Things are getting cheaper, but the rent is not getting cheaper and their food is not getting cheaper, of course, theyre going to feel bad. Amna and, hungarys farright Prime Minister viktor orban visits the united states, meeting former President Trump, but not President Biden. Major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. And friends of the newshour, including jim and nancy milner, and the robert and virginia schiller foundation. On an american cruise line journey, along the legendary mississippi river, travelers explore Civil War Battlefields and historic riverside towns. Aboard our fleet of american riverboats, you can experience local culture and cuisine, and discover the music and history of the mighty mississippi. American cruise lines. Proud sponsor of pbs newshour. The john s. And james l. Knight foundation, fostering informed and engaged communities. More at kf. Org. And with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. And friends of the newshour. This program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting, and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. Stephanie im stephanie sy with newshour west. Here are the latest headlines. President biden is on the road tonight, hoping to build momentum for his reelection after last nights state of the Union Address. His first stop this afternoon was philadelphia. His Campaign Said its the start of a sweep through the major swing states. The president told supporters hes ready to take the fight to former President Trump. Tomorrow, he heads south for a Campaign Appearance in atlanta. The Senate Passed a group of spending bills this evening, averting a partial Government Shutdown that would have begun at midnight. President biden is expected to sign the 460 billion package. Congress is negotiating a second series of spending bills to fully fund the government by a march 22 deadline. Former President Trump has posted a 92 million bond to cover a defamation judgment in new york. That filing today lets him put off actually paying the penalty while he appeals. A jury found he sexually abused the writer e. Jean carroll in 1996, and then falsely accused her of lying about it. The former president also consolidated his grip on the Republican Party as its National Committee approved his leadership team. North Carolina Party chair Michael Whatley was voted in as rnc chair. Mr. Trumps daughterinlaw lara trump will become the national cochair. The trump team has promised not to use rnc funds to pay his legal bills. The nations jobs market put up healthy numbers in february. The Labor Department reports employers added a net of 275,000 positions, up nearly 50,000 from january. At the same time, the Unemployment Rate hit 3. 9 as more people began looking for work. And, hourly wages had their smallest gain in more than two years, which could help lower inflation further. Efforts to get humanitarian aid into gaza intensified today. The European Union announced a ship loaded with supplies could arrive this weekend. The vessel will sail from cyprus in a pilot operation for a maritime corridor extending more than 200 nautical miles. Today, the european commissions president ursula von der leyen inspected preparations at larnaca in cyprus. She said its critical to act now. The humanitarian situation in gaza is dire with innocent palestinian families and children desperate for basic needs. And this is why europe is financing a major humanitarian aid effort for palestinians in gaza and in the region. Stephanie President Biden announced plans last night to build a temporary pier to move more aid in gaza. The pentagon said today it will take several weeks to get the facility up and running. A u. N. Report blamed iran today for crimes against humanity in the death of mahsa amini and the crackdown on her supporters in 2022. The investigation found physical violence led to aminis death for allegedly violating rules on wearing headscarves. Nationwide protests erupted into the streets. The report found the ensuing crackdown used everything from extrajudicial shootings to sexual assaults. More than 500 iranians were killed. Todays International Womens day was marked by calls to action. Supporters of womens rights in spain and across europe rallied for gender equality, and women in afghanistan staged a rare protest against taliban restrictions. Rallygoers in turkey demanded basic rights. The pressure on women is not just physical, it is psychological, economic, even digital. We are fighting against all kinds of violence. We still have not gained equal labor and wage rights. We still have not received our most basic rights. We do not have our freedom in this country. Stephanie in france, supporters marked the day by formally inscribing the right to abortion in its constitution after lawmakers approved it on monday. The Biden Administration won a round today in a legal fight over immigration. A federal judge in texas upheld a program to admit 30,000 migrants a month from cuba, haiti, nicaragua and venezuela on humanitarian grounds. Texas and 20 other states argued its an economic burden on them. Theyre expected to appeal. A federal jury in new york has convicted the former president of honduras, juan orlando hernandez, of helping to funnel tons of cocaine into the u. S. The verdict came two years after hernandez was extradited to the u. S. Prosecutors said he took millions of dollars in bribes from drug traffickers. He could get life in prison when he has a hearing in june. The u. S. Military has cleared its workhorse osprey aircraft to return to duty. The entire fleet of several hundred ospreys was grounded in december after a fatal crash in japan. The osprey hovers like a helicoptor and flies like a plane, but its had a history of deadly crashes. Officials say theyre imposing new safety measures. Oregon is poised to roll back parts of a law that decriminalized drug possession, making it once again a crime to possess small amounts of hard drugs. Governor tina kotek has said she will sign legislation that reinstates misdemeanor drug possession and expands funding for treatment. Oregon decriminalized drugs in 2020. Since then, Overdose Deaths have soared. And a passing of note. The japanese anime artist who created the hugely popular dragon ball has died after suffering a cerebral blood clot. Akira toriyama began the dragon ball manga, or comic, series in 1984. It grew into video games, films, and Television Adaptations and heavily influenced japanese anime. Akira toriyama was 68 years old. Still to come on the newshour, david brooks and Jonathan Capehart weigh in on the weeks political headlines. The sound designer of the zone of interest discusses his oscarnominated work on the film. And, much more. This is the pbs newshour from wbt a studios in washington and from weta studios in washington and in the west from walter k cronkite arizona university. Geoff todays latest jobs report is proof again of a labor market that has been resilient and often stronger than expected. That was part of the president s message during the state of the union last night as well. But, Many Americans dont feel the economy is strong overall or helping them or their families. A number of polls have shown this, including one from the New York Times this week that found 51 of americans believe the countrys Economic Conditions are poor right now. Why the disconnect . Economics correspondent paul solman explains. I think if you talk to the average person on the street, they will say the economy is not doing well. And i tend to agree. Paul seth reed is an esl teacher in northern virginia. I am doing fine, but still living paychecktopaycheck. Paul Alyssa Gonzalez has the tree like lori in denver. I have accepted more of a realistic view of the world where things are not going to get better. Paul nonprofit organizer ari hanks was the must succinct. I dont feel great. Paul but how can they say that if the economy has been doing so well . Low unemployment, inflation easing. There are social media videos every day. Paul kyla scanlon is a writer, social media personality, and demystifyer of economics. I am getting hundreds of comments a day asking about how people are perceiving the economy because i will do a video like inflation is going down, the market is ok, and people are like, i feel really bad. Paul the word she coined for what she was hearing, vibecession. It is a disconnect between Consumer Sentiment and economic data, and why people feel bad about the economy despite the metrics telling them the economy is doing ok. Paul in fact, the Consumer Sentiment index has noticeably improved, says one economist. People seem more willing to admit that that long nightmare of the postpandemic recession and hard times and recovery behind us, and people seem more willing to accept that things are doing ok. Paul but Many Americans say they are unhappy with the economy. Why the disconnect . The key reason for a lot of people, prices are still higher than they were precovid. Seth reed used to shop at safeway right next to his apartment. Now he drives to aldi for less expensive groceries. Everything is going up in price. Paul but lower inflation doesnt mean lower prices. It just means prices are rising more slowly than they were, scanlon explains. If you are thinking that inflation going down means prices are going down, you going to be very confused when you go to the store and your box of cereal is not cheaper. But i heard on the media that inflation is going down. What is going on . Paul well, cereal prices barely budged this past year but rose more than 25 during the pandemic, and still are not back to where they were precovid. Same for eggs, which nearly tripled, but at todays average of 2. 50 a dozen, double what they were precovid. Alyssa gonzalez looks at cheaper items. Canned foods, boxed foods. 12 pack of ramen noodles because it gets the job done. Paul and food manufacturers themselves have pushed Prices Higher than their costs, says scanlon. They are out there raising prices and they are telling you that, in their earnings reports. We are going to expand our profits. Paul this is socalled greedflation. Firms taking advantage of Consumer Expectations that prices will keep going up and why wouldnt they . Duh, they are going to do that. They are companies. That is their goal, to make a bunch of money. Paul then, there is shrinkflation, firms charging the same for what is a lesser quantity. Here are recent examples flagged by consumer world. You are getting less and paying more. The divot at the bottom of sauce containers is becoming more so youre getting less sauce. It is ridiculous, to be honest. Paul there is one group especially sensitive to food prices, the least well off, who spend more of their budget on food. They are not able to make ends meet. Paul eric hicks runs a denver area food bank. There are members coming to Access Services and unable to pay for the rising prices in groceries and food and other resources. Paul get this cheaper food went up at twice the rate of Premium Foods during the pandemic. But to scanlon, the real killer is housing. House prices have gone up, mortgage rates, and peoples rents. When you tell them that things are getting cheaper but their rent is not getting cheaper and their food is not getting cheaper, of course they are going to feel that. It feels a little daunting to know i will be renting for a while and renting price is going up so much every year. Paul for Alyssa Gonzalez, Home Ownership is out of the question. I dont believe i will be able to buy a house. It is something i have just accepted. Paul so many face additional financial stressors, with the end of covid checks and a higher cost of borrowing. Then, there is the renewal of student debt payments. Gonzalez has over 100,000 worth. If i factor that into my normal bills of close to 2000 a month for just rent, then groceries and all the other things, it is not feasible. Paul not feasible for gonzalez to pay back her student loans. It sucks because i am not ever going to be able to pay off that debt, and it is one of the things that impacts me with my credit and being a Business Owner and being able to apply for loans or get cars or anything like that. It kind of feels unsolvable, but it is so big of a problem there is nothing i feel like i can do about it. Paul even yuppies feel worse than they did during covid. The yuppie lifestyle subsidy was in full force. Airbnb was cheap, food delivery apps were cheap. Paul but not anymore, so brett meads fellow yuppies feel worse off. I think they feel worse because their costofliving has gone up. Paul but others think Something Else is driving the pessimism. The way people answer these Public Opinion poll questions has fundamentally changed. What they tend to say instead of, here are what i have read and what i have seen around me, they think, is my team winning right now . My team being republicans or democrats. Those who lean republican reliably now are more optimistic under trump and pessimistic under biden, and democrats are the opposite. What that tells us is less about the reality of the economy and more about how polarized views have become. Paul even so, the economic reality for seth reed, compared to that of his parents at his age, is kind of a bummer. They had a house, two cars, a stable income. They were definitely much more stable than i feel. Rising costs of childcare are the number one reason why my fiancee and i havent even thought about having kids in the near future. Paul so, maybe it should come as no surprise that statistically good economy for many, but for more than a few americans, bad economic vibe. For the pbs newshour, paul solman. Geoff funding the government is down to the wire. Senate lawmakers are cutting this close, running up to a midnight deadline to pass a major spending bill and prevent a partial Government Shutdown. Lisa desjardins has been following the latest. Lisa, here we are again on the brink of another federal Government Shutdown. The most pressing question, are they going to get this done . Lisa lets take a look at the u. S. Senate floor, shall we . Hear is what lawmakers are doing, who dont normally meet on friday. There they are taking a vote. A few hours ago, it was not clear they would be doing this. They finally made a deal on how to vote for the spending package that would avoid a partial shutdown. To sum up where we are, it looks like we will get this spending package through the congress probably in the next couple hours or so, just barely in time for President Biden to sign it before midnight. Geoff walk us through this spending deal that the senate is debating today. Lisa it is significant in a few ways but let me give you the broad outline. This is significantly large. It is 460 billion. It covers a quarter of discretionary funding. We are talking about a lot of agencies. Housing, interior, national parks, department of justice, veterans. One thing i want to point out, it fully funds wic, a program for women, infants and children. Millions more will get benefits because of this deal. It holds most funding flat for federal government. That is something conservatives want and that is one reason it is significant. We have seen huge increases in spending in recent years. We still have a deficit problem, but this cuts that down. One reason, spending cuts. Here is who is getting cut in this deal. The fbi, a 6 cut. The atf, 7 cut. The epa. Republicans have bragged about getting a 10 cut out of this deal. You know we like to do the math. At the truth is, it is a 4 cut for most of the apa once you take out the super funds. Geoff this bill has also received attention because of a provision about guns and veterans. What is the controversy there . Lisa this is a provision that has been hotly debated but was put in here as a compromise. Conservatives wanted it. Lets look at with the policy is for veterans when it comes to guns. Veterans who are declared mentally incompetent by the v. A. Justice. Red to the department the department of justice then puts them on the list where they will be blocked from gun ownership. That is the current policy. But this deal would reverse that. I have to tell you, of course, this is very controversial. Veterans especially are a group that we know have higher rates of suicide, it has been rising, and they are more likely to use firearms if they do turn to suicide. This is an instance where we talked to advocates on both sides who see this provision differently. Well, veteran goes gets their benefits. They may or may not be having any Mental Health issues, but theyre put in a position where their guns can be taken away. And many times, that alone, the idea that that can happen is what stops veterans from either going to the v. A. Or stops them from asking for Mental Health from the v. A. This is a system that has been in place for 30 years already. Is it perfect . Absolutely not. No government system is perfect, but it is a system that has been working. And so, again, to the point that this was unnecessarily reckless. Were going to stand behind that because it just didnt need to be touched. And again, the fallacies that this is taking something away from veterans is not true. Lisa so, what you heard is on the one side people say, veterans are being dinged for minor financial incompetency and their rights taken away, but the other, youre hearing the danger from those gun control groups. One issue in particular that has been brought up is the shooting in lewiston, maine, in october. 18 people were killed by a veteran. It has been found just this week by boston university, they looked at his brain and they found damage consistent with grenade injuries, heavy impact. His job was being a grenade trainer. They have found, the conclusion was that impacted his symptoms. So, that was a veteran who was not flagged and was able to get a firearm. 18 people were killed. This is right in the middle of that debate. Right now, congress is deciding to release, take out this restraint on veterans, at least for the foreseeable future. Geoff meantime, it looks like we have another funding deadline just a few weeks away, and that is going to include more hard to agree upon issues like border security. How is this shaping up . I dont love ending on this note because we have been through quite a week. But people have to be aware that a much harder deadline is coming up on march 22. That includes the defense spending contentions, possibly, health, border, immigration, all of that wrapped up in this much harder deadline, march 22. I dont know if lawmakers will be able to come out with an agreement or not. They are optimistic, but we will see. So we will be back here talking about it. Geoff lisa desjardins, thanks as always. Appreciate it. Amna hungarian Prime Minister viktor orban is meeting with former President Donald Trump today after a visit to washington yesterday where he met with no one from the Biden Administration. Orban delayed both european aid to ukraine and swedens bid to join nato. Nick schifrin examines orbans relationship with global conservatives, and why he has resisted some of the Biden Administrations Top Priorities in europe. [applause] nick from turkey to texas. My country, hungary, is the Lone Star State of europe. [applause] nick from moscow to maralago. There is a great man, great leader in europe, viktor orban. Nick a gadfly to what he calls globalists. There is ukraine fatigue, for sure. Nick cherished by conservatives. He thinks families are more important than banks. He believes countries need borders. They slander me and my country as they hate you and slander you and america you stand for. We dont have samesex marriage. Nick this week, viktor orban visited his american supporters. He met no Biden Administration officials. Todays meeting with former President Donald Trump comes one month after orban effectively gave trump his endorsement. Make America Great again. More and more, we have seen the liberal International Agenda has been pushed everywhere. So, hungary decided to push back. He is the president of the Hungarian Institute of international affairs, a Research Institution attached to the Prime Ministers office. After President Trump lost in 2020, a lot of american conservatives, myself included at the time, were looking around, to see what a successful form of conservative government looked like. Conservatives cannot just stand in opposition. They have to offer something. They cannot just be antigovernment. They have to offer a vision of governing. That is available in hungary. It is different and distinct. Nick domestically, orban supporters say he and the governing Party Support families and their version of family values, including defining marriage between a man and a woman. And they have achieved nearly full employment and offered citizens cheap energy by relying on russia. He is showing that a more conservative alternative in government is not only possible, but can be very successful. Nick but orbans critics accuse orban of snuffing out free speech, silencing independent media, and neutering the Judicial Branch to create what orban himself called a state based on national values. Orban is modeling for the Republican Party in the u. S. How you can actually lead with culture wars and wind up with dictatorship. Nick kim lane shepley is a princeton professor who worked and studied hungarian constitutional law ever since. She says orban may be europes longestserving head of state but did so by changing the constitution and gerrymandering districts to ensure oneparty control. The last free and Fair Election in hungary was in 2010. He has since rigged all the other elections. So, he does not have the whole country behind him, but he will look like a Great Success because he wins elections overwhelmingly, which he does because he got to write all the rules. Nick most worrying for the u. S. , hungary resisted approving swedens bid to join nato and European Unions support for ukraine. In each case, orban got what he wanted. Swedish jets and 10 billion euros the eu had frozen over hungarys violations of the rule of law. Orban is trying to rattle the institutions on which america has really relied in europe. The eu, nato, the council of europe, that network is threatened when you have a dictatorship in the midst using this veto power to transactionally change the policies of all those organizations. I think he is trying to defend the interest of his own country. Nick and he says europe is threatened by an ideological alternative. I think there is a battle for the heart of the European Union and western civilization itself, and i think sometimes the pressure that is put on hungarys because it is within the last, it is within europe, but it represents an alternative way, this more conservative approach, which is still very successful. Nick orban provides a roadmap. His allies believe that road leads right. A little controversial, but that is ok. Nick his critics think the road falls off the cliff. He has outsized influence among people who really have the aspiration to stay in power forever, who need to win elections, and want to do it through whipping up culture wars. This is the recipe that can come to a country near you. Nick and whether any of that recipe is served up in the u. S. Could hinge on the november election. For the pbs newshour, im nick schifrin. Amna an impassioned state of the Union Address by President Biden served as an unofficial kickoff to the general election. On that and what lies ahead in the race for the white house, we turn to the analysis of brooks and capehart. Thats New York Times columnist david brooks, and Jonathan Capehart, associate editor for the washington post. Thank you for joining us from philadelphia. Lets talk about that speech last night because the numbers are in. According to nielsen, huge numbers for President Biden. Some 32 million americans tuned in to watch. That is 18 higher than last year. As we noted, it was a pretty fiery delivery. Some unscripted back and forth, we will call them, including moments like this unfolding. We have two ways to go. Republicans can cut Social Security and give more tax breaks to the wealthy. Well, thats the proposal. [jeering] oh, no . You guys dont want another 2 trillion tax cut . I kind of thought thats what your plan was. Well, thats good to hear. Youre not going to cut another 2 trillion for the super well, thats good to hear. Amna going into the speech, you said you were looking for poetry. Did you find any . David i said feudalism. Not poetry. On a days reflection, two thoughts come to mind. The first is that the democrats have had trouble digging out how to respond to the trump era, so the First Response was the Michelle Obama they go low, we go high. That has clearly gone. They are going super partisan and they are going super strong with the fight. A lot of democrats just want to see the fight. He has come out as a pretty partisan fighter, and i think a lot of democrats will be very pleased by that. The second is reflecting on the moving pieces in that speech and how they touch a lot of bases to reassure democrats. I am most struck by the fact that he led with ukraine. It is so unusual to begin a state of the union speech with one issue, then one issue that frankly turns around the whole political universe. I was looking at these liberal democrats on the floor thinking, more defense spending. What world am i in . In my world, the Republican Party is for more aggressive foreign policy. But we have seen a reversion of the political universe. On Social Security, he is kind of wrong. Donald trump said explicitly no cuts to Social Security. It was kind of unfair. But he clearly wanted that fight and enjoyed that fight. Amna it was the same moment last year that goaded Marjorie Taylor greene into a back and forth. Jonathan, the president did have lingering concerns he was trying to address going into the state. Did he do what he needed to do in those remarks . Jonathan yes, he absolutely did. Not only democrats wanted to see the president fight, i think lots of americans wanted to see, is this guy really alive, as the republicans keep saying he is practically dead, that he is senile. The man who showed up yesterday was decidedly not. In that clip you played, it was reminiscent of last year. He was negotiating in real time, trying to paint them into a corner in real time. Sorry, but someone who is not all there cant do that in front of a crowd of people on Live Television in a highstakes address. What he did overall i think was reassure the country and reassure democrats that not only is he willing to fight but he is willing to fight for the things that he has accomplished. He is willing to fight for the things he wants to try to do and that he is willing to fight for them in the same way that republicans or maga folks view donald trump as fighting for them. Amna he didnt mention donald trump once by name. Should he have . Jonathan no. I think that was on purpose because even though david says last night was a very partisan speech, he didnt mention Donald Trumps name until today. His rally here in pennsylvania wrapped up about 20 minutes before this segment, and he used Donald Trumps name a lot. He is not shying away from the fight at all. Amna i want to ask you about the republican response delivered by katie britt. Much of her remarks focused on immigration and crime, but part of her message was on the economy. Heres what she had to say. The American People are scraping by while President Biden proudly proclaims that bidenomics is working. Goodness, yall. Bless his heart. Amna david, she is 42 years old. She is accomplished in her own right, but unique among Senate Republicans because she is also a mother to two schoolaged children. Who are republicans hoping to reach . David i am her last defender. I thought she did an adequate job. I expect to do this segment from my kitchen from now on to stay tuned. Most of the country, you show that you are concerned about your family, you are equal and nobody is better than me, i am no better than anybody else. I thought she example fight a style of communication that may not be popular in the media world but is popular in most of the country. Most can say, maybe she overacted a little, but i thought she was compassionate, smart, effective. She happens to be completely wrong on what we just showed. We just had 275,000 new jobs. We have the greatest economy in the world of any major economy. The idea that people, that joe biden is puffing up the economy is just completely wrong. It is true the American People are in a bad mood. I call that a pessimism bubble. But i thought she was completely fine and will appeal to a lot of moms, a lot of suburbanites who are just not super into politics, but they sense that something is wrong with the country may be spiritually, morally, relationally, and think, i know people like her. Amna many of those voters are the same voters, the former haley voters that President Biden was making an appeal to himself. Could she reach some of them . Jonathan maybe. Maybe she can. Those are voters who are up for grabs, but maybe she is from the maga wing of the Republican Party and those voting for haley y not like her. I think david is being charitable saying she may be overacted a bit. It made it difficult to watch, between the range in her octaves and how she was saying what she was saying and performing what she was saying was kind of hard to hear what she was saying. The other thing is, i know if hugh hewitt, one of the most conservative thinkers out there, a fellow columnist at the washington post, if he and i are in agreement about how bad the republican response is, that tells me she was bad. [laughter] amna i think it is safe to say we are in general election mode right now. And if that is the case, what does what was said last night and how it was said, what does that tell us about what we are going to see for the next eight months . David one of the nice things i loved about last night is we were talking about policy. Biden crammed that speech full of policy. Early childhood education, whatever. Student loan forgiveness. And one of the problems with the antitrump world has been too much reliance on this. Trump says some horrible things, we react, that is so horrible. We watch our favorite commentators who say that was horrible, then we expect there to be some massive moral turn on him. We expect the indictments. We expect something that will wipe him off the face of the earth so we can feel vindicated. It feels good, this exercise. It has been a total failure because we have been doing it for six years and donald trump is politically in a better spot now than he has ever before. To me, if biden is going to beat him, it has to be reminding people, this policy, i like that, i like that. Most people are not looking for moral leadership from politicians anymore. They are looking for who will make my life a little better . Amna do you agree with that . Jonathan i absolutely agree with it. Actually, it is sort of a vindication of what the Biden White House has been saying from the very beginning. If we focus on getting legislative accomplishments, if we focus on getting wins on the board, if we focus on getting things into law that will then start making peoples lives better that we can then turn around and go back to the American People and say, look what weve done, not what we promised to do, but what weve done, then that is half the battle. And what we saw last night, i think david is absolutely right, that speech was crammed with all sorts of things he has done and things he wants to do, right down to the billions of dollars over 10 years. I think we are going to see the president talk about those things, both what he has done and what he wants to do, as he goes on the campaign trail. Like i said before, i just watched the rally. It is it a state of the union speech with Donald Trumps name and it. Amna do you think mr. Trump and mr. Biden will debate, and should they . Jonathan yes, they should debate. I dont know whether they will debate. But i do know this, i think President Biden absolutely wants to debate. The question is, does donald trump . I am not convinced he does. David he said he does. It is a president ial campaign. All of our lifetimes, they have debated. I dont know when it started, but certainly nixon and kennedy, so there should be a debate. Whether it will be useful, eh. It doesnt lead to who wins the elections. President obama had a terrible debate. President bush didnt do well in debates and won twice. But it should be fun for us. Amna i have to ask you, the no label thirdparty group said they will be fielding a n independent candidate. What impact will that have . David it could have an impact. The former dallas mayor, i know him. He is a very serious guy. So these are not halfbaked people. But i have long thought looking at the data, whoever they put up, it will hurt biden more than trump. Amna we will see. Always great to see you both. Thank you so much. Geoff the Academy Awards are being held in los angeles sunday. Oppenheimer is getting much of the buzz, but theres also excitement surrounding a film called the zone of interest with its remarkable soundscape, evoking the worst of the holocaust. Special correspondent Malcolm Brabant visited oscarnominated sound designer johnnie burn at his studio as part of our arts and culture series, canvas. Malcolm at an arts cinema in southern england, 5500 miles from hollywood, the audience is preparing to be assailed by the sonic genius of johnnie burn. I cant say enjoy it because that might not be the right word, but i hope you appreciate it. Malcolm zone of interest chronicles the mundane existence of a nazi Family Living next to auschwitz, while more than a Million People are being murdered just over the garden wall. For his depiction of the banality of evil, director Jonathan Glazer has earned multiple oscar nominations. Jonathan glazers very clever. He draws upon the collective knowledge that we all have of that period of time in history to paint pictures in your head. Malcolm and while the genocide of auschwitz is ever present, the audience never casts eyes on it. I think sound is an extraordinary phenomenon. For me, i believe that we react to it immediately that you hear something, your subconscious and your primal brain starts appending history and artifacts and nouns to that in a way that with visual images, you process it with sound, you react to it. Malcolm this garden was a haven for the man in the white suit. Rudolf hoss, on the right, was the commandant of auschwitz. Hoss was captured after the war and executed in auschwitz in 1947, not far from this back yard. They would walk people into the gas chamber and they believed they were going for a shower and obviously they were not, and that would create quite a noise. Malcolm johnnie burn worked his alchemy at home, to the alarm of his family. Ive worked on many films in that back room, and some very loud, grisly monsters and all sorts. And its never a problem. But for this, i had to buy a soundproof door because it really is the most violent film ive ever worked on. And yet, you dont see any violence. Malcolm in your drive to be authentic, how important was it for you at the same time, to respect the sanctity of auschwitz, and also to honor the memory of the people who died there . I knew there was great responsibility not only to make the film work through sound, but to make sure that the sound we were using was historically accurate and as faithful as possible to the atrocities that happened there, without going to the point of sensationalizing. Malcolm in this scene, its the wife of the commandant and her mothers come to visit. Theres obviously all the sound thats in the garden, but that sound thats telling the other story is what youre hearing from the other side of the wall. And it really thats like, well, what . It actually is not a collection of sounds that ive recorded over a period of a year of finding things from research that represent what happened, that. Malcolm heavy industry, soldiers marching, the echo of the orchestra that played inside auschwitz and riots in paris. I wanted to go out into the world and find where screaming actually exists. And given the context of, you know, what youre watching in the film, placing those sounds in the background very quietly is an awful lot more convincing than having a sort of actor recreate it. Malcolm talk us through whats happening here. So, this is the boys in their bedroom at night. The elder boy is on the top bunk looking at some teeth. Malcolm gold teeth. Gold teeth. Malcolm extracted from corpses in the gas chamber before they were incinerated. Theres a particular sound here that the boy hears. Its a rhythm of his daily life. Malcolm the suggestion, that is the sound of the furnaces working overtime to eviscerate evidence of the nazis crimes. I made something here with my fireplace and some tubes to fan the flames in a microphone, and i layered that up to become a thicker, bigger sound. Malcolm which provides the backdrop to one of the movies most powerful scenes. Its the end of the day and hes in his garden having a cigarette. This is the the sound of, you know what happened afterwards. This is, think, just over the garden wall with the crematoria and the gas chambers. Malcolm burn had to track down a vintage nazi motorcycle to add one key detail. They used to run motorbikes at auschwitz in order to preserve the sanity of the guards malcolm to drown out the screams. Absolutely, yes. Malcolm as awards season reaches its zenith, the accolades keep coming. The bafta goes to the zone of interest. [applause] good evening. Yeah, its funny to be standing here. My mother wouldnt have understood this. She always said to me, what do you mean you do the sound on films . They sound all right to me. I explain to her. Malcolm johnny byrne and his sound team may have won britains highest film award, but the oscars are a much tougher prospect. As always, theres a very strong field, but it appears that zone of interests main competitor is oppenheimer, the film about the father of the atomic bomb. Ive had it said to me by many of my, you know, very illustrious peers that what youve made here is one of the most significant pieces of sound design in cinema, you know, ever potentially. So, so great. And thats Jonathan Glazers vision, really. More than anything else. Malcolm burn only has two days to wait to discover whether the academy feels the same way. For the pbs newshour, im Malcolm Brabant in brighton. Amna and well be back shortly. But first, take a moment to hear from your local pbs station. Geoff its a chance to offer your support, which helps to keep programs like the newshour on the air. Geoff for those staying with us, the band the goo goo dolls is on tour again, playing favorites and new songs, all while celebrating the 25th anniversary of their breakthrough album dizzy up the girl. In this encore feature, i spoke with the lead band members about innovating while preserving their classic sound. And id give up forever to touch you cause i know that you feel me somehow geoff iris, the enduring power ballad off of their album, dizzy up the girl. The song skyrocketed the band to fame. The album sold over 4 million copies. It produced three additional top 40 hits. So why dont you slide . Geoff 25 years later, Johnny Resnick and bass guitar player robbie takeck are still performing to soldout crowds. It is the 25th anniversary of dizzy up the girl. How does it strike you . It is like, wow, where did a quarter of a century ago . I think we lost sight of how fast we were moving because as soon it came out, that was when we, boom, had this big explosion of success. Geoff they formed what started off as a punk band under a different name in the late 1980s in buffalo, new york. By the late 1990s, their unique sound and rock hits made the goo goo dolls a household name. Now the band is back in a big way with their out all night tour, hitting 45 cities in support of their newest album, chaos in bloom. And debuting a new song. Your new song run all night is about trying to escape your circumstances and not giving up hope. I think you pretty much nailed it. That song is very much about not giving up and not letting the terror of the world stop you from being human. Geoff despite drastic changes in the music industry, with streaming and new technology, the goo goo dolls say they are still writing songs the same way they always have. And i want to get free picking up the pieces out there left you and again geoff they are connecting old favorites with a new audience. When you look out of the audience, who do you see . There are a lot of younger kids, twentysomethings, which is all right, that is cool. And people our age and older. It is pretty much like a couple of generations of people coming out to see it now and the tours have been getting incrementally bigger. It has been really gratifying. It is fun to see a young kid singing your song. The other night, this kid, i think he was 19. What is your name . Jake. He held up this big song, can i play guitar on name . Wow. We were a three piece band at first, so i started detuning the guitar because i had to play a solo and keep the rhythm going at the same time. So, it was a way to fill it up so it didnt drop out when i was playing a guitar solo. So i would have these droney strings playing while i was like geoff an approach that resulted in a string of mega hits with memorable opening chords. A number of the songs open with a simple guitar riff, then the beat drops in. Was that intentional . Yeah. I guess that was a little bit of a coincidence, too. Slide does that, iris does it. I think you noticed something. [laughter] geoff i am a bit of a fan. I am a guitar player. I like to start songs with the top line. Some signature thing that is a little hook that says, i know this song. Here comes that song. And that is how iris is, and all those other songs you mentioned. I have to look into this now. Geoff you are in a groove and it just feels right, any songs you need to perform . To me, slide is always a win. We always play that early. The first song Everybody Knows is that one. Geoff you started playing the guitar riff at the top of the song, which apparently you do in every song. [laughter] maybe this is why. I know where you are going. [laughter] geoff because you play dingdingding. Yeah. [laughter] yes geoff did you envision that for yourself 25 years ago that you would reach this level of success and it would be enduring . It is like any relationship. It is going to do what it does. But if it is important enough, you will figure out how to get to the next day. People ask how you get a band to Stay Together for decades like this. I cant answer that. But i can tell you how to do it for a few days, and you just need to keep doing that. You cant stop doing that. All of a sudden, it is 40 years. It is definitely a day at a time. If you are focused on the work, which is the creative part of it. Learning the idea of do what is best for the song. I am just lucky we have been able to last so long. It is being consistent and working. Geoff when people think of the goo goo dolls, what do you want people to think the message is . I think the overarching message in all the songs is, wow, everything is really screwed up, but its going to be ok. [laughter] geoff online, our digital pbs news weekly show looks back at a big week in politics from a contentious election season to President Bidens state of the Union Address. Thats on our youtube page. And be sure to tune into Washington Week with the atlantic tonight on pbs. Moderator Jeffrey Goldberg and his Panel Discuss the president s fiery state of the Union Address and the 2024 president ial rematch. Amna and on pbs news weekend, as former President Trump cements his hold on the gop, we look at the future of the Republican Party. And that is the newshour. Im amna nawaz. Geoff and im geoff bennett. Have a good evening and a great weekend. Major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by it was like an aha moment. This is what i love doing. Earlystage companies have this energy that energizes me. These are people who are trying to change the world. When i volunteer with women entrepreneurs, it is the same thing. I am helping people reach their jeans. Im thriving by helping others every day. People who know, know bdo. And with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. And friends of the newshour, including kathy and Paul Anderson and camillia and george smith. The Walton Family foundation, working for solutions to protect water during Climate Change so people and nature can thrive together. For more than 50 years, advancing ideas and supporting institutions to promote a better world at hewlitt. Org. And with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. And friends of the newshour. This program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. This is pbs newshour west from weta studios in washington and from our bureau at the Walter Cronkite school of journalism at Arizona State university. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. ] it has been a pivotal week in national politics. The president ial matchup is all but set. One is the current opted document of the white house. The other is out on bail. This will be a strange and l