AMNA NAWAZ: Good evening. I'm Amna Nawaz. GEOFF BENNETT: And I'm Geoff Bennett. On the “NewsHour” tonight: The president meetswith congressional leaders to try to strike a funding deal. We ask the former head of NATO what's at stakefor Ukraine. ANDERS FOGH RASMUSSEN, Former NATO Secretary-General:It's detrimental for the U.S. national security interests if Russia wins this war. AMNA NAWAZ: The United States declares Houthimilitants in Yemen a specially designated.
Global terrorist group, part of its broaderresponse to numerous attacks on ships in the Red Sea. GEOFF BENNETT: And a Supreme Court case involvinga small fish could have big implications for the limits on federal regulations. (BREAK) GEOFF BENNETT: Welcome to the “NewsHour.” Congressional leaders are returning to theCapitol after spending the afternoon negotiating with President Biden at the White House, atstake, funding for Ukraine, Israel, and additional border security measures.
AMNA NAWAZ: This as Congress faces a separatefunding deadline Friday and potential government shutdown. Lisa Desjardins is here to help us understandwhat is standing in the way of a deal. Lisa, good to see you. So, this White House meeting on Ukraine fundingand border funding, who is in the room, and are they making progress? LISA DESJARDINS: This was all the heavyweightson Capitol Hill, not just the party leaders in each chamber, McConnell, Schumer, Jeffries,and Speaker Johnson, but also the heads of all the relevant committees.
So these are the heavy hitters all togetherin the room. And I want to just remind people of the simpleproblem here. One, Ukraine, our allies, now been at warfor almost two years, and if we do not continue funding them, they will have serious ammoand weapons issues at some point. They're saying that is coming sooner, ratherthan later. At the same time, our own Southwest borderhas been overwhelmed in past weeks and months. And many people on Capitol Hill, not justRepublicans, are saying we need to do more. Now, while leaders came out of the meetinggenerally positive, saying that they all agree that both of these things have to be done,when you listen to sound from the Senate floor.
And also from after the meeting today, youcan see that the key differences here still remain. SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): At stake is the securityof our country, the survival of our friends in Ukraine, the safety of our friends in Israel,and nothing less, nothing less than the future of Western democracy. REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): We understand that allthese things are important, but we must insist, we must insist that the border be the toppriority.
I think we have some consensus around thattable. Everyone understands the urgency of that. And we're going to continue to press for it. LISA DESJARDINS: The problem is what HouseRepublicans, including right now Speaker Johnson, want to do with the border is different thanwhat's going on in the Senate. However, those Senate talks, we have beenlooking at them day after day after day, over border security still continue. I talked to one of the senators involved today,Chris Murphy. He said they're almost there.
They're getting closer and closer. But he acknowledges this continues to happen. Senator Schumer says he thinks that they havea good chance of getting a deal next week, perhaps on the Senate floor. But, by that, he said that's greater than50 percent chance. So we're not sure. AMNA NAWAZ: In the meantime, we are now justtwo days away from a potential partial government shutdown. Where do things stand on that?.
LISA DESJARDINS: Always cautious with thesethings, but, right now, the temperatures in the House and Senate are warm toward thisdeal that is emerging for short-term spending that would kick funding basically into March. We have to watch and see the voting, but Ithink the Senate could move as soon as perhaps tonight or tomorrow even on these deals. Now, since things, they're going OK, I wantto reflect on how we got here. We don't always just look at what the problemis in the Capitol. They are trying to pass 12 different appropriationsbills. So what happened is, the Senate has been passingbipartisan bills, 12 of them out of committee,.
Which really was quite an achievement. The House, however, their committee billswere partisan, nearly only Republicans on those bills. They only managed to pass 10 out of committee,couldn't even get all of them done there. Now, both chambers had problems getting allof those bills out of the chambers altogether. The result is that we have not had any spendingbills pass Congress this year. Now, this has happened for many, many years,but I think we just assume that they can't get it done. And that's why I wanted to look at exactlywhat's happened here.
The Senate was able to pass some bipartisanspending bills earlier this year, but the partisanship overall shut that process down. AMNA NAWAZ: There's another issue I know youhave been tracking, which is, they're talking about a potential deal on some potential taxcuts, some for businesses, some for struggling families. Where does that stand? LISA DESJARDINS: This is a massive deal. This would be expanding the child tax creditand ultimately meaning more money especially for lower-income families.
Millions of kids would benefit. This was a huge poverty reduction effort,also would be good for many businesses. Maybe 20 million jobs or so could be affectedby these tax credits. Now, there were two prime negotiators on this,the Ways and Means chairman, Jason Smith, on the House side, Republican, and Ron Wydenof the Finance Committee in the Senate, been working on this for months. They say they have got this ready to go. And my sources say that the House committeecould pass this out as soon as Friday. Maybe it gets to the House floor next week.
Even though there are some who have questionsabout this deal, right now, it feels like it is moving along. And we're going to have to talk about whatit means, because it would be a big bipartisan accomplishment. AMNA NAWAZ: It would be a big deal, indeed. Lisa Desjardins, thank you so much. LISA DESJARDINS: You're welcome. GEOFF BENNETT: In the day's other headlines:A new winter storm iced over much of the Pacific Northwest.
Parts of Washington state and Oregon werecoated with snow and up to an inch of ice. It closed government offices, grounded flightsand cut power. Snow even extended into Northern Alabama,and bitter cold again gripped the nation's midsection. The move in Maine to toss former PresidentTrump off that state's primary ballot is now on hold. A judge today blocked Maine's top electionsofficial from barring Mr. Trump on the grounds that he engaged in insurrection. That's until the U.S. Supreme Court rulesin a similar case in Colorado.
In her ruling, the judge said the pause — quote– “will promote greater predictability in the weeks ahead of the primary election onMarch 5.” A federal judge threatened today threatenedtoday to throw Mr. Trump out of his defamation damages trial in New York. It came as the writer E. Jean Carroll chargedthat he lied about her after she accused him of rape. During Carroll's testimony, the former presidentcould be heard grumbling and saying witch-hunt and con job. When the judge warned he might be removed,he shot back, “I would love it.”.
The trial is meant to determine how much Mr.Trump has to pay Carroll in damages. In the Republican presidential campaign, FloridaGovernor Ron DeSantis is pulling back from New Hampshire six days before that state'sprimary. “NewsHour” has confirmed that he's shiftingmost of his staff to South Carolina for its primary on February 24. DeSantis finished a distant second in Iowa,and is running far behind in New Hampshire. Medicine for Israeli hostages held by Hamashas arrived in Gaza tonight. It's part of the first deal between the twosides since a weeklong cease-fire in November, and it also calls for more aid to Palestinians.
The medicine arrived in Egypt today and headedfor the Rafah Crossing into Gaza, amid warnings that much more is needed. The U.N. secretary-general issued a freshappeal in Davos, Switzerland. ANTONIO GUTERRES, United Nations Secretary-General:I repeat my call for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza and a process that leadsto sustained peace for Israelis and Palestinians, based on a two-state solution. That is the only way to stem the sufferingand prevent the spillover that could send the entire region up in flames. GEOFF BENNETT: Meantime, airstrikes and artillerykept pounding parts of Gaza, and the Israelis.
Said they killed more than 30 militants inthe city of Khan Yunis in 24 hours. The Gaza Health Ministry said nearly 24,500Palestinians have died since the war started. Britain's King Charles will undergo surgerynext week for an enlarged prostate. The king is 75. Buckingham Palace said today his conditionis not cancerous. The palace also said that Kate, the princessof Wales, is recovering from abdominal surgery and that her condition is also noncancerous. She could be hospitalized for two weeks. China reports its population declined in 2023for the second year in a row.
Its total population fell to 1.4 billion. Deaths rose sharply to 11.1 million, as Chinaended its sweeping COVID restrictions. And births dropped more than 5 percent tonine million, the seventh straight year of decline. It all adds to concerns about growth prospectsfor the world's number two economy, with fewer workers and consumers and the rising costsof elderly care and retirement benefits. The Biden administration is calling for acrackdown on overdraft charges at the nation's biggest banks. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau isproposing capping fees as low as $3.
Currently, the average tops $26. Major banks say they already cut fees, sothere's no need for new regulations. And on Wall Street, stocks slipped again overconcerns that strong December retail sales could fuel inflation. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 94 pointsto close at 37266. The Nasdaq fell 88 points. The S&P 500 was down 26. Still to come on the “NewsHour”: why a growingnumber of men in the U.S. say they don't have close friends; school administrators workto keep students in class amid chronic absenteeism;.
And a Pacific Northwest artist illuminateslife's simple pleasures with just a knife and paper. Today, the Biden administration relisted Yemen's Houthi rebels as a specially designated global terroristgroup. It's aimed at deterring further attacks bythe rebels on shipping in the Red Sea. Today's announcement is a partial reversalfor the administration. Nick Schifrin talks to the top State Departmentofficial overseeing Yemen policy about today's move and the ongoing tension. NICK SCHIFRIN: Today's designation followsmore than 30 attacks by the Houthis on commercial.
Shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden andthree rounds of airstrikes in the last week by the U.S. and the U.K. targeting Houthicapabilities. Despite those U.S. and U.K. airstrikes, justtoday, apparent Houthi drones and missiles hit at least two commercial ships. Tim Lenderking is the U.S. special envoy forYemen and joins me now. Thanks very much, Tim Lenderking. Welcome back to the “NewsHour.” TIMOTHY LENDERKING, U.S. Special Envoy toYemen: Thank you for having me. NICK SCHIFRIN: Why has the Biden administrationrelisted the Houthis as a specially designated.
Global terrorist group? What's the practical impact of that? TIMOTHY LENDERKING: Well, the reason thatthe Biden administration did that is to try to get at the problem, which is the Houthiattacks on international shipping. And it is not American shipping or Israelishipping. It is international shipping. And so having a problem of this scope, whichis global in its dimension — I mean, bear in mind that 15 percent of international commerceflows through the Red Sea and 30 percent of container traffic.
So the fact that the Houthis have struck atships that affect 50 different countries, we have really made every effort to show thatthis is an international problem, and it requires an international response. NICK SCHIFRIN: Are these just symbolic? The Houthis have been sanctioned for years,and it hasn't changed any behavior. TIMOTHY LENDERKING: No, I don't think it'ssymbolic. I think it will have direct impact. It will have impact on Houthi finances, onability of entities to do business with the Houthis.
So I think there will be an impact. NICK SCHIFRIN: Why not then relist them asa foreign terrorist organization, as the Trump administration did, essentially a higher-leveldesignation? TIMOTHY LENDERKING: We felt that the FTO,or the foreign terrorist organization, designation was not something that was appropriate tothe current circumstances. Maybe we would go to that, but I hope we don'thave to. What the SDGT does, as you mentioned, is prohibitcertain types of interactions from the Houthi organization, but it also gives us a littlebit more flexibility to have carve-outs and licenses so that essential commodities, food,fuel, medicine, humanitarian supplies, can.
Continue to reach the Yemeni people. There's no desire to hurt the Yemeni people,who've already suffered from eight years of war. NICK SCHIFRIN: We will get to those carve-outs,humanitarian carve-outs, in a second, but was it a mistake for the Biden administrationto delist the Houthis in both respects literally on day one of the administration? TIMOTHY LENDERKING: No, I don't think so. I think the Biden administration came in andassessed the situation, very quickly decided that Yemen would be a priority within theinternational foreign policy.
And because of, I think, the attention thatwe have given to the Yemen problem, we have been able to carve out, with the U.N. andwith the Yemeni parties, a truce that's lasted almost two years, I mean, a true end to mostof the fighting inside Yemen. It's a very significant development. We have also been able to continue pushinghumanitarian supplies. Now these Houthi attacks on internationalshipping, in fact, jeopardize that truce. NICK SCHIFRIN: I want to talk about the politicsand your efforts to find a durable peace in Yemen, but, first, the humanitarian aspect,right? Two-thirds of the country needs humanitarianaid.
And despite the administration's effort, wespoke to humanitarian groups today, and they said that any designation, even the one thatyou're making today, could have a — quote — “chilling effect” on commercial shippersand banks that these organizations need to feed the people of Yemen. So why take any step that could put that aidin jeopardy? TIMOTHY LENDERKING: Again, the goal is notto harm or create obstacles in the well-being of the Yemeni people. But it is to get at the problem, which isthe Houthi attacks on shipping. Those attacks are also creating problems forhumanitarians.
They're driving up shipping costs. They're preventing ships from moving intoareas like Gaza, which need desperately more humanitarian assistance. So it may be an imperfect solution, but Ithink we're trying to get the message across to the Houthis and any other actor that woulddecide to carry out its own particular agenda against international shipping that this isnot something that the United States or the international community can tolerate. NICK SCHIFRIN: Over the last week, as we said,the U.S. and U.K. have launched three rounds of airstrikes on Houthi drones, missiles,air defense capabilities, the very things.
That the Houthis have used to attack shipsin the Red Sea and in the Gulf. But, as we also just said, the Houthis launchedtwo strikes at least just today, including on a U.S. ship. So what evidence do you have that these strikeshave degraded Houthi capabilities? TIMOTHY LENDERKING: Well, the strikes thatthe U.S. and the U.K., in conjunction with other partners, have launched have certainlyhit their targets. I think it's the hope of all of us that we'renot getting into an open-ended conflict here. That is definitely not the intention of theUnited States. The United States wants to hit those capabilitiesthat are responsible for the attacks on international.
Shipping. And I think we have been quite disciplinedso far about keeping within those very well-defined parameters. NICK SCHIFRIN: But where does this end? I mean, how many rounds of airstrikes do youthink you need in order to degrade Houthis to the point where they cannot continue todo what they have been doing on commercial shipping? TIMOTHY LENDERKING: This won't be a militaryaction alone. I think diplomatic activity will continue,very strong messaging and outreach to the.
Houthis, see what combination of pressures,incentives will get us back to an ability where the international community can focuson the peace effort in Yemen and move away from this conflict and the attacks on shipping. NICK SCHIFRIN: Could the military strikeshave an impact on the peace efforts that you have helped lead, from the United States'perspective, which have had a lot of success? Could the military strikes actually imperilthat progress? TIMOTHY LENDERKING: Well, we remain 100 percentcommitted to that peace effort. I think we all want to get back to that focus,that, whatever else is happening in the region, that Yemen can see an end to the conflictthat has dogged it for eight years.
And it's ironic, but the Yemen internal peaceprocess that I described is at its best point in the eight years of this conflict. We can actually begin to see an end to thewar. There's a road map to do that the partieshave agreed on. So we have to get away from the attacks onshipping and dial that back and get back to a focus on the peace effort in Yemen. NICK SCHIFRIN: And does that peace effortempower the Houthis, who, at least publicly, have not shown the willingness to bring thepeace that you would like to in Yemen? TIMOTHY LENDERKING: I think the peace effortwill have a moderating effect on the Houthis.
In other words, no party in this road map,as I describe it, gets everything that they want. And the Houthis are going to have to showcompromise. There are things that they want in this roadmap. They have incentive. They're looking for international legitimacy. And I think the road map is one way that theywould derive that. And I think the international committee hasbeen very strongly committed to this road map and wants to see it through.
NICK SCHIFRIN: Tim Lenderking, special envoyfor Yemen, thank you very much. TIMOTHY LENDERKING: Thank you. AMNA NAWAZ: As we reported earlier, criticalaid to Ukraine is still being held up in ongoing negotiations over funding for border security. Earlier today, I spoke with former NATO Secretary-GeneralAnders Fogh Rasmussen about what this means as Russia's war in Ukraine enters its thirdyear. Anders Fogh Rasmussen, thank you so much forbeing here. Welcome to the “NewsHour.” ANDERS FOGH RASMUSSEN, Former NATO Secretary-General:Thank you for having me.
AMNA NAWAZ: So I want to ask you about U.S.lawmakers' inability so far to reach a deal on immigration that would allow Ukraine aidto move forward. You have said previously you would adviseDemocrats to accommodate Republicans on the border, cut a deal, get the aid flowing. I know you're meeting with House Freedom Caucusmembers tomorrow. What's your advice to them? ANDERS FOGH RASMUSSEN: My advice would beto do what it takes to ensure that Ukraine wins the war against Russia, because it isdetrimental for the U.S. national security interests if Russia wins this war.
We cannot allow Putin any success in Ukraine. AMNA NAWAZ: There's a very real chance thatformer President Donald Trump will be the Republican nominee, that he could win in November. If aid for Ukraine does not move forward underthe Biden administration, do you believe it could move forward under President Trump? ANDERS FOGH RASMUSSEN: Yes, we don't know. As a point of departure, I'm skeptical. AMNA NAWAZ: When you look forward, though,into the months ahead and what could happen here in the U.S., you have said that evenif Mr. Trump doesn't win, you said his nomination.
Alone could be a geopolitical catastrophe. Why? ANDERS FOGH RASMUSSEN: Because I have seenthat the fact that he is around, the fact that he probably will be nominated as theRepublican presidential candidate, already, that has changed the way international actors,they take decisions. They try to hedge their bets. And, in Europe, for instance, there is a greatconcern that a new administration might be more inward-looking, more isolationist, thatthey will leave Europe behind. I don't think that would be in the interestof the United States to weaken its alliance.
Across the Atlantic. On the contrary, we should strengthen thetransatlantic alliance. AMNA NAWAZ: Can I ask you about what we haveseen in the U.S. public, though, which is some decline in support for continuing thesame level of U.S. funding for Ukraine, and specifically this idea that European nationsshould be doing more? Should Europe be bearing more of the securityburden, especially when it comes to Ukraine? ANDERS FOGH RASMUSSEN: Yes. And we are doing so. Latest figures demonstrate that Europe hasnow overtaken the U.S. when it comes both.
To military assistance and direct financialassistance. AMNA NAWAZ: That was late last year, right? ANDERS FOGH RASMUSSEN: We are not — yes,we are not speaking about pledges. We are speaking about real money. When it comes to the military, according tothose figures, Europe has contributed 54 billion euros, the U.S. 44 billion euros. I appreciate that the Europeans contributemore. They should — we should do so. But it cannot replace a continued U.S. assistance.
We need both. We need sophisticated weapons delivered bythe United States, and we need more weapons. We need to lift all self-imposed restrictionson weapon deliveries to Ukraine. So the mantra that we will help Ukraine foras long as it takes, it should be replaced with, we will give to Ukraine all it takesto win the war. AMNA NAWAZ: There's been a lot of criticismthat, had the U.S. and NATO allies done that sooner, the war might have been over by now,Ukraine would be in a different position. It took 300 days into the war for the U.S.,for example, to provide long-range missiles President Zelenskyy had been asking for.
Was that a mistake? ANDERS FOGH RASMUSSEN: Yes, it's really — Imean, it's a sad story to see our hesitation. And the reason why the Ukrainian counteroffensivehas been so difficult and so modest is that we took much too long time to take necessarydecisions. You cannot win a war by an incremental, step-by-stepapproach. You have to overwhelm and surprise your adversary. We failed to do that. AMNA NAWAZ: Can I ask what impact the Israel-Hamaswar has had on all of this? I mean, there's been the argument that theU.S. and the world cannot equally provide.
Support to two ongoing wars. And the idea that Putin banked on the Westlosing interest or being distracted seems to be now coming true. What's — what have you seen to be the impactof that war? ANDERS FOGH RASMUSSEN: Well, we have seenhow Putin has exploited the situation. After the outbreak of the Israeli-Hamas war,we have seen an intensified Russian offensive against Ukraine. A swarm of drones have hit civilian targets,civilian infrastructure in Ukraine. So, no doubt that the war between Israel andHamas serves the interest of Putin.
And, overall, what you are seeing is an emerging– what I would call an emerging axis of autocracies, led by China, but joined by Russia, Iran,North Korea. And this is exactly what is at stake. We have to counter this axis of autocracies. And we should never forget that the world'sdemocracies represent more than 60 percent of the global economy, of the global GDP. So, if we stand together, if we cooperate,then it will represent a formidable force that will create a lot of respect in Beijing. AMNA NAWAZ: Former NATO Secretary-GeneralAnders Fogh Rasmussen, thank you so much for.
Being here. It's a pleasure to speak with you. ANDERS FOGH RASMUSSEN: You're welcome. AMNA NAWAZ: The Supreme Court today heardarguments about whether a group of Atlanta — Atlantic herring fishermen should be requiredto pay for a costly monitoring system on their boats, or whether that requirement is governmentaloverreach. But, as William Brangham reports, the outcomeof this case could have enormous impacts far beyond the fishing industry. WILLIAM BRANGHAM: At issue here is what'scalled the Chevron deference.
It's named after the oil and gas company whosecase created this legal precedent. It says, if there is a dispute over some ambiguousregulation, the deference should go to the government agency whose experts wrote therule. That's what those fishermen are arguing against,and they're being supported by industry groups who also want to curtail regulation. If Chevron is knocked down, it could upendrules governing nearly every slice of American society, health care, environmental and workplaceprotections, public education, banking, and more. To understand what's at stake, we are joinedagain by NPR's Carrie Johnson, who was at.
The court for today's arguments. Carrie, thank you so much for being back again. Sticking with this fishermen's case, can youexplain what the arguments were in their case and how Chevron was applied there? CARRIE JOHNSON, NPR: These plaintiffs area small group of fishermen based in the Northeastern United States. And a few years ago, the Fisheries Serviceput forward a regulation basically requiring them to have professional observers or monitorson their boats, sometimes on an overnight basis, to make sure they were following therules, and a decree that they should have.
To pay for the monitors to the tune of about$700 a day, which they say is just too much money. They say it was never clear that Congressintended for them to have to pay. And so they took this case all the way tothe Supreme Court, arguing that the federal agency here had overreached against them. WILLIAM BRANGHAM: I see. So, in that case, Chevron — the ruling wasthat the government agency wrote this rule. Yes, it might be onerous on the fishermen,but that's the rule, and the agency gets to determine that.
CARRIE JOHNSON: That's right. In this case, the lower courts determinedthat it was either a reasonable or a clear mandate under the law that these fishermenwould have to pay. They firmly resisted that and took this caseall the way up to the Supreme Court, where it ended up today. WILLIAM BRANGHAM: So you can see why businessinterests don't like this idea of some agency basically winning every toss-up ball overa fight over regulation. What is their broader argument about thisdeference principle? CARRIE JOHNSON: Ultimately, they say thatthis is a matter of the executive branch of.
The government, unelected federal bureaucrats,taking power that should belong to the United States Congress and, to some extent, to federaljudges, who all along have interpreted the law and who can interpret these laws and theseregulations just fine on their own without any input from federal agencies. And they say that, for many years now, almost40 of them since this case was decided back in 1984, it's really upended the balance ofpower between the branches, and it's put a lot of onus on small businesses like thesefishermen and others to defend themselves against federal agencies, when they have ahard time winning there. This case was supported not just by thesesmall fishing industries, but a number of.
Very large conservative legal foundations,groups like the Gun Owners of America, a trade group for e-cigarette manufacturers and others,just showing how sweeping this case could be if the Supreme Court ultimately decidesto overrule that precedent from all those years ago. WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Let's talk a little bitabout that, because the opponents of overturning Chevron, many environmental groups, consumerprotection groups, and others like that, argue that this would, in essence, sow chaos. What is their argument? Why do they say Chevron should stay?.
CARRIE JOHNSON: They basically argue thatthere's a hidden agenda in this case beyond the herring fishermen, who are the plaintiffshere, and that it's they want to paralyze or cripple the bureaucracy, so that federalagencies cannot make rules on major problems in American life, things from air pollutionand maybe eventually even artificial intelligence, as Justice Elena Kagan raised today, to healthcare. And they say, if you return these decisionsto the hands of unelected federal judges, there's something like 800 of them aroundthe country, it risks people's Medicare and Medicaid programs, very complex programs thatmean a lot to people's lives, being decided one way in one state and one way — in anotherway in another state.
And that could really sow chaos for people'slives just in their personal pocketbooks, as well as for environmental regulations andworkplace protections. You just can't have a system where the regsmean something in one state and mean something else halfway around the country. WILLIAM BRANGHAM: I know that, in his confirmationhearings, now-Justice Gorsuch expressed a great deal of skepticism, and I know someother conservative justices similarly have shown some antipathy to regulation. From your reading of the arguments today,what is your sense? Do you think the majority, the conservativemajority, is going to strike it down?.
CARRIE JOHNSON: We did hear deep skepticismfrom justice Neil Gorsuch today. He raised a lot of very, very tough questionsfor the solicitor general. And Justice Brett Kavanaugh was also prettyskeptical, Justice Sam Alito along the same lines. And Clarence Thomas asked a few questionstoo. But those, William, are four votes, and Ididn't hear a clear fifth vote for getting rid of this precedent altogether. In fact, one of the Trump appointees, JusticeAmy Coney Barrett, raised the specter of getting rid of this precedent might mean invitingfloodgates of litigation from thousands of.
Litigants who have had their cases decidedbased on this principle over many years, and that really swamping the courts and potentiallythe Justice Department too. So it's not clear to me there are five votesto overturn this precedent altogether. It may be that the court compromises and chipsaway further at the precedent, though. WILLIAM BRANGHAM: All right, Carrie Johnsonof NPR, thank you, as always. CARRIE JOHNSON: My pleasure. GEOFF BENNETT: American men are stuck in what'sbeen dubbed a friendship recession, with 20 percent of single men now saying they don'thave any close friends, and more than half of all men report feeling unsatisfied withthe size of their friend groups.
I recently traveled to Phoenix to take a closerlook at the implications of male loneliness and how some men are confronting it. QUINCY WINSTON, Professional Black Men's FriendsGroup: A great way to start off 2024, just another meet-up. GEOFF BENNETT: On a recent night in Phoenix,a group of men gathered on a rooftop bar to talk about their goals for the new year. MAN: I am training for a half-marathon. QUINCY WINSTON: Oh, good. MAN: My first one ever.
MAN: Spend more time with family. I have my godparents. My grandfather, he will be 91 this year. QUINCY WINSTON: Make moments like this, whereI can sit and talk and look for mentorship and even offer it. GEOFF BENNETT: This friends group was startedby 38-year-old Quincy Winston. After leaving the military in 2015, Winstonmoved to Arizona with his wife, LaToya, and started working as an I.T. specialist.
But for years, he says he struggled to makefriends here. Were you feeling lonely and disconnected? QUINCY WINSTON: Definitely, especially whenit came to having male friends. I didn't have any. And that lack of connection put me in a placewhere I didn't know exactly what to do about it. GEOFF BENNETT: So, in March of 2022, Winstonturned to the social media platform Meetup and decided to invite other men to a localrestaurant. QUINCY WINSTON: I think we went to a restaurantcalled Pappadeaux's, and I didn't know who.
Would show up or if anybody would show up. GEOFF BENNETT: Sounds nerve-racking. QUINCY WINSTON: And it was. It was awkward. But once the guys came in and hearing someof their explanations and what they were looking for, I found out we had a lot more comingin I thought. GEOFF BENNETT: Seven men showed up for thatfirst event. MAN: Are you guys warm? GEOFF BENNETT: Which Winston says only happenedbecause of his wife.
You encouraged him to form this group. LATOYA WINSTON, Wife of Quincy Winston: Yes. I wanted him to have a social life, like,outside of just us doing things together all the time, which was great, but I still feltlike he needed to have guy time and guy friends. QUINCY WINSTON: Yes, she made it very evidentthat I need to go make some friends. GEOFF BENNETT: Go disappear for a little bit. (LAUGHTER) QUINCY WINSTON: Go disappear. Now you have some friends, yes.
Come back, but go. Yes, the chicken needs a little bit more time. I'm just grabbing the hot dogs right now. GEOFF BENNETT: The men still meet up aboutonce a week for activities like this backyard barbecue. Winston's Meetup group now has nearly 130members. It speaks to the need for connection thatyour group is that big. I mean, is that how you see it? QUINCY WINSTON: Yes, it does.
And with all the technology that we have tokeep us more connected, to where we can communicate instantly with anyone anywhere, but, if younotice, we don't talk as much. We text more. A lot gets lost in translation, because wejust don't have that physical connection. ROBERT MONTGOMERY, Professional Black Men'sFriends Group: I'm the newest member of the group, but I'm also one of the oldest membersof the group. GEOFF BENNETT: Connection is what 61-year-oldRobert Montgomery was looking for. What motivated you to join this group? ROBERT MONTGOMERY: My whole thing was, I saidI needed friends, because I didn't have any.
I got tired of being basically isolated athome all the time. And I spent my birthday at home by myself. And I got — and I didn't — I didn't likethat. I was like, OK, no, I can't do this anymore. (LAUGHTER) GEOFF BENNETT: Montgomery is certainly notalone. Only 21 percent of men in the U.S. say theyget emotional support from friends every week. That's compared to 41 percent of women. RICHARD REEVES, Author, “Of Boys and Men”:Sometimes, as men, we struggle to say, I need.
You. GEOFF BENNETT: Richard Reeves is the authorof “Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male Is Struggling, Why It Matters, and What to Doabout It.” What is driving male loneliness? Why do men have such a hard time forming friendshipsand keeping them as they progress through life? RICHARD REEVES: You can't neglect a friendshipand expect it to just grow. You have to work at it. You have to find the time.
And my observation is that many women arejust better at doing that and building it into their lives. So, it's like a purpose. GEOFF BENNETT: Reeves also says over the lastfour decades, there's been a steady deterioration of male friendships. RICHARD REEVES: But men under the age of 30,15 percent say they don't have a close friend. And that's up from 3 percent in 1990. So we have a really difficult challenge nowof helping men to find places, spaces and ways to be with other men and to sustain thosemale friendships.
GEOFF BENNETT: Last year, the U.S. surgeongeneral issued an advisory outlining the devastating health effects of loneliness and isolation,including increased risks for heart disease, strokes and dementia. And while men make up slightly less than 50percent of the U.S. population, they now account for nearly 80 percent of all suicides. RICHARD REEVES: I think these statistics onyoung male isolation and, relatedly, of suicide rates is part and parcel of this displacementthat we see of time away from friendship. GEOFF BENNETT: What should we be doing toreverse these trends? RICHARD REEVES: We do need to be intentionalabout male friendship.
We need to be intentional about combatingagainst male loneliness, and that we have to create spaces that are not going to createthemselves. GEOFF BENNETT: That's at the heart of Men'sSheds, a nonprofit that began in Australia in the 1990s and now has 27 locations acrossthe country, the goal here, to reach older men, who now have the highest rate of suicidesin the U.S. PHIL JOHNSON, U.S. Men's Sheds Association:I had no idea other men like myself, when they retire from work, they lose their workfriends, and then most men struggle to get a circle of new friends. GEOFF BENNETT: Seventy-four-year-old PhilJohnson has helped start several Men's Sheds.
Around Minneapolis. A couple of times a month, these mostly retiredmen come together to both work on projects and to simply sit around and chat. PHIL JOHNSON: Men feel more open about talkingto guys like themselves about health concerns they may have. So the research shows over and over againthat men do best when they're doing something and they can do it together. GEOFF BENNETT: It's a chance for men to sharea laugh, but also seek advice. PHIL JOHNSON: We tackle some tough problems,like suicide, which is higher in retired men.
We have had three men that I know of thathave lost their spouses, and there's always going to be somebody else in the group whocan say, hey, here's how I did it, here's some ideas, here's something you should tryto do. QUINCY WINSTON: And know you're not alone. MAN: Yes. QUINCY WINSTON: You have brothers. You have a pack. You have a tribe. You have a family away from home.
GEOFF BENNETT: Back in Arizona, I was invitedon a morning hike with Quincy Winston's friend group, an outing organized by 29-year-oldNick Crum, who says joining the group has exceeded his expectations. NICK CRUM, Professional Black Men's FriendsGroup: It's just grown so much. And we have been able to meet so many qualitypeople, so many people who actually want to be vulnerable, talk about things that we liketo talk about, talk about our life, build that genuine connection with one another. GEOFF BENNETT: That's exactly what Winstonsays he hoped for when he created the group. QUINCY WINSTON: We need each other, and weneed to support, uplift, encourage and motivate.
Other men to seek friendship. GEOFF BENNETT: Quincy Winston now wants toexpand his friend group beyond the Phoenix area, so meet-ups like this one can becomemore common for men across the country. QUINCY WINSTON: Figure out what we can doto bring people together. GEOFF BENNETT: For the “PBS NewsHour,” I'mGeoff Bennett in Phoenix. Chronic absenteeism is a problem for schooldistricts and students across the country. While some states have seen modest gains,the situation has grown significantly worse since the pandemic. Nearly 30 percent of students were chronicallyabsent during the 2021 and 2022 school year.
That's according to the most recent federaldata. And it's defined as missing at least 10 percentof school days. It can have major consequences for studentachievement and much more, and many districts are struggling with it, including Missouri. Our communities correspondent, Gabrielle Hays,joins us now from St. Louis. Gabby, it's good to see you. So give us a sense of the state of chronicabsenteeism in Missouri and across the country, based on your reporting. GABRIELLE HAYS: Yes, absolutely, Geoff.
Well, I think it's important to understandthat, here in Missouri, we're kind of trailing national data. It's not much better, but it hasn't gone backto what it was. So, the most recent numbers that we have seenfrom our state report card point to nearly a quarter of our students across state ofMissouri being absent. Now, if we're comparing this year to lastyear, as you have noted, what we're seeing nationwide, we have seen very, very modestgains. But, again, the place of concern for our schooladministrators and our experts is that those numbers have not returned to what they werepre-pandemic.
And that is something that is especially ofconcern, not just in Missouri, but nationwide, so much so that we have seen the White Housecome out on this, not just last year, but even today, emphasizing the issue of chronicabsenteeism across the states and across the country. GEOFF BENNETT: What did they say about theimpact that absenteeism is having? GABRIELLE HAYS: Yes. Well, today, we heard from the White House,from the education secretary, from governors across the country, and they note just howbig this issue is of chronic absenteeism and what it means for students across the country.
They really honed in on the fact that, howcan our nation's students learn if they're not in the classroom, and emphasize the needfor some side of — some sort of road map to help states navigate some accountabilitywhen it comes to that. But we heard especially from domestic policyadviser Neera Tanden on this. NEERA TANDEN, White House Domestic PolicyAdviser: Absenteeism can account for up to 27 percent of the test score declines in mathwe have seen and 45 percent of the test score declines in reading respectively. We know that from the Council of EconomicAdvisers and deep research they have done. The truth is, we simply cannot accept chronicabsenteeism as the new normal.
GABRIELLE HAYS: Now, I want to emphasize somethingthat I heard not just from school administrators, not just from the state, and not just fromthe White House, but from researchers that have emphasized this as well, are these long,far-reaching impacts of chronic absenteeism and what that can mean to students. And they have linked this not only to thingslike its effects on mental health, but also the ability of a person to earn a living longterm. GEOFF BENNETT: So, what are the barriers keepingstudents out of the classroom then? GABRIELLE HAYS: That's a really good question. I think one thing that I — that's imperativeto point out that administrators have pointed.
Out to me and experts is that we're talkingabout barriers that young people faced even before the pandemic that the pandemic maybemade even worse, right? Attendance Works, which is a national organizationthat works at this issue, caused them root causes. So we're talking about anything from childabuse, to not having access to transportation, to not having access to stable housing. So, if you add a global pandemic to all ofthese root causes, it makes for a very rough scenario for a lot of our young people whoare not showing up to school. Hedy Chang, the executive director of AttendanceWorks, spoke to me about this and of the importance.
Of understanding what these barriers are. HEDY CHANG, Executive Director, AttendanceWorks: A major challenge in our work on — around attendance is that people's reaction to whenkids miss school, often, in this country, we think it's because a kid and family doesn'tcare. This is not about whether you care or not. This is about whether you face barriers orchallenges and issues coming to school. GABRIELLE HAYS: This is a big thing that Changstressed to me, that, in order to really take a look at this issue, it has to go beyondthe numbers. The numbers are a good start, but it has togo beyond the numbers and misconceptions about.
Why young people aren't at school. GEOFF BENNETT: So, how are schools handlingthis? And what do experts say needs to be done? GABRIELLE HAYS: Yes, well, I think, on onehand, school districts have told me they're really just trying to communicate and learnas best they can why students aren't showing up, so they can help them. But Chang really emphasized to me that thereneeds to be more data. There needs to be more investigation intowhat this looks like and why it looks like it, so that, once we have all of the numbersto know how far this goes, that we can work.
Together to solve it and really attack thisas a case-by-case basis, because every student is different and every story is different. GEOFF BENNETT: Our communities correspondent,Gabrielle Hays, in St. Louis, thanks so much. AMNA NAWAZ: Paper cutting is an art form thatis believed to date back to the invention of paper itself in China around 2,000 yearsago. Since then, many cultures around the worldhave developed their own unique styles. Special correspondent Cat Wise recently visitedan artist whose paper cutting is inspired by the natural beauty and the people of thePacific Northwest. It's part of our arts and culture series,Canvas.
CAT WISE: Every morning, artist and authorNikki McClure takes a long walk in the woods surrounding her home in Olympia, Washington. She feeds the birds and wildlife that dwellhere, and spends some time on the beach just steps from her front door. Inspiration for her art is everywhere. NIKKI MCCLURE, Author and Artist: By the timeI have taken that walk, an idea or a story will have shown itself to me. And then I sit down and work. CAT WISE: McClure begins with a sketch, whichshe transfers to black paper, and then begins.
To work her magic with her knife. Cut by tiny cut for nearly 30 years, McClurehas revealed the world she sees and the creatures in it. NIKKI MCCLURE: My work is usually all onepiece. It's all connected, because we all are connected. CAT WISE: McClure is the author and illustratorof 15 books, and she has collaborated on several more, including The New York Times' bestseller”All in a Day” with author Cynthia Rylant. She also sells her original paper cut art,prints, and a yearly calendar. McClure's deep connection to nature and hersurroundings can be traced to her early years.
In Olympia, when she studied natural historyat the Evergreen State College. NIKKI MCCLURE: I just kept drawing and drawingand drawing and drawing every stick, every leaf, every insect, every bird. It focused and trained my eye to see details,and then trained my hand to draw those details. CAT WISE: After graduating in 1991, she beganworking at the Washington Department of Ecology and was immersed in Olympia's vibrant musicand art scene. NIKKI MCCLURE: We all lived downtown, andthese apartment buildings kind of all together, it was so spontaneous and alive. And the way that you communicated was throughsong or through art.
CAT WISE: For a time, McClure also wrote andperformed music and lived next to one of the most famous musicians to come out of Olympiaduring that era, Kurt Cobain of the band Nirvana. NIKKI MCCLURE: So, I moved into this house,and Kurt lived behind, and I shared the wall, and I could hear him play his songs throughthe wall. Seeing them play, there was this strong connectionin this house. CAT WISE: After deciding to become a full-timeartist, McClure began experimenting with paper cutting. She self-publishing her first book, “Apple”for children in 1996. NIKKI MCCLURE: I found that making art wasa more calming way to communicate.
I am singing my songs still, but there isa child in a lap, in a home, and it's ultimately like, that's where I want to sing my songs. They call these X-Acto, knives, but they'renot really exact. They have this a mind of their own sometimes. CAT WISE: On a recent morning, I joined McClureat her desk as she worked on a piece that might end up in a future calendar. NIKKI MCCLURE: This was this one morning whereI was swimming, and I had my arms in front of me. The way that the water was making my armswas that they were all squiggled.
They were no longer solid, even though I knewthey were solid. CAT WISE: How do you know where to cut tomake the image reveal itself? NIKKI MCCLURE: I don't. You just have to trust it. What I really like about this process is thatthere are so many mistakes made. CAT WISE: Really? NIKKI MCCLURE: And that you are making mistakesover time, in the sense of like, oh, that, I don't quite work out. But you just keep going.
And, really, it's just a piece of paper. CAT WISE: But, oh, what she can do with apiece of paper. Many of her works are focused on her experiencesas a mother and raising her son, Finn, with her husband, Jay T. Scott, a woodworker inOlympia. NIKKI MCCLURE: It is such a remarkable giftto participate in this life as it developed and formed and grew and started asking questionslike, “Mama, is it summer yet? Mama, is it summer yet? Not yet little one, but the buds are swelling. Soon, new leaves will unfold.
Mama, is it summer yet? Not yet, little one, but the squirrel is buildingher nest. Soon, her babies will be born.” CAT WISE: In “What Will These Hands Make?” released in 2020, McClure highlights a familyand their community as they prepare for a celebration. NIKKI MCCLURE: This is the center map spreadfrom the book “What Will These Hands Make?” And it basically tells a story of this family,and here they are right here. They are going from grandma's house — there'sgrandma baking — all the way across town.
To this cake, because there's going to bea big party at grandma's house later. CAT WISE: The community, filled with peoplewho make things with their hands… NIKKI MCCLURE: Here's my friend Mariela's(ph) pottery studio. CAT WISE: .. is fictional, but many of thecharacters and businesses are inspired by our mutual hometown, Olympia. NIKKI MCCLURE: Sometimes, I would row intotown, and I would row over and go to the Browsers bookstores here. CAT WISE: The real Browsers Bookshop is oneof the local businesses McClure hand-delivers her calendars to each year.
NIKKI MCCLURE: Hey, Andrea. I brought you more calendars. Andrea Griffith is the store's owner. ANDREA GRIFFITH, Owner, Browsers Bookshop:Nikki's work, it feels like Olympia. It's so tied to the natural world and she's– I think she teaches us how to see things here. CAT WISE: Like many in Olympia, Griffith saysshe feels a connection to McClure and the life experiences she reveals through her art. ANDREA GRIFFITH: Last month's calendar wasan image of her son's boat sailing kind of.
Away because her son was going to college. He's leaving, so I think we're all a littlesad. NIKKI MCCLURE: I guess what I want peopleto come away with or to feel when they look at my work is a sense of place and to calmdown and slow down and to just take a moment. Our lives are so fast. Everything's just, you know, now, now, now,now, now that we forget even what time of season it is. The picture can transport them to a quiet,slow, still moment just for a brief second. CAT WISE: McClure has been working on illustrationsfor a new book, which will be released in.
March. For the “PBS NewsHour,” I'm Cat Wise in Olympia,Washington. GEOFF BENNETT: Remember, there's more online,including a look at a new ban on transition-related health care in Louisiana and the responsefrom trans kids and their families. That's at PBS.org/NewsHour. AMNA NAWAZ: And join us again here tomorrownight, when we'll delve into why the Biden administration is considering banning mentholcigarettes. 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 great evening.
