached. They're say
ing, do something. Hold Netanyahu accountable. Show us that you hear and feel our pain. GEOFF BENNETT: And, Kevin, let's talk about
Nikki Haley, because she is still in this race after suffering six stinging defeats. What's her endgame at this point? KEVIN MADDEN, Republican Strategist: Well,
I think the endgame is actually a long game for Nikki Haley. There is a great value, I think, if you look
at the trajectory of where the party is going, in Nikki Haley being the presumptive front-runner
for
2028. And that's, I think, where her campaign is
actually going now. They spent a lot of time investing in the
infrastructure and growing her national profile. And campaigns never really run out of reasons
to run. They only run out of money. Her donors have actually still stepped up
and funded her campaign to this part -- to this point. And I think that's one of the things that
she's going to continue to do, to try to be a voice in the party and also set herself
up for a potential 2028 run. GEO
FF BENNETT: Could she stay in this all
the way to the convention? Because there are Republicans now who say
that, look, if she shows up with a certain number of delegates, that allows her to exert
more power on the convention floor? KEVIN MADDEN: It's hard to see,because I think
the resource question gets more and more difficult when you don't have any really delegates to
show for your work and a real path to victory at a convention. So I think that's become -- that will become
a difficult sort
of consideration with Haley and her supporters and her donors over the
next few weeks. GEOFF BENNETT: Meantime, Faiz, the super PAC
that supports Robert F. Kennedy Jr., they say they now have enough signatures to get
him on the ballot in Arizona and Georgia. And Georgia, Arizona, Nevada and Wisconsin
were states that Joe Biden won by a narrow margin, I think less than 30,000 votes, if
memory serves. What does that do to his campaign, to Biden's
campaign? And how do they have to sort of course-co
rrect
for this? FAIZ SHAKIR: It's unclear exactly where RFK's
votes will come from. I do think it's a hurt to Joe Biden, because
my impression coming into this election is, people know where they stand with Donald Trump. I think he's got a hard cap on the amount
of support that exists for him out there. And if you're in the Trump campaign, what
you're trying to do is peel off the votes from Joe Biden. So you look at -- we were talking about Michigan,
for instance. Last time, Biden got 2.8 millio
n votes in
Michigan. Trump got about 2.6 million. So if you're going in here now in Michigan,
again, Georgia, Arizona -- you mentioned those states, those critical battlegrounds, where
the margin was even thinner. They know that they probably can count on
some enthusiasm for Trump to reach that same number or around that same number. What they need to do is drag down Biden's
number. And each of these third-party candidates'
efforts is, I think, going to dilute and hurt Joe Biden. And so my impre
ssion coming into this is,
the more that RFK is out there on ballots, it's going to hurt our side and I'm concerned
about it. GEOFF BENNETT: And, Kevin, Faiz raises the
point about enthusiasm. Let's talk about enthusiasm for Donald Trump,
because if you look at Iowa and track all the way to Michigan, Donald Trump is losing
somewhere between 20 to 40 percent of the Republican base, who say they're not going
to vote for him or that they're not entirely won over just yet. What does that say about h
is strength as a
candidate heading into a general election? KEVIN MADDEN: Well, I think, in a primary
perspective, he's still actually running one of the more dominant primary campaigns that
I have ever witnessed in my time in politics. And we also -- if we look back to 2016, Donald
Trump won the Republican nomination by winning only 44 percent of the popular vote inside
that fight. So he's in a much better position than he
was in 2016, and he won in 2016. But there's still a but here, which is
the
profile of the Nikki Haley voter is crucial to Donald Trump winning in November. Those -- that Nikki Haley voter right now
is more moderate, more pragmatic, probably more likely to come from these suburb areas. If you look at the Michigan results, a lot
of Nikki Haley's stronger counties were those collar counties around Detroit or around Grand
Rapids. Those are the crucial areas for winning that
state in November. So Donald Trump has some work to do. He can't let those voters stay home. He
can't let them become never-Trumpers. He has to get them to the point where they're
going to essentially be nose-holders. They may not like Donald Trump, but he's better
than the alternative. He's better than Joe Biden. That's going to be the charge and the challenge
for the Trump campaign from here -- all the way from here to November. GEOFF BENNETT: And looking ahead to tomorrow,
there's going to be quite the split screen with both President Trump and Donald Trump
at the southern border on sep
arate trips aimed at sort of touting their different views on
immigration and their solutions for the southern border. Can Democrats in this election cycle, do you
think, really chip into the polling advantage that Republicans have on handling border security? FAIZ SHAKIR: I mean, if it's an immigration
election, I think it won't go well for Joe Biden. I mean, one of the things he's trying to do
with this visit, I think, is to decrease the salience of the issue. It is increasing in salience. The
Gallup polls indicate that this is becoming
a greater concern for people of both parties, partly because of reality. I mean, as more and more mayors across America
are dealing with it and trying to figure out housing and all kinds of employment practices
and how you would have the funds and resources to deal with them, it's becoming a serious
problem. It also is an economic problem. One thing that Democrats haven't often talked
about is the corporate exploitation of the low-wage worker. I think
it is a message that could resonate
with a lot of people. However, if you think about this split screen,
they're trying to decrease the issue salience. What Biden wants is this election to be fought
on democracy, on abortion rights, on maybe even core economic issues that distinguish
him and Trump. And I think, by going to the border, he's
saying, hey, don't -- know that if you -- this is a major issue. I'm on it too. GEOFF BENNETT: Yes. And as Georgia Governor Brian Kemp says, every
state now
is a border state. How is this manifesting in the election? KEVIN MADDEN: Well, it's the number one issue
right now. That's one of the things that's interesting,
is how much it's surged to the top of the issue priorities for many Americans, an eight-point
surge. Gallup came out with a poll yesterday. It was an eight-point surge just over the
last month. So I think you're right that, if it becomes
an -- if this becomes -- immigration is a top issue like that, and it becomes a referendum
on the Bi
den record on immigration, it's going to be a very, very difficult challenge for
Biden to overcome a lot of the negative views that many voters have about this, and I think
particularly in these swing areas of battleground states around the country. If you think about the suburbs of Atlanta,
the Maricopa County in Arizona, even as far north as in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania,
those suburbs, border security is a huge issue for those voters. So I think it's an advantage Trump on that. GEOFF B
ENNETT: Kevin McCarthy, Faiz Shakir,
thank you both. Great conversation. Appreciate it. AMNA NAWAZ: As Lisa reported, a government
shutdown appears to be averted for now. Earlier today, I spoke with Treasury Secretary
Janet Yellen, and I asked her for her response to the news. JANET YELLEN, U.S. Treasury Secretary: Well,
I'm pleased with the news. I think the -- shutting down the government
at this point would be extremely disruptive. It would deprive the American public of services
that they re
ly on day in and day out. And our economy is doing so well with low
unemployment, inflation coming down, strong growth, that it's really important to avoid
a needless threat to our economic prospects. AMNA NAWAZ: As you know, there are more funding
deadlines ahead, though, and it seems like the threat of a shutdown has now become part
of the process. Are you worried that that continually coming
close to the brink of a shutdown, as we seem to be, is having a long-term, damaging effect
on the Amer
ican economy? JANET YELLEN: Well, I -- it is disturbing. We also lived through an episode where -- of
the willingness of Congress to raise the debt ceiling was in doubt. And I think it is important to investors around
the world to know that we have a wealth-functioning government. So my hope is that Congress will pass a series
of appropriation bills and also provide Ukraine with the money that they so desperately need. AMNA NAWAZ: Let me ask you about some of the
strong economic indicators we do
see right now in the U.S. Unemployment is at its lowest levels in about
50 years. Inflation has been coming down, is now around
3 percent. The U.S. economy has been outperforming many
others. But, still, as you know, Americans are still
down on the economy. Consumer confidence fell again in February. How do you view that pessimism among Americans
right now? What do you think is behind that? JANET YELLEN: Well, Americans lived through
a lot. The pandemic had very significant and lasting
impacts,
I think, on their lifestyles and attitudes. Importantly, although inflation has come way
down, some prices that are important to so many Americans, like the cost of rent or the
cost of electricity, food, they're higher than -- those costs are higher than they were
before the pandemic. And now wages are rising more rapidly than
prices. So Americans are getting ahead. But, nevertheless, people remember that prices
were lower. And we're trying to do everything we can to
bring down health care cost
s and other costs that are definite strains on Americans' budgets. AMNA NAWAZ: We should mention you are at the
G20 Summit. You're meeting with a number of officials
from around the world. And, of course, support for Ukraine is high
on the agenda. We know the White House is struggling to get
Ukraine aid through Republican resistance in Congress right now. And this week, you suggested something we
hadn't heard before, which was unfreezing about $300 billion of assets from the Russian
Central Bank
and getting that money to Ukraine. Does that speak to your doubt in America's
ability to move more aid through Congress for Ukraine? JANET YELLEN: Well, it's critically important
that Congress approve of the aid that we have requested to Ukraine, and no action concerning
these sovereign assets can substitute for that. And I can't overemphasize the importance,
the urgency that attaches to the House passing the Ukraine package that the Senate passed. With respect to the Russian assets, we're
look
ing at options. Taking the Russian assets is -- that's only
one possible strategy. We're looking at a number of different strategies
by which we could leverage those assets for Ukraine's benefit. And I think what that would say to Putin is,
I think Putin maybe feels that he can outlast us, that our will is faltering when it comes
to supporting Ukraine. And if we can use these assets to provide
a stream of financing for Ukraine, I think it says to Putin that we're in this for the
long haul and no
t about to fold. AMNA NAWAZ: If I may, Madam Secretary, based
on what you have seen back here in the United States unfolding in Congress, and the fact
that we are in an election year, and Republicans seem largely resistant to push more Ukraine
aid through, are you confident that the U.S. will approve more aid for Ukraine? JANET YELLEN: We're certainly making the case
as strongly as we possibly can. And what we saw is that, in the Senate, there
was strong bipartisan support for aid to Ukraine. I
believe exactly the same thing is true in
the House. But we have a problem that this speaker has
been unwilling to allow this to come up for a vote. But we need to find a way to have that enacted
through the House. I strongly urge the House to pass this bill. AMNA NAWAZ: As you speak with officials from
around the world there, what are they telling you about how they're watching congressional
gridlock here in the U.S., the upcoming presidential election? What do they tell you about their worries
or concerns? JANET YELLEN: Well, I can see that they are
very concerned. We have banded together as a coalition to
provide support to Ukraine right from the moment the invasion occurred. But they can't fill the hole that would be
left, both in terms of military equipment and financial support, if we don't do our
share. And I have emphasized the president's commitment,
my commitment to do everything conceivable to get Congress to provide this aid, strongly
believe that it's in the national inter
est. And, without it, we expect Ukraine will make
further losses and fall further behind. AMNA NAWAZ: That is the United States treasury
secretary, Janet Yellen, joining us tonight. Madam Secretary, thank you so much for making
the time to speak with us. Always a pleasure. JANET YELLEN: Thank you. My pleasure. GEOFF BENNETT: At a time of intense polarization
across the country and bitter partisan battles in Washington, some of the nation's governors
are attempting to find a way forward to solve
their own state's problems. Judy Woodruff recently sat down with two governors
from opposing sides to talk about their call to disagree better. It's part of her ongoing series America at
a Crossroads. GOV. ERIC HOLCOMB (R-IN): Hello. I'm Eric Holcomb, Republican governor of Indiana. CLINT LAMB (D), Former Mayor of Sullivan,
Indiana: And I'm Clint Lamb, Democratic mayor of the city of Sullivan. JUDY WOODRUFF: Republican and Democratic leaders
sitting down for a meal. GOV. MIKE PARSON (R-MO): And
like any good neighbor,
we will continue to disagree on plenty of things. GOV. LAURA KELLY (D-KS): Like barbecue, tax policy,
or who's the bigger Chiefs fan. JUDY WOODRUFF: Encouraging Americans to engage
in respectful dialogue. GOV. WES MOORE (D-MD): But we can have our differences
without being divisive or hateful. JUDY WOODRUFF: This series from the National
Governors Association is the brainchild of NGA President Spencer Cox. GOV. SPENCER COX (R-UT): You and I probably disagree
on a few thin
gs. And that's OK. JUDY WOODRUFF: The first-term Republican governor
from Utah wants to show Americans how to disagree better. GOV. SPENCER COX: Our country is deeply divided. And most Americans are tired of the division. We see dysfunction in Congress. We see this deep polarization that's happening
all across the country. And so we had this crazy idea that we could
focus on disagreeing better, reminding Americans how to disagree without hating each other
and how to try to actually find solution
s to some of our biggest problems. JUDY WOODRUFF: Last week, as governors from
across the country gathered in Washington for their winter summit, I met Governors Cox
and Wes Moore, the first-term Democrat from Maryland, at an event hosted by the Economic
Club of Washington to talk about why they're pushing this initiative now. GOV. SPENCER COX: It's been a fantastic opportunity
for us to remember that there's nothing more un-American than hating our fellow Americans. GOV. WES MOORE: We are not g
oing to get anything
done if we just simply scream into a wind or if we're just talking to an echo chamber. Our ability to be able to be productive, our
ability to be able to be effective means that we have to work across the aisle. It means that we have to be able to meet with
people who, even if you at the end of the process disagree with the conclusion, they
will at least respect the process, that you heard them, that they understood where you
came from, and that you understood where they cam
e from. JUDY WOODRUFF: Governor Moore, I want to ask
you about how you work through some of the most difficult, most divisive issues of our
time. One of them is immigration. What's an example of a way to even talk about
immigration that would be productive? GOV. WES MOORE: Yes. I think the thing that we can all fundamentally
agree to is that the system that we have in place right now, it does not work. And so the reason that I signed a letter with
eight other governors saying that we are urging
Congress to move on this, what was so frustrating
watching a bill that was literally worked on with the president, Democrats, and even
conservative Republicans, like Senator Lankford, to go down in flames, why it was so frustrating
is that the consequences fall on our shoulders. And that's why we need a measurement of action. JUDY WOODRUFF: So could you, Governor Cox
-- you're a Republican. You have seen what's happened. You heard -- you know that it's the Republicans
in the House who are saying
, we're not going to go along with this. What's a way through this? GOV. SPENCER COX: Well, the way through is, unfortunately,
we need Congress to start doing their job and the president to enforce the laws. Those -- it's really that simple. This is the least divisive of the most divisive
issues. If you poll Republicans and Democrats, everyone
agrees. They just do. Democrats believe we need to secure the border
and Republicans believe we need to fix illegal immigration. I can tell you right now,
if Governor Moore
and I were asked to solve this problem, even if you just had all 50 governors solve this
problem, we could sit down and do it in a weekend. JUDY WOODRUFF: Of course, there are real and
substantive differences over how to move forward on divisive issues like reproductive rights,
transgender policy, and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Just recently, Governor Cox signed legislation
in Utah banning DEI programs in state government and universities, prohibiting gender-
affirming
care and surgery for minors, and mandating that trans people use the bathrooms that correspond
with their gender assigned at birth in public schools and state-owned buildings. Both Cox and Moore emphasize that disagree
better doesn't mean there won't be real disagreements at the end of the day. GOV. SPENCER COX: The process matters. I think the process is really important and
the way we treat each other. And the way we have approached DEI is a little
different than other states. We're
trying to focus on government not discriminating
on the basis of color, but helping everyone who's struggling. We want everyone to feel included. We think inclusiveness is very important. We think diversity is very important. And how we do that, how we use the power of
the state to do that is also really important. And that's where there is definitely some
disagreement. Sometimes, too much gets lumped into DEI that
really isn't DEI. And understanding what the philosophy is behind
it is really im
portant. And so, yes, there are major disagreements
when it comes to DEI, but, at the end of the day, I think we're seeking the same thing. And that is that everyone feels included,
that everyone has the same opportunity, that we're -- the deck is not stacked against anyone. That really matters to me and I think it matters
to most Americans. GOV. WES MOORE: And I think there -- that's exactly
right that we want to make sure that everyone is just getting a fair shot at open success. We know that
a lot of the discrepancies and
a lot of the disparities that we have seen in our society, that we still see to this
day, everything from wealth gaps, to housing gaps, to educational gaps, they haven't been
by accident. There have been government policies that have
helped to create that. The reason that we look at things like a racial
wealth gap, for example, you can't understand that without understanding things like the
Homestead Act, the unequal application of the G.I. Bill, historic redlining
. You can't understand how the racial wealth
gap has ballooned to 10-1 in this country without understanding that it's been government
policies that have helped to create that level of gap. What is government's role to help to address
the inequities that government helped to create? GOV. SPENCER COX: I'm Spencer Cox, your Republican
candidate for Utah governor. CHRIS PETERSON (D), Former Utah Gubernatorial
Candidate: And I'm Chris Peterson, your Democratic candidate for governor. JUDY WOODRUFF:
Yet another issue starkly dividing
the country is trust in elections. In 2020, as he ran for his first term as governor,
Governor Cox joined his Democratic competitor in a pledge to honor the outcome of the election,
whatever the results. CHRIS PETERSON: And whether you vote by mail
or in person, we will fully support the results of the upcoming presidential election, regardless
of the outcome. JUDY WOODRUFF: Researchers at Stanford studying
polarization told me last year that this kind of publi
c act by leaders can make a real difference
in ratcheting down partisan animosity. And yet, right now, the latest poll shows
69 percent of Republicans say they don't believe Joe Biden legitimately won the election in
2020 to be president. How do we move forward when there's a disagreement
on something as fundamental as that? GOV. SPENCER COX: Yes, that's a tough one, for
sure, there's no question. And I'm very fascinated about how and why
that's been able to happen, that myth has been perpetuate
d so much, when we have had
legal proceeding after legal proceeding that has shown that none of those allegations were
true. And it's difficult in this new era, where
we have social media and we can surround ourselves with information that just confirms whatever
we want to believe, our biases, instead of actual truth and seeking for truth. And that deeply concerns me as a nation. We need good people who are willing to stand
up and speak the truth, even if it's unpopular. And I will certainly con
tinue to do that. GOV. WES MOORE: I ran against an election denier,
where, when asked the question, would he accept the results of the election, his answer literally
was, it depends on the results of the election. And so it's a very difficult baseline. Let's just start that conversation with that. But I think the thing that we continue to
have to do is understand why that exists. And for a lot of people, it is a lack of trust. It's a lack of trust in institutions. That statistic is something --
it's actually
saying something much bigger. It's not just about elections. It's not about an election. Do we trust our institutions to actually make
our lives better? JUDY WOODRUFF: You're all about trying to
get people to listen to the other side. And yet the person who is the likely Republican
nominee for president this year is someone who seems to pride himself, Governor Moore,
on being a divider, rather than a uniter. And that is former President Trump. How do you do this work under those ci
rcumstances? GOV. WES MOORE: Because I'm not doing this work
because I'm pushing against Donald Trump. I'm doing this work because there was over
a million Marylanders who said, we want you to do the job and remember us. I don't get up in the morning and think to
myself, what do I have to do to combat the ills of Donald Trump, or his vitriolic language,
or the absurdity of some of the things that he says on a repeated basis. I'm doing this work because there are 6.3
million people who are asking
me every single day to remember them, not him. GOV. SPENCER COX: When we elevate kind of a single
election, it leads to more problematic behavior. If this really is the most important election
in the history of the United States, then every side should be doing everything possible
to win, even if it's maybe not legitimate, right? And that's a dangerous way to look at things. Our country is bigger and better than any
single person or any single president. We have 50 states, 50 states where we're
innovating,
where we're stealing ideas from each other, where we're fixing actual problems. America is so much better and more resilient
than Joe Biden or Donald Trump. And thank goodness we are because that's how
we have made it through the last eight years and it's how we're going to make it through
the next four no matter who gets elected. And so I just -- I believe in us. I believe in the American people, and I believe
that we should be engaging with the American people to find out why they
feel so attacked
all of the time and to try to make life better for them. JUDY WOODRUFF: A call to all Americans to
focus on finding solutions, compromise and listening to each other. For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Judy Woodruff
in Washington. GEOFF BENNETT: And we will be back shortly
for a look at a music teacher in Austin who celebrates Mexican culture by incorporating
mariachi music into her classes. AMNA NAWAZ: But, first, take a moment to hear
from your local PBS station. It's a chance to of
fer your support, which
helps keep programs like ours on the air. GEOFF BENNETT: For those of you staying with
us, we often talk about human origins as the evolution of man, but what if we saw it as
the evolution of woman? A new book argues for a better understanding
of our beginnings. Jeffrey Brown has this encore report. JEFFREY BROWN: Where do we come from and how
did we evolve into the beings and bodies we are today? It's a story that continues to fascinate at
the American Museum of Natural
History in New York. Human origins. CAT BOHANNON, Author, "Eve: How the Female
Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution": Yes, here we are. JEFFREY BROWN: Where Cat Bohannon first came
as a child and now with a call for a new way of looking at human development. CAT BOHANNON: We have a lot of stories about
the evolution of mammals. We especially have a lot of stories about
the evolution of humanity and its possible past. But, weirdly, in so many of these stories,
the female is at best a s
ide character. You know what I mean? But, increasingly, in many different disciplines,
whether it's anthropology or in biology, we're putting that female back in the picture. And that actually changes how we tell that
story. JEFFREY BROWN: Bohannon tells the story in
"Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution." In fact, with personal whimsy as well as scientific
data, she writes of many Eves, starting with a creature she nicknames Morgie, perhaps the
first ever breast-f
eeder. CAT BOHANNON: It's delightful that the reason
someone like me might have breasts is because there is this little weaselly creature 200
million years ago living under the literal feet of dinosaurs and she starts lactating. And that's why, right? So that's just fun. JEFFREY BROWN: And she gives us other Eves
who bring tools, language and a whole lot more into the tale of the human species as
a whole. CAT BOHANNON: It's really rewarding to remember
how deeply ancient these things are, that t
he body is in many ways a unit of time, right,
with different things that arrive at different points in time, that this human brain is incredibly
recent, right, and that my digestive system is incredibly ancient. These Eves are meant to give us a way into
where these features of our bodies might have come from and how that story still shapes
how we live in them today. JEFFREY BROWN: For Bohannon, whose Ph.D. research
was in cognitive psychology and literature, a fundamental problem, an example o
f how hominins
and early humans learned to problem-solve, is in childbirth. You say we're one of the worst. We are terrible at it. CAT BOHANNON: Oh, yes. Yes. JEFFREY BROWN: And yet, yes, we populate the
globe. CAT BOHANNON: Absolutely. And we do that by having behavioral work-arounds,
which is that deep human story. It's kind of what we're always doing. We're always finding behavioral work-arounds
for the limitations of our body. JEFFREY BROWN: She took us a long way back. CAT BOHANNON: How you
doing, Luce? How's it hanging? JEFFREY BROWN: To Lucy, the version of her
on display. All bones here are actually casts. The actual Lucy of the species Australopithecus
afarensis was discovered in present day Ethiopia in 1967. Bohannon's focus, Lucy's pelvis. CAT BOHANNON: The pelvic opening has narrowed,
which is part of what enables us to be up here, instead of down here. And some really, really good scientists have
determined that she had a similar problem as we do. She had the obstetric dil
emma. She had big babies and had a hard time getting
out of, well, a small pelvic opening. JEFFREY BROWN: Right, which a lot of women
will relate to. CAT BOHANNON: Yes, I did that twice. I'm good. Yes. So, but the thing is that means that story,
the it-being-hard story, starts at least 3.2 million years ago. And the current theory is that actually Lucy
probably had a midwife. JEFFREY BROWN: Lucy had a midwife? CAT BOHANNON: Lucy had a midwife. She was small. She was furry. She was very chimpy. B
ut she had a midwife, because she had difficult
births that needed help, and in that moment of vulnerability, to get them out. Yes. Yes, yes, yes. And that's a big part of our success story,
which we don't normally talk about, but yes. JEFFREY BROWN: Bohannon loves that famous
first scene of Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey." But she wants us to focus less on conflict,
more on gynecology, and how a focus on evolution of the female body can change how we think
of the development of other
traits, such as language. CAT BOHANNON: We assume there are these grand
moments where language arrives, usually about hunting, shouting directions across... JEFFREY BROWN: Yes, of course. Isn't that the standard story about... CAT BOHANNON: It's a common story. JEFFREY BROWN: OK. CAT BOHANNON: It's a common story. But remember that all of these are language
users, because all of these communicate, all of these mixed-sex members of a group. And when you look at the evolution of language
in terms
of its developmental path, it becomes a childhood story very quickly. And, frankly, most of the time that's happening
with the mother, in part because breast-feeding. This is when -- you're connected, literally
connected, many hours a day to a face which is communicating with you at those critical
moments of brain development. JEFFREY BROWN: Bohannon's book, which synthesizes
the work of hundreds of scientists, many of them women, raises numerous such examples. But it also raises critical implic
ations for
women's health today and addresses the so-called male norm that has traditionally guided medical
science. CAT BOHANNON: That, for a very long time in
biology and in biomedical research, we're mostly studying male subjects. That's how we control for estrus, the messiness
of that hormonal cycle, was just taking them literally out of the equation. And we're only just starting to finally rectify
that. This is kind of a paradigm shift, kind of
a sea change. And we don't entirely know what
biological
sex differences are going to deeply matter, yet we will know the more we study it. JEFFREY BROWN: We still don't know? CAT BOHANNON: Absolutely not, but excellent
scientists all around the world are doing that work right now, which is why this book
can even exist. JEFFREY BROWN: She points to the growing awareness
of different responses by men and women to opioids, for example, and the need for better
guidelines to distinguish between them. CAT BOHANNON: Because we live in the bodies
we do that have this deep evolutionary time, our health is affected by how well we understand
that history. Our medicine is shaped by how well we're able
to incorporate better knowledge about literally what these things are. And what we are is made of where we came from,
because that's how evolution works. JEFFREY BROWN: Deep time down to the present
day in a still-developing story of evolution. For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Jeffrey Brown
at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. AMNA
NAWAZ: Though its roots are in Mexico,
mariachi music has become widely popular across the United States as well. Music teacher Susana Diaz-Lopez shares her
insights on its growth and impact in the Austin area. Our Student Reporting Labs Academy fellows
produced this story as part of our arts and culture series, Canvas. SUSANA DIAZ-LOPEZ, Mariachi Music Instructor:
Mariachi music is folk music. (MUSIC) SUSANA DIAZ-LOPEZ: You got to stand up, feet
apart, strong confident. I think mariachi music
in Austin is very small. I think it's growing, but I think it still
has a long ways to go. I noticed that our population at our school
was mostly Hispanic and Latino students, who were literally -- some of them are immigrants
that come from all over. Sometimes, they don't fit in. We have always tried to make them feel comfortable
and welcome and just connected to some type of program, even if it's an after-school program. APRIL SALDANA, Mariachi Band Member: I knew
more about mariachi by just fa
mily culture, me going to Mexico listening to mariachi music
all the time, my mom cleaning with Mexican music, mariachi music all the time, waking
up, mariachi music, going to sleep, mariachi music. It's something that's going to always be a
core memory for me. SUSANA DIAZ-LOPEZ: I started teaching mariachi
at Soundwaves. I learned more about what they do and the
program that they have had so far. And so that just spiked an interest, so I
decided to go for it. I do have some students that do not
have a
background in mariachi at all or that don't speak the language, and they still sing. They learn by just listening to the songs. ADAN SANCHEZ, Austin Soundwaves: Austin Soundwaves
is a nonprofit organization. They specialize in teaching students who don't
have a good -- like, good access to music. SUSANA DIAZ-LOPEZ: It's a big family to them. It's something that, even though they weren't
born into, they feel very connected to. A.J. MARKS, Austin Soundwaves: I never got to experience
any c
onjunto or mariachi music. I don't have any heritage to a Mexico that
I know of. So getting to experience this music with people
is really, really, really fascinating. SUSANA DIAZ-LOPEZ: Even if you're not a part
of the Mexican culture or Hispanic culture, I feel like mariachi music is recognized by
anybody. And so I think it does in some form bridge
that gap between cultures. And it also brings a lot of cultural awareness
in the U.S. as well. (MUSIC) (APPLAUSE) AMNA NAWAZ: And you can find more
stories
from our Student Academy at StudentReportingLabs.org. And join us again here tomorrow night, as
President Biden and former President Trump hold dueling events at the Texas border. And that is the "NewsHour" for tonight. I'm Amna Nawaz. GEOFF BENNETT: And I'm Geoff Bennett. Thanks for joining us, and have a good evening.
Comments