thank you. >> sreenivasan: good evening and thank you for joining us. today marks two years since the novel coronavirus led to an unprecedented lockdown of the central chinese city of wuhan. as the world enters the third year of a pandemic that has killed more than 5.5 million people, life in some places at least resembles a time before covid. even in the midst of a new variant-fueled wave, here in the u.s., the development of vaccines has provided some protection from many of the worst fears: unavailable i.c.u. beds, strict lockdowns, and death. but despite its widespread availability, nearly 20% of americans approved to get a covid vaccine have not received a single dose according to centers for disease control and prevention data. and there has been significant opposition to vaccine mandates. today, thousands marched to the lincoln memorial as part of an anti-vaccine mandate event. many speakers struck an anti- vaccine message. >> healthy children should not be forced to subject to vaccinations. ( cheers ) >> sreenivasan: the m-r.n.a. covid vaccines

thank you. >> sreenivasan: good evening and thank you for joining us. this morning, millions of people across the northeast woke up to snow totals ranging from just a few inches to almost three feet, after a fierce winter storm walloped the region. a major nor'easter struck on friday and saturday from virginia all the way to maine, with wind gusts over 70 miles an hour in some areas. massachusetts bore the brunt of the blizzard with parts of the state seeing 30 ches of snow. this morning more than 62,000 residents there were experiencing power outages in the midst of bitter wind chills falling below zero. on cape cod, strong winds pulled power lines to the ground and coastal flooding left roads covered in slush, with salt water freezing over and wrapping cars in ice. boston tied its record for biggest single-day snowfall, yesterday seeing 23.6 inches. roads from maine to connecticut to rhode island were barely visible. in new york, two tractor trailers overturned on i-95 yesterday. a massive clean up is underway there and in new jersey, whe the storm hi

thank you. >> sreenivasan: good evening, and thank you for joining us. e largest city in kazakhstan is under tightened security today. after a week of deadly protests in the central asian country, the russian defense ministry released ftage of russian soldiers and equipment arriving in kazakhstan today. the deployment comes at the request of kazakhstan's president and is part of a russian-led post-soviet military alliance. kazakhstan occupies a stratec spot between russia, china, and several former soviet republics. and in almaty, the former capital in the southeastern part of the country, there was a large police and army presence on the streets. protests that started in the western part of the country over increased energy prices, spread, and became violent. government buildings and vehicles were burned, more than 4,000 people have been detained, and at least 26 protesters and 18 police officers have been killed. president kassym-jomart tokayev said yesterday that police should "shoot to kl" protesters in the biggest uprising since the country became i

and that's donald trump. >> sreenivasan: wow. so, is there anything that joe biden can do, or what does he do to improve his prospects? >> well, the first thing that would be helpful is if covid finally got under control, because it's making thentire country just basically unhappy and frustrated and annoyed, and that's never good for an incumbent. beyond that, i think he has to be, and to remind his party and the country about what has been accomplished. instead of havg democrats complain about what hasn't been done, on voting rights or on build back better, he's got to say, look, we have this big infrastructure bill. we had an american rescue plan. we've got unemployment way down. and go around the country, to purple and even red stat, saying, i know you may not vote for me, but here's what we have done, in the face of opposition from the people you have sent to congress. and lastly, i think it would be really significant for biden to keep donald trump front and center in the minds of democrats, because nothing will unite the de

thank you. >> sreenivasan: good evening, and thank you for joining us. a winter storm packing near hurricane force winds and heavy snow hit the northeast today, creating blinding blizzard conditions in some areas. ten states from maine to virginia felt the effects of the noreaster, with the worst conditions along the coast. officials warned drivers to stay off the roads, including in rhode island where all non-emergency travel is banned until further notice. in several major cities, including philadelphia and new york city, residents woke up to several inches of often blowing and drifting snow. boston is expected to get hit with up to two feet of snow by the time the storm exits the region late today. according to the web site flightaware, hundreds of flights going into and out of those cities were canceled today. as of this afternoon, more than 4,600 flights were canceled nationwide. over 100,000 homes and businesses in massachusetts lost power due to the storm. governors in massachusetts and several other states declared a state of emergency. today, ne

thank you. >> sreenivasan: good evening and thank you for joining us. the four people held hostage for more than ten hours yesterday at a texas synagogue, are safe and unharmed. today the f.b.i. identified the hostage taker as malik faisal akram, a 44-year-old british citizen. hours after the man first appeared at the synagogue yesterday during services, one of the hostages was released in the late afternoon. a specialized f.b.i. hostage rescue team continued negotiating, but at about 9:00 p.m. agents breached the synagogue, freeing the remaining three people. law enforcement officials said akram was shot and killed after the hostages were out of the building, but did not say who shot him. in a statement, the f.b.i. said there s no evidence anyone else was involved. this afternoon, at a service event marking martin luther king day, president joe biden was asked about the investigation. >> they did one hell of a job. this was an act of terror. this was an act of terror. i put a call into the rabbi. we missed one another on the way up here, but they shoul

thank you. >> sreenivasan: good evening and thank you for joining us. starting today, private insurers are required to cover the cost of up to eight at-home covid rapid tests per person enrolled in a plan per month. on wednesday, those without private insurance will also be able to get free tests using a federal government website. every home in the u.s. will be eligible to order four tests online at covidtests.gov. the white house said a half- billion tests will be available and will be shipped within 7-12 days. as of today, the "new york times" tracking project shows 800,000 new cases being reported on average day. there arnow about 150,000 people hospitalized with the coronavirus, more than at any time in the pandemic. but that number includes people with minor symptoms who are being hospitalized for other reasons. doctor jeremy faust is an emergency room physician at brigham and women's hospital in boston. so, dr. faust, here we are two years into this,e are still hearing about hospital systems that are overwhelmed this long into this pandemic. i me

thank you. >> sreenivasan: good evening and thank you for joining us. the biden administration is downplaying expectations for its security talks with russia that begin tomorrow in geneva. topping the agenda for the bilateral meeting is the buildup of russian forces near the border with ukraine. in interviews today, secretary of state antony blinken said that he did not expect any breakthroughs, and called for de-escalation. >> we're going to listen to their concerns. they'll listen to our concerns, and we'll see if there are grounds for progress. but, to make actual progress, it's very hard to see that happening when there's an ongoing escalation, when russia has a gun to the head of ukraine with 100,000 troops near its borders, the possibility of doubling that on very short order. >> sreenivasan: while u.s. officials say they are willing to make some concessions, including limiting offensive rockets in ukraine, they are also warning that russia would face severe sanctions if it intervenes in ukraine. russia is seeking security guarantees that the u.s.

captioning sponsored by wnet >> sreenivasan: on this edition for sunday, january 30: the northeast digs out after the first major snow storm of the year. jeff greenfield on what to watch for in politics this week. and singer-songwriter tori amos on loss and regeneration. >> sreenivasan: next on “pbs newshour weekend.” >> pbs newshour weekend is made possible by: sue and edgar wachenheim iii. bernard and denise schwartz. the cheryl and philip milstein family. the anderson family fund. the estate of worthington mayo-smith.

captioning sponsored by wnet >> sreenivasan: on this edition for sunday, january 23: two years on, covid cases continue to spike and ebb globally. a check-in on venezuela where hopes for democracy wane. and darryl mcdaniels of hip hop group run dmc on his children's book “darryl's dream.” next, on pbs newshour weekend. >> pbs newshour weekend is made possible by: sue and edgar wachenheim iii. bernard and denise schwartz. the cheryl and philip milstein family. the anderson family fund. the estate of worthington mayo-smith. leonard and norma klorfine.

captioning sponsored by wnet >> sreenivasan: on this edition for sunday, january 9: ukraine tops the agenda for tomorrow's direct talks between the united states and russia. how a guaranteed monthly check makes a big difference for black mothers in mississippi. and punk rock legend kathleen hanna inspires a new generation of musicians and feminists. ♪ ♪ ♪ next on “pbs newshour weekend.” >> pbs newshour weekend is made possible by: sue and edgar wachenheim iii. bernard and denise schwartz. the cheryl and philip milstein family. the anderson family fund.

captioning sponsored by wnet >> sreenivasan: on this edition for sunday, january 16: all hostages are safe after an hrs long standoff at a texas synagogue. a winter storm brings snow and ice to the eastern united states. and the economic and environmental impacts of a changing climate in iraq. next on “pbs newshour weekend.” >> pbs newshour weekend is made possible by: sue and edgar wachenheim iii. beard and denise schwartz. the cheryl and philip milstein family. the anderson family fund. the estate of worthington mayo-smith. leonard and norma klorfine. the rond

i'm miael hill, in for hari sreenivasan. as the first anniversary of the attack on the u.s. capitol approaches, the congressional panel investigating the failed january 6 insurrection plans to hold televised hearings and go public with its findings, according to the associated press. the committee's seven democrats and two republicans have spent the past six months collecting information and holding closed door hearings on the attack. the committee is focusing on any role that former president donald trump and his allies may have played in their failed attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. today, republican representative liz cheney, the january 6 committee's vice chair, warned her fellow republicans that the former president still poses a threat to democracy. >> we, as republicans, have a choiceo make. i am a conservative republican, i believe strongly in the policies of low taxes and limited government and a strong national defense. i think the country needs a strong republican party going forward, but our party has to choose. we can either be

i'm michael hill, in for hari sreenivasan. happy new year! we'll have some of our favorite 2021 stories from the newshour weekend team, but we begin with the start of the new year. around the world, peop celebrated the beginning of 2022, despite a record number of new covid-19 cases, driven, in large part, by the omicron variant. many cities held new year's eve celebrations for the first time since 2020. new york city held its traditional new year's eve ball drop. and, just after midnight, eric adams took the oath of office as new york city's 110th mayor. the rapid increase in covid-19 cases also affected travel again today, as at least 2,500 flights across the country were canceled due to staff shortages and weather-- the highest number of airline cancellations in a single day since the start of the holiday season. as of yesterday, the "new york times" reported the worldwide infection rate doubled in two weeks, with an average of more than 1.3 million new cases reported every day. and, the 14-day infection rate in the u.s. tripled, averaging