PBS News Hour - Full Show - February 16, 2026 - PBS News Hour full episode

Episode Date: February 17, 2026

Monday on the News Hour, Secretary of State Rubio gives Hungary's far-right prime minister a re-election boost, just days after trying to smooth over relations with other European allies. The Justice Department gives its reasoning for how it redacted the Epstein files. Plus, the partial government shutdown over Homeland Security funding drags on with no end in sight. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Good evening. I'm Amna Nawaz. Jeff Bennett is away. On the news hour tonight, Secretary of State Marco Rubio gives Hungary's far-right president a re-election boost just days after trying to smooth over relations with other European allies. The Justice Department gives its reasoning for how it redacted the Epstein files. And the partial government shutdown over Homeland Security funding drags on with no end in sight. We speak to Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries. have an opportunity to make bold, transformational, and meaningful changes in the law that will actually immediately impact how ICE agents are permitted to conduct themselves.

Welcome to the News Hour. America's top diplomat traveled to Hungary today and endorsed that country's far-right prime minister who's seeking his fifth straight term in office this April. Victor Orban has cracked down on the media, civil society, and weakened judicial independence in Hungary. At a news conference in Budapest, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the extraordinarily close relationship between President Trump and Orbán had tangible benefits. President Trump is deeply committed to your success because your successes are success. Orban has close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. And while Europe has ended or significantly reduced its reliance on Russian oil, Hungary refuses to cut back on the oil it buys from Russia.

President Trump has exempted Hungary from U.S. sanctions for those purchases. Rubio's meeting with Orban came after the Secretary of State addressed world leaders at the Munich Security Conference this weekend. Coming on the heels of Trump's threats to Greenland, Rubio tried to convey a reassuring message. We care deeply about your future and ours. And if at times we disagree, our disagreements come from our profound sense of concern about a Europe with which we're not. we are connected, not just economically, not just militarily. We are connected spiritually, and we are connected culturally. The fundamental question we must answer at the outset is what exactly are we defending?

Because armies do not fight for abstractions. Armies fight for a people. Armies fight for a nation. Armies fight for a way of life. And that is what we are defending, a great civilization, Acting together in this way we will not just help recover a sane foreign policy, it will restore to us a clear sense of ourselves. It will restore a place in the world.

And in so doing, it will rebuke and deter the forces of civilizational erasure that today menace both America and Europe alike. After the Secretary's speech, Nick Schiffran, who was in Munich, spoke to two senior European officials to get their reactions. with the Minister of Defense for Belgium, Theo Franken. Defense Minister, thank you very much. Welcome to the News Hour. You've described this year already as a storm.

You've referenced Venezuela. You've referenced, of course, the crisis over Greenland. Secretary Rubio came here to Munich, gave a speech that was described by the chairman of the conference as reassurance to European allies. Where do you think transatlantic relations are right now? I wrote a book about the history of NATO, and we have a marriage of 76 years old and we're in a crisis.

Since one year we're in a marriage crisis. And then you can, I'm married for 20 years and sometimes you have a fight and we had some fights the last couple of months, certainly on Greenland, we had a big fight. And I think that you can choose two ways or you do a divorce or you try to fix your marriage. And I think that in the main interest of the United States, of American people, and in European states and European people is to stay together, to stick together, because the threats, the storm is coming, is already there, and the threats are increasing. Some European officials I talk to say that Greenland was basically a turning point or almost a turning point, but that the lesson learned was that

Europe, United to push back on the United States, and that's why President Trump basically took an off-ramp on Greenland. Is that how you see it? I'm really an Atlantis thinker. I'm somebody who really loves America, American civilization. American people and I always defend you in my parliament, in my public opinion. But Greenland was the total red line. You cannot offend somebody by threatening the territorial integrity of a country. That is just a red line. You cannot do it. I mean it's an ally, such a good and decent ally like Denmark, you just can't do it.

So yeah, the pushback was really, really well coordinated. And I hope, I don't know, but... I see that the reaction now is like appeasing and saying, okay. From the U.S., you're saying to the U.S. So does that mean that the lesson that Europe has taken is actually that pushback works? Pushback worked in this specific situation with Greenland. And I think the message has really been clear, and the reaction is also clear. So Mr. Rubio now really opening up and saying, okay, we have our problems,

but we have our problems also in the United States, here are we problems in Europe. But we let's try to fix them together. And I think that for me, it is really a relief. And I think also for a lot of Europeans and a lot of American people that's saying, OK, and later I spoke to Kayakhalas, Europe's top diplomat about Secretary of State Marco Rubio's speech

here in Munich and the overall relationship between the U.S. and Europe. Kayakalas, thanks very much. Welcome back to the News Hour. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in his address to the Munich Security Conference said this of the United States and Europe, quote, our destiny will always be intertwined with yours and we want to do it together with you our oldest allies and our cherished friends. But his agenda that he laid out, including stopping immigration that has caused what he called European civilizational erasure and eliminating, quote, the global welfare state and the climate cult. the chairman of the Munich Security Conference said he was reassured.

Are you? The tone was different, that's for sure. And Vice President advanced last year. Yes, and also, I mean, there was some positive messages, exactly. I mean, we want to do this together with you. We have always been together, and we will be also together in the future. So that is the message that we heard. We don't always see eye to eye on issues, and we still think that, you know,

you know, if you're worried about migration, you should be also worried about the climate change because, you know, people will have to leave their host because they can't live there. So, you know, these are the debates that we definitely don't always agree. But I think in the bigger picture, the security issues, the message to us that we want to work with you, I think it's important. It does seem, though, that some European concerns that already existed of the Trump administration, certainly crescendoed after the Greenland crisis. And I noticed that French President Emmanuel Macron used a phrase at the Munich Security Conference.

He said, quote, we will de-risk vis-vis all the big powers in order to be much more independent. He did not say de-risk from China, right? That's the phrase he used clearly implying the United States. Is Europe de-risking from the United States? And what does that look like? I mean, we are strengthening our defense. We are really trying to get over over our dependence. because dependencies make us vulnerable and weak.

We are diversifying our trade relationships. We are also diversifying our defense and security partnerships. So that we are not putting all the eggs in the same basket because every The American basket. Whatever basket, meaning that we have been dependent on Russian energy. We learned the hard way that it's going to be very costly. Now we are also worried about, you know, you know, dependencies on technologies that come from China.

And, of course, in terms of security, we have been dependent now also on United States, and we are doing more to be more independent when it comes to security. One of the examples of perhaps Europeans thinking about de-risking for the United States is a conversation about nuclear deterrence. We heard from the Chancellor of Germany, Frederick Merritt, saying openly that he was talking to France about perhaps extending their nuclear deterrence. to Europe, I've talked to other foreign ministers who are certainly talking about that. Is that a sign that Europe does not have faith in the U.S. nuclear deterrent?

These discussions are out there. I don't think it's good for the overall peace of the world because these are very dangerous weapons. Not a good idea to even have the discussions? Or you're saying not an idea to extend nuclear weapons? Yes. I think, you know, the discussions are there. It's always good to have discussions, what are the options, really. But we are in this point where we are entering into a very dangerous world, where we might see more nuclear weapons. But at the same time, you know, I can understand where these countries are coming from.

Exactly the risks are higher. Let me ask about Alexei Navalny, the former Russian opposition figure who died in Russian detention. Five European countries have come out and said that he was poisoned, quote, with a lethal toxin found in poisoned dart frogs, in South America. What does that say about Vladimir Putin's Russia? Well, it says what we have always known. I mean, it is literally dictator's handbook. I mean, how you remain in power is that you eliminate all the potential competitors. You, you know, keep the oligars and the power structures happy, and you are staying in power. So that's very clear that he's operating like this.

He's killing his own people to stay in power. And finally on Ukraine, European intelligence officials hear brief reporters and said that Vladimir Putin is not negotiating in good faith. U.S. officials, as you know, believe they are making progress. Who's right? We see a strong push for peace, but it's one-sided. We have heard what Ukraine is willing to also concede, but Russians are just playing time and pretending to negotiate, so that's not really serious. They want to have absolute maximalist

goals, delivered by the Americans diplomatically what they haven't been able to conquer militarily. I don't know where this belief comes that actually there's progress made. Kayakhalis, thank you very much. Thank you. Federal and state law enforcement are still looking for Nancy Guthrie, the mother of today's show co-host Savannah Guthrie. Local police address rumors today that Guthrie family members may have been involved in her disappearance. In a statement, Pima County Sheriff said they've been cleared as possible suspects and that to suggest otherwise is not only wrong, it is cruel. But there is some hope that a found glove may contain DNA from a potential suspect. Stephanie Sy has more.

As the search for Nancy Guthrie enters its third week, her daughter Savannah made another heartfelt plea to whoever knows her mom's whereabouts. It is never too late to do the right thing. And we are here. We believe. Last week, the Today Show anchor posted a home video of her mom, captioned, We will never give up on her. Authorities continued to chase down leads after the 84-year-old was reported

missing on February 1st. The FBI said on Sunday that a glove found two miles from Nancy Guthrie's house appears to match those worn by the masked person caught on her porch camera. Let's just start with the glove. Is that a major break in its importance in being able to potentially find a suspect? I would say it is. Ray Johnson is a retired FBI special agent who now teaches law at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The fact that the glove was within a two mile radius of the house and the fact that they were able to extract DNA from that glove, taken as a totality and taking together, that gives me hope. Johnson said national databases could help narrow down a suspect. And if we can link it together with somebody who happened to match the description of the

offender, or be in the area, or some of the ring cameras that are constantly being sought after now for suspects, that helps us really get what we need for legal prosecution later and to get a answer as to what happened. It's still not clear what the motive behind Guthrie's apparent kidnapping was. Johnson says certain details of the case make it untraditional. It does not feel to me what a garden variety or a kidnapping for ransom would look like. In my experience, this feels more like a premeditated crime, either a burglary, either a robbery, something different than a true kidnapping, because if you're planning the kidnapping, you're already going to have those ransom, channels set up. Law enforcement is also now reportedly using a tracking device called a signal

sniffer. Mounted on a helicopter, it may be able to detect emissions from Nancy Guthrie's pacemaker. Savannah Guthrie's Today Show colleagues have rallied behind her. And in a call with the New York Post today, President Trump threatened the kidnapper with the most severe federal consequences if Nancy Guthrie is not returned safely. For the PBS News Hour, I'm Stephanie Sy. Also, today, a major winter storm is piling up snow in the mountains of Northern California and hitting much of the rest of the state with heavy rain and strong winds. In the Sierra Nevada, nearly a foot of snow had fallen by this morning, and forecasters say there is plenty more on the way.

Much of California is under winter storm warnings through Wednesday, and in those upper elevations, forecasters expect up to eight feet of snow. The meantime, residents in the center of the country are facing a very different problem, with fire warnings due to higher than expected temperatures, gusty winds, and dry conditions. In Georgia, a trial is underway for a man whose teenage son allegedly killed four people in a school shooting in 2024. It's the latest instance of officials trying to hold parents accountable for the actions of their children. During opening statements today, prosecutors said Colin Gray knew his son, then 14 years old, had an obsession with school shooters and suffered from deteriorating mental health.

This case is about this defendant and his actions. His actions in allowing a child that he has custody over, access to a firearm and ammunition after being warned that that child was going to harm others. Despite the warning signs, prosecutors say the Elder Gray still gifted his son a gun for Christmas. He's pleaded not guilty to 29 counts, including second-degree murder and cruelty to children. Two students and two teachers were killed in the shooting at Appalachie High School in September of 2024. Ukrainian and Russian officials are gathering in Geneva this week for the latest U.S. broker talks aimed at ending the war. The Kremlin said today that the negotiations will involve what it called the main issues,

such as the delicate question of how much territory it wants Ukraine to give up. Meanwhile, in Kyiv today, President, so good to see you. Thank you. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskyy welcomed two Democratic U.S. Senators and thanked them for Washington's support in the talks. This comes as the attacks from both sides continue. This weekend, Russian strikes in Ukraine's Odessa region

killed at least one person, with both Ukraine and Russia reporting further military attacks today. Meanwhile, supporters of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalovani, have been marking two years since his death in an Arctic penal colony. In Moscow, mourners laid flowers at his grave, as representatives from several European embassies paid their respects. The tributes come just days after five European nations released a joint statement saying that Navalny was poisoned with a rare toxin linked to poison dart frogs.

Navalny's mother, Ludmila Navalnya, says it proves he was murdered and called for accountability. Two years have passed, and we already know what he was poisoned with. Of course we want justice to prevail and for us to know all of their names. The Kremlin denied the latest poisoning allegations, calling them, quote, biased and unfounded. And the world of cinema has lost two giants. We start with documentary filmmaker and producer Frederick Wiseman. Next, let's go. In his directorial debut, Titicut Follies in 1967, Wiseman took an unsparing look at conditions

inside a mental hospital in Massachusetts. The title comes from the Variety Show put on by inmates. The film was banned for years, but eventually aired on PBS in the early 1990s once that ban was lifted. Weisman went on to create dozens of films over a nearly six-decade career that explored and sometimes exposed America's social and cultural institutions. He worked well into his 90s, and in 2016, he received an honorary Academy Award. His family announced his passing through Zipporah Films, the distribution company he founded in 1971.

Frederick Wiseman was 96 years old. Also tonight, one of Hollywood's most memorable legends, Robert Duval, has died. The Academy Award winner enjoyed a long and storied career, carving out a lane as both an unorthodox leading man and a supporting player in some of the greatest films in movie history. I love the smell of my pump in the morning. Over a career spanning more than 60 years, Robert Duvall became one of America's most respected and versatile actors in Hollywood history, known for his incredible range and command of the screen.

Clarence, take it easy. How the hell could I see it? It's just going on now. He got his start on an early classic, playing Boo Radley in 1936. 62's To Kill a Mockingbird, a wordless role in which he made a mark. A broad spectrum of films and roles follow. The villain opposite John Wayne and the epic American Western true grit. And the inept and often pompous major Frank Burns en masse.

Keep your filthy mouth to yourself. But it wasn't until the role of Tom Hagen for the Godfather, a concerned lawyer and conciliary for the Corleone crime family that would launch Duval's career. Even the shooting of your father was business, not personal, sonny. Well, I always knew after Godfather I would do maybe okay, but I knew that it might happen in 10 years after everybody else. And I was, somebody once said between 20 and 40, they're good actors.

After that, something happens in a negative way. So I always tried to remember that and think of myself in the potential. As I grow older, I have more experience, and I feel I have more to offer than I become. become a better performer. Duval was known for bringing naturalism to his roles. His ability to transform reached another high mark in 1979, when he played a tyrannical father and fighter pilot in the Great Santini. Hey, hey, hey, mom's boy. I bet you're going to cry.

That same year, some of his most memorable work in less than 20 minutes of total screen time, playing Lieutenant Colonel Kilgore in Apocalypse Now. Duval was nominated for seven Oscars, winning his only one for his performance as a washed-up country music star in the much quieter tender mercies. Then let me rest my head for a while. Duval also stepped behind the camera, writing and directing as well as starring in The Apostle as a deeply flawed preacher seeking redemption. The performance would earn him another Academy Award nomination.

He was nominated for multiple Emmys as well, including for one of his best. best roles in the miniseries Lonesome Dove as Ranger Gus McCrae. I'm giving you a reason to go off on another adventure. The show was a huge hit and set a new standard for television series. In all, Duval had more than 140 film and television acting credits and remained active into his 90s. His family said he died peacefully in his home in Virginia. Robert Duval was 95 years old.

to come. On the news hour, Tamara Keith and Amy Walter break down the latest political headlines. The greatest achievements and upsets halfway through the Winter Olympics. And an historian joins our PBS News podcast to ask a simple question about modern politics. What would Abraham Lincoln do? This is the PBS News hour from the David M. Rubenstein studio at WETA in Washington, headquarters of PBS News. Well, the fallout continues from the Epstein files. On Saturday, the Justice Department sent a letter to Congress that included a list of names of, quote, politically exposed persons mentioned in the files of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Our justice correspondent, Ali Rogan, has been digging into all of this and joins us now. So, Ali, let's start with that letter from the Justice Department.

It contains hundreds of names, very little context. Why did the DOJ release this now? So this letter was intended as a communication to Congress saying that they have released all the documents that are relevant to the... the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which required the release of these documents. Of course, we also know that there are another 2.5 million documents that are remaining secret. The law also required the DOJ to release this list of all government officials and politically exposed persons named or referenced in the files.

The DOJ says that's why they release this list, which contains about 280 names. But neither the Epstein law nor the DOJ defined what politically exposed actually mean. So there are a number of disparate names here with, as you said, very little context. It includes people that Epstein was never known to have met, including Princess Diana, Janice Joplin, Elvis Presley. The DOJ did note that might be because some people ended up in the files because they were part of press clippings that simply made their way into emails. Well, a number of lawmakers have been calling for more transparency from the Justice Department. What's their response to this? We heard over the weekend from both Congressman Roe-Kana

and Thomas Massey, who have been leaving the charge for more information. In a post on X, Kana said the DOJ was, once again, purposefully muddying the waters with this list that they've provided. And he called for three actions, release the full files, stop protecting predators, redact only the survivors' names. And Massey said the DOJ still has to produce internal documents explaining their decision-making over, declining to investigate or prosecute certain individuals. So, Amna, this seems far from over. Meanwhile, we know the fallout from this has spread overseas. There's been a number of people who faced backlash in Europe as the Epstein vows have been released.

The reaction here in the U.S. has been more muted, though. What do we know about that? In Europe, there does seem to be an Epstein domino effect in the U.K. We've seen Prime Minister Kier-Starmer lose an ambassador and two top aides because of their connections to Epstein. The former Prince Andrew is also under police investigations, royals and politicians in Sweden, Norway, France, Slovak. all coming under fire. So it does seem that while inclusion in the files is not an indication of any wrongdoing, the Court of Public Opinion in Europe has clearly been thoroughly rendered.

Redded its judgment here in the U.S., though, the backlash, as you said, has been quieter, and the departures and resignations have come from lower-profile people. Talent Executive Casey Wasserman announced he would be selling his firm due to his connections with Galeen Maxwell. Emma era White House counsel, Kathy Rumler, stepped down from her role as chief legal officer for Goldman Sachs following the release of her emails with Epstein. And Chairman of Hyatt Hotels, Tom Pritzker, said he deeply regrets his association with Epstein and Maxwell and that he is stepping down from his post immediately. But Omna, there are many other high profile political figures who are going about their business, including former Trump advisor and MAGA star Steve Bannon and Commerce Secretary Howard Ludnik. It's our justice correspondent, Ali Rogan, great reporting. Thank you. You bet. A partial government shutdown is underway. And with Congress out this week and unlikely to return until next week, many employees of agencies under the Department of Homeland Security will continue working without pay for the foreseeable future.

Congressman Hakeem Jeffries of New York is the top Democrat in the House, and I spoke with him this afternoon. Leader Jeffries, welcome back to the News Hour. Thanks for joining us. Thanks be with you. a funding deal now. We're in day three of another partial government shutdown. We know Congress is out all week. So does that mean that a shutdown is going to last at least that long? As Democrats, we continue to be ready, willing, and able to sit down with our Republican colleagues anytime, any place in order to make sure that we can get ICE under control. The American people deserve to have their taxpayer dollars used to make their life more affordable and not to

brutalize or kill them, as was tragically the case with Renee Nicole Good and Alex Priddy. And we simply believe as a value proposition that immigration enforcement in this country, it should be fair, it should be just, and it should be humane. Donald Trump promised to target violent felons who are here illegally. Instead, ICE has been targeting law-abiding immigrant families and brutalizing American communities. That's unacceptable. And that needs to change. In terms of where talks are to get to some kind of deal, though, we know Democrats put forward a list of demands last week. We saw a senior White House official on Thursday say that Democrats had rejected what they called their latest counter proposal. So for folks who are already

out there working without pay right now, what can you tell them about how much closer you are to a deal today compared to last week? Sorry unfortunate that Republicans have decided that they would prefer to shut down FEMA, shut down the Coast Guard, and shut down TSC. as opposed to actually getting ice under control, reining them in because the American people know they have gone too far and ensure that ICE and CBP behave like every other law enforcement agency in the country. That's the objective that we are trying to achieve. Now, there are several things, common sense, strong proposals that we've put on the table

that to date Republicans have rejected, including a requirement that judicial warrants be obtained before ICE agents can storm the homes of the American people or private property. We also believe that ICE agents, of course, should be trained, should have an excessive use of force policy that they adhere to, and that they shouldn't be able to target sensitive locations like schools and hospitals, houses of worship, and polling sites. And we finally believe, of course, in terms of some of the top line demands that we've made, is that there should be independent investigations whenever it is the case

that ICE agents or CBP agents break state and local law. Leader Jeffries, we've reported extensively on, I know that the Democrats demands on this case, but are you any closer to a deal? Have you talked to the White House in the last three days? I haven't had direct conversation with the White House.

My understanding, Donald Trump was down in Florida on the golf course yesterday, which is exactly what we saw from the president. during the 43-day Trump-Republican shutdown, a lack of seriousness as it relates to direct engagement between House Democrats and Senate Democrats. And as I've indicated, though there are staff-to-staff conversations, there have not been any principal-level discussions to date, either with the White House or with House and Senate Republican leaders. Can I put to you what your fellow Democrat,

Senator John Federman in Pennsylvania, has said about where things are? He pointed out that the shutdown really is not going to have an impact on ice, which saw a huge influx of funding from that so-called big, beautiful bill. He said, what's really doing, as you've pointed out, too, is forcing TSA workers to work without pay. FEMA could also be affected. So if ICE reforms are what you want to see here, how does a shutdown that doesn't really affect the agency get you there? First of all, we have until the end of the month to make sure that TSA agents don't miss a single paycheck, and that is our commitment as Democrats. And we need, of course, Republicans to join us with respect to TSA along with the Coast Guard and FEMA, the other agencies

that are part of the Department of Homeland Security. John Fetterman, of course, he knows that the one big ugly bill, which every single Democrat and every single in the House and the Senate voted against was an egregious piece of legislation that both ripped away Medicaid from about 14 million Americans, a trillion dollar cut to Medicaid, the largest. in American history. It stole food from the mouths of hungry children, seniors, and veterans with $186 billion cut to SNAP, which also happens to be the largest in American history, and then use that money to provide massive tax breaks to the GOP's billionaire donors and to create this $75 billion slush fund for untrained and mass ICE agents to be violently

unleashed in American communities. So yes, we do. have to address the dynamics related to the one big ugly bill. But at this moment, in the context of the appropriations battle that is in front of us, we have an opportunity to make bold, transformational, and meaningful changes in the law that will actually immediately impact how ICE agents are permitted to conduct themselves. That's House Democratic Leader of Hakeem Jeffries joining us today. Leader Jeffries, thank you. It's good to speak with you. Thank you. For more analysis of the partial shutdown and other political news on this president's day,

we turn now to our Politics Monday duo. That is Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter and Tamara Keith of NPR. It's great to see you both. And Tam, I'll start with you. You heard Leader Jeffries there say their demands have been rejected by Republicans, that there's been staff-to-staff communications, no talks between the principles. How do you see this deadlock ending? So I spoke with the senior White House official on Friday,

and I just want to read a quote. person says, ultimately, there will have to be a compromise. Now, that doesn't sound like breaking news, but that's different than the White House position was in the last government shutdown, where they were unwilling to negotiate and said Democrats just have to reopen the government. So I think that the posture is slightly different. There is an awareness that many in the public who may even support the president controlling the border and other things are not happy with the images they are seeing of ICE and CPB and the Americans who were killed in Minneapolis.

And so I think that there is a window here for something to happen. But as your interview just points out, like, these are not intense negotiations happening right now. Amy, what's your take on this? I mean, the demands Democrats are making here for ICE reforms are different than the health care subsidy extensions

they wanted in that last government shut down. seen differently by the public? Yeah, you know, I think for the first time in a long time, Democrats are coming into a conversation about immigration on the front foot rather than the back foot. And it is Republicans who really do have to deal with the fact that the policy, especially on ICE, is very, very unpopular. It's interesting you'll hear from, in your interview with Congressman Jeffries, leader Jeffries. Over the weekend, we had Senator Schumer as the leader of Democrats in the Senate, use this term common sense reform, talk a lot about the work they'd like with training officers.

When I see polling that's been put out there, one in particular, Democratic poll that came out the other week, this idea of training ICE better so that there will not be violent, you know, there won't be violence between ICE, and those who they are trying to apprehend is really pretty popular. And so I think Democrats are in a much different position today because of that, as well as the fact that when it comes to immigration, the lead person, the person who is always in focus is President Trump. This is seen as his immigration policy. It's going to be very hard to blame Democrats.

Republicans will have a hard time blaming Democrats if things fall apart. Tim, to that point, it is such a statement. signature issue for this president, what would it mean if he were to compromise or authorize compromise for his Senate and House Republicans? You know, President Trump is very good at spinning everything into a win. You saw Tom Homan talk about removing the surge in Minneapolis, and the way he talked about it was like, all right, mission accomplished, moving on. So I think that President Trump is not going to have a hard time necessarily selling this to voters, certainly not to selling it to his base. They are

willing to give him a lot of leeway. And some of the things that they're talking about are like body-worn cameras for ICE agents and Border Patrol. And, you know, you had the heads of those agencies in Congress, in testimony, saying, please, we want this, give us this. So I think that there are areas where the White House can credibly spin it. as a win if there is a compromise. I want to get both of your takes, meanwhile, on the latest on this release from the Epstein files. Amy, as Ali was reporting earlier, we've not seen the kind of accountability here in the U.S.

that some European leaders have been subjected to. There's this new letter now from the DOJ that went to Congress from the perspective of the general public. Is all of this of interest? Does it hold a place of importance? Well, what's really interesting watching Democrats react the other week to Senator John Ossoff. He's a senator from Georgia. He gave a campaign speech the other day. And what he did was to make a link between the Epstein files and voters' frustration with their day-to-day living

concerns, with the feeling that the middle class has been left behind. And here's what he said. He said, we were told MAGA was for working class Americans, but this is the government of, by and for the ultra-elite. This, he said, is the Epstein class, referring to the Trump administration. the elites, they pretend to hate. And I think you're going to hear that term a lot on the campaign trail, this idea that the folks who were, it's not just whether you were named or not in the Epstein files, but this idea that this is an administration, much like those who were in the Epstein files that are much more concerned about protecting elites, protecting wealthy people, than looking out for the day-to-day concerns of Americans. I think that is how it's going to be

shaped for this upcoming midterm election. Pam, what's your take? Yeah, I have to agree with Amy that, you know, part of the reason that American politics are where they are right now is a distrust of the elites. And what these files do, if nothing else, is sort of confirm for people their priors that the elites aren't really working for the working people. I mean, well, I need to escape reality for just a moment with both of you. While we have you on this president's day, because Tam, you have this wonderful report

I want to ask you about which you talked about on this president's day, your favorite fictional president and why. Please tell us more. Yes, my favorite fictional president is President Thomas J. Whitmore, Bill Pullman in Independence Day. Yes. And he delivers one of the greatest presidential addresses of all time as they prepare, a global force prepares to take on the aliens. The reason I love this is it's escapist. There's no nuance. There's no, you know, you don't have.

have to have complicated feelings about this president, like people have about every other real president, you can just go kick the aliens' butts. Amy, you have 30 seconds left. Do you have a favorite fictional president? So here's the thing, you guys, in my spare time, I like to not watch much about politics. I spend way too much of my real life on politics. When I want to escape, Tam, I go to really, really, really far away from politics. I think that's probably good advice for us all. Amy Walter and Tamara Keith, always great to see you, Bo. Thank you so much.

You're welcome. You're welcome. All right, let's turn now to the Winter Olympics, and there are some spoilers ahead. In the women's bobsled, Elena Myers-Taylor won the gold, and her American teammate, Kay Lee Humphreys, took bronze. Myers-Taylor has now won six medals in her crew. career, tying with Bonnie Blair as the most decorated U.S. female athlete in Winter Olympics history. Eileen Gou, American-born but competing for China, won silver in what's known as the Free Ski Big Air event.

She was edged out for the gold by Canada's Megan Oldham. As for the medal leaderboard, the U.S. is now in third place with 19 medals total. Norway leads with 28, and Italy is second with 23. Liz Landers has a look now at how Team USA is doing overall. including the disappointment for Ilya Malinen and a gold medal rematch in women's hockey between the U.S. and Canada. Indeed, I'll note one of the most shocking moments was when American figure skating sensation, Elia Malanin, who's been nicknamed the quad god and was favored to win gold, stumbled twice during the free skate, leaving him with eighth place.

He posted on social media about the, quote, invisible battles that he has been dealing with, which concerned some of his fans. I'm joined now by Christine Brennan, who's been covering the Winter Olympics for USA Today. Christine, thanks so much for joining us. Oh, my pleasure, Liz. Thank you. Let's start with Elia Malinen. He was favored to win gold in the men's free skate. He ended up in eighth place.

And Monday morning, he shared on Instagram saying, quote, vile online hatred attacks the mind and fear lures it into the darkness. What do you think happened in that free skate? Was it a technical issue or was it meant? He said right afterwards, Liz, that it was mental as he was doing interview after interview, calmly, patiently, kindly answering every question over and over again. Remarkable. Remarkable display for a 21-year-old who had just had the worst performance of his young career. But he talked about the mental aspect. And I've covered him through really the length of his time at the top of the sport

the last four years. His last skater, he had a nice lead. All he needed to do was a few quads and he would have that Olympic gold medal. And he looked so nervous. You could see it in his face. He was breathing deeply. He was looking over at his father, who's his coach, and looking for reassurance. So it was clear to me when he came out onto that ice that the pressure of the Olympics was extraordinary. And if anyone, as you watch the Olympics on TV, if you wonder, how difficult is it? How much pressure is it? Well, there's your answer. Because Elia Malinin was a lock to win the gold. You know, He's been skating great for a year. He hadn't lost since 2023. So you could see how this young man crumbled under the pressure. So difficult to watch. Such a tough thing, but also his honesty and the way he's handled that has been remarkable. And I think uplifting for a lot of people who are worried about him. The U.S. women's hockey team just put up a dominant performance against Sweden. They had a shutout, five to zero. What is next for this team on their way to maybe winning a gold medal?

Exactly. Well, it is the finals. That's where we expected them to be, this really superb U.S. women's hockey team, and that is exactly where they will be now. And it's so interesting because they have won two goals in the up to this point seven Olympic tournaments. This is the eighth involving women's hockey at the Olympics. And the Canadians have won the other five. So the idea of the U.S. and Canada, you know, just squaring off. And one of the other, you know, probably is going to win it. But the United States a week ago absolutely dominated Canadians in early round action five to nothing. That's the same score of the U.S. beat Sweden today here at the Olympics. So this team has veterans, Hillary Knight, Kendall Koyne and younger players, and they seem to be a juggernaut. Switching to a different sport, speed skater, Jordan Stoltz, has been grabbing headlines after he won the 1,500-meter races capturing gold in both of those. There was a bit of a wonky start in one of those. How did he set an Olympic record in that race? Because he's better than

anybody else. And he's peaking at the exact right moment. You know, we talked about pressure with Ilya Malinin. And Jordan Solz and Elium Alinin, and we're both born in 2004. Jordan Soles is about seven months older than Elia Malin. So these are young men facing incredible pressure. Solz had an Olympics before. So he did not, he has one gains under his belt in 2022 in Beijing. And, And now he has become the first man since Eric Hayden to win both the 500 and the thousand in the same Olympic Games. And Eric Hayden, of course, did that with his five gold medals in Lake Placid in 1980. Stolls has two more events.

If he goes four for four, he will have achieved his great dream. Although that ice is slippery, you never know. But he is right now is truly on a role. And I think everyone is just enjoying watching one of these superlative performances of these Olympic games. Despite some of these highlights that we've seen from Team USA, we've also seen some disappointments. And there's a metal count battle with the host country, Italy, who's at number two with Norway leading in first place. Where do you see Team USA heading? The last four Olympics, going up, actually the last five Olympics, the U.S. has had nine goals.

medals when it ended. Going all the way back to Salt Lake City, U.S. can get to nine gold at this Olympics as well. But you're right. When you look at, you know, Lindsey Vaughn, whether she would have won the gold or not, but clearly that story riveting in the first few days of the Olympics, but obviously ultimate disappointment and injury, of course, for Lindsay Vaughn. And then Madison Chalk and Evan Bates, fruit time world champions, gold medal favorites and ice dance did not win the gold. They won the silver. The U.S. did win the team competition and figure skis. And but there have been, you know, again, others right now, Michaela Schifrin. We'll see how it goes with the slalom in a couple of days, but she has not won a medal.

And, of course, she was such a star in 2014 and then 2018. And it's gone through, been so honest about her struggles over the last few years. But there's still, the U.S. is still doing fine. And with hockey and Jordan Stolls, and of course, there could be other events, the U.S. I think is going to hang in there. But you're right about Italy in the first few days. They actually surpassed their greatest winner Olympic total going back to Lillahomber in 1994. So the Italians are celebrating as only Italians can. They are loving these Olympics.

They are just pouring it on, getting medals everywhere from the mountains to figure skating and everywhere in between. And that often happens for a host country where you've put all that effort, the pride, the support of the home nation. It's a home game, obviously. And Italy is certainly showing that when you have, have that home field advantage or home ice advantage or home snow advantage, they're taking a total advantage of it and clearly having the games of the entire nation, you know, just something

that they've never seen quite like this before. Christine Brennan of USA Today, thank you so much for sharing your Olympic reporting with us. Oh, my pleasure. Thank you, Liz. As we mark President's Day, our podcast, Settle in, asks a simple question. What would Abraham Lincoln do? A substack by historian Matthew Pinsker uses that question as a framework to explore modern politics. He spoke recently with Jeff Bennett about that and his new book, Boss Lincoln, which examines how Lincoln still shapes our country today. If he were watching politics today, what do you think would surprise him most about our political parties? And what do you think wouldn't surprise him at all? I don't know if he would be surprised, but I think he would be depressed.

that people seem to be losing faith in democracy. After 250 years, after recovering from the trauma of the Civil War, I think he would expect people to have more faith in their creed. That's part of the reason why I think in my substack I focus on what would Lincoln do. In my classroom, in my public speeches in the book, in everything I'm doing, I'm trying to remind people the reason why Lincoln called this the last best hope of earth. I mean, democracy is not the Greek word for perfect, okay? But it might as well be the Greek word for disagreement.

And people should not be demoralized by disagreements, even ones that have high stakes, even ones that feel angry. People in America have always been angry. And that doesn't have to mean the end of the republic. And if everyone would just kind of remember that, we would all be in a better place. That's good advice. The idea that's straight from Lincoln. Yeah.

Well, that was my next question. I was going to ask this idea of what would Lincoln do. What's the framework you use to determine what, in fact, he would do? Well, when he became president, of course, seven states seceded from the Union in opposition in protest against his election as an anti-slavery president. So these are seven states in the Deep South that have slavery and they put slavery above country. But there are 15 slave states in the Union in 1861. And Lincoln uses his inaugural to speak to the eight. that are still within the union. The majority of slave states are still there.

And he tells them essentially, he says, secession is the essence of anarchy. And then in the next sentence, he basically defines union. He says a majority held in restraint by constitutional checks and limitations is the only true sovereign of a free people. Anything else, you fly to anarchy or despotism. And so what he's telling people is

that the union, that he's trying to save, It's not the compact of states like the Confederates are saying. And it's not just a platitude for we the people. It's the union between the winners and losers in the election. And he's trying to reassure those eight slave states that even though he's anti-slavery, he will respect the constitutional limitations that protect their rights as slaveholders. And it wasn't enough to win over those eight states, but it split them. Four stayed within the union.

and four join the Confederacy. If he had lost all eight, the Confederacy would have won that war. And so it was a great accomplishment, even though it wasn't enough to prevent bloodshed. Yeah. As you said, your substack invites these historical comparisons. What would Lincoln do? How would he look upon January 6th as an insurrection, a political failure, or something else? I mean, there's no doubt that he would have looked on it as an insurrection because he dealt with it in his own

time, they didn't have the count for the electoral vote on January 6th. Their count was on February 13th. The inaugural was in March. And Lincoln wrote letters to subordinates warning them that it was a dangerous moment, that the forces for secession might try to disrupt the count. And he was planning for it. He also worried about the possibility of disruption during the inaugural. He understood how grave those kind of disruptions could be. He took nothing for granted. But when I show my students the picture of the man from Delaware who was carrying the Confederate flag through the Capitol on January 6th, I asked them what they think Lincoln would see, what they see. And, you know, I get a variety of answers. But I end that discussion by saying what Lincoln would see is Americans, even though he thought they would be misguided, even though he clearly would have thought January 6 was an insurrection or an attempt.

insurrection, he would still think of them with malice toward none and try to find a way to reconnect, to persuade, to rebind that union that was shattered on January 6th. And I know people have tried, and yet we still need to keep trying, because that bond is still freight. The symbolic weight of that man with a Confederate flag in the Capitol, given that that was the very thing that Lincoln fought against, he tried to guard against. you think he would see that man as an American? I do. Absolutely. Look, he was the one who offered amnesty to the Confederates.

Now, the difference between his amnesty and Trump's pardon of the January 6 rioters is that Lincoln made a conditional. This is boss Lincoln at his best. They not only had to pledge future loyalty to the Constitution, they also had a pledge loyalty to all the anti-slavery proclamations and statutes that had been adopted during the war. He understood that he had to leverage his offer of forgiveness. for their recognition that slavery was dead. And that's how amnesty proceeded during the Civil War. That's why he was able to say with malice toward none. We can provide charity for all if you acknowledge the wrongheadedness of your views.

And that's not easy for people. Kevin Seafreid was the name of the man who carried that Confederate flag on January 6th. When he was sentenced, he expressed remorse. He brought with him his son, who was the age of my. students on that day. He also expressed remorse. Now that they've been pardoned, I hope they still feel that remorse. But I'm not sure they do because the pardon that President Trump offered was just a blanket sweeping pardon. He calls them victims. Now, I don't think Lincoln would see them as victims, but he would still see them as Americans. And you can find that full episode of Settlein and

more on our PBS News YouTube page or wherever you get your podcasts. And that is the NewsHour for tonight. I'm Omna Nawaz. On behalf of the entire NewsHour team, thank you for joining us.