Well begin todays show with a stunning announcement out of israel. Is the Bibi Netanyahu Era of israeli politics over . Ill talk to Tom Freidman of the New York Times. Then, the strong Man Leader of a former Soviet Republic scrambled a fighter jet. The foe was not a hostile neighboring nation, but rather a 26yearold opposition journalist. Will statesponsored hijacking as some have called it become a new tactic for despots Around The World . Ill talk to the belarusian Journalist And Hanna liubakova. And then how did america, the worlds wealthiest country, so badly bungle its initial Covid Response. China virus. Was it Donald Trump . People think that goes away in april with the heat. Or was it something much bigger . Michael lewis is here to tell us what he found. We didnt have a really respected and brave entity at the federal level to lead the response. But first, here is my take. In a country divided on almost everything, one area of bipartisanship in the United States is alive and growing. Fear of china. President biden says the chinese are eating our lunch. Republican Senator Josh haully says theyre well on their way to achieving the goal of world domination. They warn that the Belt And Road Initiative And Vaccine diplomacy are bolstering the soft power. Lets look at what is actually happening on the ground. Chinas Secrecy And Deception of the origins of covid19 have spurred increasing calls for thorough investigations worldwide, including now from President Biden. Instead of being transparent and welcoming international efforts to figure out what went wrong, beijings attitude has been defensive and obstructionist, fueling suspicions and conspiracy theories. This is part of a pattern. Last week chinas ambitious Trade And Investment treaty with the European Union ran aground largely because of chinese overreaction. In march, the eu choose not to endorse the american characterization of chinas act in Shin Jhung Chin against four local officials an the regional public security bureau. As Stewart Land Notes in politico, the beijing Counter Attack came as a shock to everyone. It places broad sanctions on the entire eu political and Security Committee as well as the parliamentary subcommittee on Human Rights, five leading European Parliamentarians and even academic experts who study china. As a result, europe has all but pulled out of the deal. Or take chinas relations with australia, one of the main trading partners. Australia has been assertive on trade and Human Rights but always worked to maintain constructive lags. 4 last year they called for an independent inquiry into the origins of covid19. In response, china had what could only be called a freakout. Beijing Hit Australia with all kinds of Trade Restrictions and the chinese embassy in australia issued an extraordinary Charge Sheet of 14 grievances accusing australia of poisoning bilateral relations and demanding that the countrys media and think tanks stop writing negative things about china. In april, the australian government canceled Belt And Road agreements made with china. All considered chinas handling of relations with india. Last year chinese troops clashed with Indian Forces in skirmishes that netted china 100 square miles of land along the frozen tundra along the himalayan border. The result is that india which has long been weary, is now much more willing. It is been a slew of chinese apps, excluding chinese companies from Building 5g and joined u. S. And japan in the largest naval exercises in over a decade. Meanwhile, Taiwan And Japan and those in the south China Sea have plenty of stories about china using aggressive Military Patrols and intimidation to assert its interest. Chinas current Foreign Policy is from the country during the Ping Era and after. Back then the central objective was to ensure that the countrys meteoric economic rise did not trigger resentment and counterbalancing from other countries. President tao spoke often of the peaceful rise to describe chinas aspirations and strategy. Now chinese diplomats embrace conflict and hurl insists known as wolf warrior diplomacy. What is striking about Chinas Strategy is its produced a series of own goals, leading countries to adopt the very Policies Beijing has long tried to stop. There have also been serious consequences for its global image, greatly diminishing soft power. Negative views toward china soared from 47 in 2017 to a staggering 73 in 2020. And if you think that is a u. S. Phenomenon, here are the numbers from some other countries. 73 in canada, 37 to 74 in britain. 32 to 81 in australia. 61 to 75 in South Korea. And 49 to 85 in sweden. If there is a single theme in international life these days, it is rising public hostility toward china worldwide. President xi transformed Chinas Approach domestically and abroad. He has consolidated power for the party and himself. He has reasserted Party Control over economic putting curbs on the most innovative parts of the chinese economy and the Technology Sector and lavishing benefits on the most unproductive the state owned enterprises. Hes pursued an emotional Foreign Policy. In doing all of this, hes dismantling the hard earned reputation as a smart and productive player on the world stage, bringing to mind another period of centralized politics and aggressive Foreign Policy. The mao era, and that did not end so well for china. To go to cnn. Com fareed for a link to my Washington Post Column this week. And lets get started. Benjamin netanyahu has been a most dominant force in israeli politics for decades, Prime Minister of industrial for the last 12 years and served a threeyear stint in the late 90s, but the Netanyahu Era may be coming to a close as a coalition is being formed to oust him. Joining me now is Tom Freedman who was one once the Jerusalem Bureau Chief for the New York Times and now the foreign Affairs Columnist and the author of from beirut to jerusalem. A classic. Who knows where this goes because there need to be seven coalition agreements, lawyers will look at this, it might even go to court because it is not clear that you could have bennett as Prime Minister if the president had asked lapide. What does it mean if the Bibi Netanyahu Era is over . If it is over, if it comes together with a national unite government in israel, let me put it in terms that americans could understand. This is bidenism coming to israel. It is a backlash against a leader who developed a personality cult, who basically lived by dividing people, who is extremely allegedly corrupt. Hes now on trial for three corruption cases. It is the triumph of people who believe in institutions, the Rule Of Law and decency. It is the beginning potentially of a biden backlash in israel. But let me ask you, tom, when you look at some of the key figures here, Naftali Bennett is somebody who on the issue of israelplastin is more hawkish than netanyahu. Never giving up the West Bank and hes talked about how you saw nothing wrong with Killing Arabs and you could see that lieberman advocated moving palestinians who are israeli citizens in some cases off the land. What does that tell us . Should we really welcome this . If you think this is a prelude to peace, that is not the case. But What Bennett has been a strong advocate of, fareed, is a very strong autonomy for palestinians in the West Bank. And i think you could see a consensus forming in this new coalition, this potential national Unity Coalition around more separation and more autonomy for palestinians in the West Bank as a potential Stepping Stone for something else. Right now, fareed, the most important thing for american diplomacy and american politics is to keep one thing alive, and it is the Twostate Solution and i see this coalition potentially doing that because i think there is a common denominator for separation and real Palestinian Ouautonomy unless Daily Delegitimization is a staple of netanyahus force. Tom, youve covered the Middle East for 30 years. When you wrote from beirut to jerusalem, you were very hopeful about the Twostate Solution and you advocated it even then. At this point when you look at the encroachment of settlements and the israeli politics, when you look at the degree to which Palestinians Defunction remains, Gaza Being ruled by hamas, do you underand do you think that there will be traction for this idea that you are seeing going on the palestinian side and with some liberal zionists like peter beinart, maybe the only solution is one binational state in which you give the Palestinians Political Rights within israel . I dont really see that happening, fareed. I think the best you could hope for i do think were in the onestate reality more than in the twostate reality, but i dont see it as a onestate reality in which the jewish majority basically gives full equality to the palestinian minority if you brought in the 2. 5 million palestinians from the West Bank. But i do think were in a phase where the dangers to israel of becoming apartheid state, are becoming so clear, it became clear in the last two weeks here. Fareed, we may be seeing in Joe Biden the last proisrael democratic president of the United States if you look where the rising left in that party is today. And, therefore, i think you will see a stronger move toward building more separation and creating a much stronger autonomy and preserving the possibility for a Twostate Solution. That is the most we could hope for right now, but that is a possibility with this new coalition. Tom freedman, youre always so insightful on this. Thank you. Thanks, fareed. Next on gps, well dig into the bizarre story of belarus forcing a Passenger Plane down and then arresting a passenger who was a thorn in the side of the countrys strong Man Leader. Go where everybody knows your name and theyre always glad you came welcome back, america. It sure is good to see you. Tempurpedics mission is to give you truly transformative sleep. So, no more tossing and turning. Because only tempurpedic uses a proprietary material. That adapts and responds to your body. So you get deep, uninterrupted sleep. And now save up to 500 on adjustable mattress sets. [sfx revving trucks] Pilot Over Radio here we go, lets do this. Pilot over radio right there, right there. [sfx revving trucks] pilot over Radio G complete. How do you introduce the Largerthanlife Gmc Yukon . With the worlds biggest tweet. The next generation gmc yukon. Premium thats made to be used. Youre strong. You power through chronic migraine 15 or more headache days a month,. Each lasting 4 hours or more. Botox® prevents headaches in adults with chronic migraine. So, if you havent tried botox® for your chronic migraine,. Check with your doctor if botox® is right for you, and if samples are available. Effects of botox® may spread hours to weeks after injection causing serious symptoms. Alert your doctor right away, as difficulty swallowing,. Speaking, breathing, eye problems, or Muscle Weakness. Can be signs of a life threatening condition. Side effects may include allergic reactions. Neck and injection site pain. Fatigue, and headache. Dont receive botox® if theres a skin infection. Tell your doctor your medical history, Muscle Or Nerve conditions. And medications, including Botulinum Toxins, as these may increase the risk of serious Side Effects. Most patients may pay as little as 0 for botox®. So, text to see how you can save. Botox® has been preventing headaches and migraines before they even start for 10 years. So, ask your doctor about botox® today. This is the greatest Idea Youll ever hear. Okay, its an app that compares Hundreds Of Travel Sites for hotels and cars and Vacation Rentals like kayak does for flights. So its kayak. Yeah, like kayak. Why dont you just call it kayak. Im calling it. Canoe. Compare Hundreds Of Travel Sites for thousands of trips. Kayak. Search one and done. Are your Hr Processes weighing down your employees . On to quarterly projections compare Hundreds Of Travel Sites for thousands of trips. Expense report if youre using multiple systems, reentering data over and over time sheet using email and spreadsheets to manage information and approvals, then your Hr Systems are a drag on productive time. With paycom, employees enter and manage their own Hr Data in a single, easytouse software. Visit Paycom Dot Com and schedule your demo today. Do they know this door is locked last sundays ryan Air Flight 4978 started out as just another trip from athens, greece to lithuania but it was a pawn in an international Incident After a Security Alert caused it to land in belarus. Once on the ground it was boarded by those who arrested Roman Protosevich a thorn in the side of belarus president lukashenko. Ryan air called the Incident A statesponsored hijacking. It was widely condemned by western nations. Let me bring in hanna liubakova, a journalist from Belarus And Fellow at the lilgt anian council. Anne applebaum published a piece on the incident titled other regimes will hijack planes, too. It is a mustread. And explain this to us in historical consequence, the last time we heard that lucashenko, and theres with massive protests in belarus. Many governments supported those protests. He seemed flailing, and now this. Explain. So, yes, youre absolutely right. Lukashenko last summer seemed to be close to resignation, leaving this job. The entire country had turned against him and remember, this is a country that was created out of what used to be the soviet union, although it has a long history, it had never been a state before and there was a feeling that we as a nation for the first time are united in saying what we want and what we want is to be a democracy and to elect our own president. Lukashenko managed to stay in power. He lived through the crisis. Partly because he escalated the level of violence that he had been using and partly because he got support from russia. And so he was offered this hand of friendship from putin, and that was clearly what prevented him from leaving the country and what made him decide to stay in power. I dont think the fact that he is still there means that people are any less determined that he should leave or that they dont want him to leave. But the level of violence there is now at an extraordinary high. Im not sure that people outside of the country will believe it or really understand what has happened. People are being arrested off the street, people are tortured in prison and raped in prison. There have been several deaths in prison recently. A few days ago, a very young boy of 17 committed suicide in prison. This is a very, very brutal regime now. And the fact that they were willing to hijack this plane shows that the degree to which they are willing to defy the Rule Of Law in the country but also Around The World. And hanna, explain this 26yearold journalist. Who is he and why is lukashenko so afraid or enraged by him . Tell us about him. So Roman Protasevich has become a journalist in a very young age. He basically got involved in all of these political activities. Hes full of energy, an extrovert, very brave, very loud. Since 2019 he has been living in poland, and he joined the team of this most influential telegram channel, it is a social Media Network that protested belarus in the very popular in the country and in november of last year he was added to the Kgb Terrorist List by The Kgb which is the Security Service Agency in belarus which only shows that he is kind of lukashenko considers him a personal enemy because hes a blogger who spreads information and informed Citis Inside And Out of the country about what is happening in the country. He was a blogger. But because lukashenko is so scared of information, that is why he basically forced down a plane to detain roman. Anne, it feels like this is a somewhat cruder version of a russian strategy which is to say that Vladimir Putin has made it a point to attack Opposition Leaders, Opposition Movements when theyre abroad. Lukashenko said this in recent days, we have eyes everywhere. You Cant Escape even if you leave the country. Yes, absolutely. It is not just russia, actually. The whole phenomenon of what summer are called Transnational Repression is something that is growing rapidly. We have examples of russians trying to assassinate in some cases successfully their russian citizens in england, in germany. We have examples of the chinese kidnapping their citizens abroad. We have iranians that have been murdered dissidents outside of the country for a long time. But youre right this has now accelerated. Anne, you raise in your atlantic piece. I want you to spell out a little bit, the real dangers here because i think as the way 9 11 exposed us to the reality that people could turn planes into bombs. This reveals a reality that if an authoritarian regime wants to send a jet up to into space, it could force any civilian airline anywhere in the world down. This is exactly why it is so important that the e. U. And the u. S. And other democracies react really strongly to this new level of provocation. Because ultimately this is about breaking rules that are set up to help all of us. Whether the laws of the sea, the laws of Air Traffic Control, the point of those laws is to keep airplanes and ships safe. Once those are broken, once autocracies are able to freely break those rules, were all going to suffer. I cant tell you exactly how it will happen or when the next crash will be or when the next catastrophe, but the use of Air Traffic Control or the politicization of Air Traffic Control is something that could have grave consequences for us all. Hanna,and anne, this is a very important issue and youre very kind to have explained it to us. Thank you. Thanks, fareed. Thank you. Next on gps, the great Writer And Reporter Michael Lewis set out to understand how america could have bungled its Covid Response so badly in the first few months. What he found out will surprise you. Hell tell you all about it when we come back. If you miss a Show Go to cnn fareed for a link to my itunes podcast. Ck to that same old place that you laughed about well, the names have all changed since you hung around welcome back, america. It sure is good to see you. Can Crack welcome back, america. Nothing on this planet compares to it dont you agree . Dog Barking dont you agree . Lights out, follow the noise baby, keep on dancing like you aint got a choice so Come On, Come On, Come On lets get physical lets get physical no one is just one Flavor Ow you love rich, delicious Ice Cream. But your stomach doesnt. That disagreement ends right now. Lactaid Ice Cream is the creamy, real Ice Cream you love that will never mess with your stomach. Lactaid Ice Cream. Voiceover riders. Wanderers on the road of life. The journey is why they ride. When the road is all you need, there is no destination. Uh, iim actually just going to get an iced coffee. Well, she may have a destination this one time, but usually no, ii usually have a destination. Yeah, but most of the time, her destination is freedom. Nope, just the coffee shop. Announcer no matter why you ride, progressive has you covered with protection starting at 79 a year. Voiceover cause shes a biker. Please dont follow me in. Hey, mom. Voiceover ill never say this but. Thanks for telling me everyone 12 and older is eligible for the covid19 vaccine. both thank you for getting past our walls. Thanks, honey, for always being there for me. Thanks for letting me know, in clinical trials vaccines. Prevented nearly 100 of hospitalizations and deaths due to covid. Thank you for loving me that much. Thanks. Na na na na na na na na. Hey hey hey. Goodbye. Na na na na. Hey hey hey. Goodbye. Na na na na na na na na. The worlds first sixfunction multipro tailgate. Available on the gmc sierra. Covid response so badly in the we know how much you count on us. And thats why were here 24 7. And on the road maintaining a fast and reliable network. Were always working to ensure the internet meets your needs. By making access easier for all. With comcast Lift Zones and our Internet Essentials program. Were invested in making our apps easy. To give you personalized assistance around the clock. And were committed to keeping our team and customers safe by working from home. And using precautions in store. See what were up to at xfinity. Com commitment im not taking a big leap when i say that the u. S. s response to the Covid19 Pandemic was subpar. For the wealthiest country in the world, to have among the highest per Capita Death Rate is simply embarrassing, and that is just one metric. The lingering question is why. The great writer Michael Lewis has pointed his pen at that question, and the resulting book, like all his books, is fantastic. Its called the premonition a pandemic story. The central kind of insight i think in your book is that this goes beyond Donald Trump. This is a much deeper issue. How did you come to that . You know, i didnt it wasnt my own views that led me there. In fact, kind of surprised me that i ended up there. But i went looking for kind of the best characters to see this thing through, and when you spend time with people who have been in Disease Control or even before Donald Trump, they would have pointed out a couple of huge problems that would have made it difficult for us to respond no matter who was in the White House. And maybe the first is just basically an absence of a public health system. Youve got these disconnected 3,000 people around the country local Health Officers with some guidance from the cdc, but also a lot of reasons not to completely trust the cdc. And that was sort of the other thing that came up again and again, was just how the cdc itself had ceased to be a center for Disease Control. Charity dean, a local Health Officer wants to rename it for the centers for Disease And Observation for the observation of disease. Whenever she was in a conflict, whenever she was on the ground trying to control some outbreak of some other virus, she found that the cdc was more of an obstruction than an aid. And she actually banned them from her investigations. So she told you that that enterprise is not set up to do what people think it is set up to do. Explain this more. Because it is at the heart of the screwup. The cdc gets the first is late and then it has a bad test. Why do you think this is happening . Why was she was was somebody like Charity Dean so frustrated with the cdc . Well, what she saw again and again and the information and the stories before covid are so revealing. What she saw again and again is that, when youre trying to control an outbreak, it is inevitably controversial. Youre walking into a clinic of a doctor spreading Hep C with dirty needles, and youre shutting down part of a College Campus because of a Meningitis Outbreak and people dont like is t so youre doing it over the objections of some fractions of the society. And when things got at all hot, the cdc would retreat. They didnt want to be there or want controversy. So that was part one. And part two is what they did want, they wanted academic papers and they wanted was to figure out the science of whatever happened, write a paper about it, and that is what the status was. And the problem with that as an incentive, is that if youre waiting for perfect data before you take any kind of action, and the action is you write a paper, that the Disease Outbreak is over. That you the nature of Disease Control is sort of taking action with imperfect information in conditions of real ambiguity. It really is like battlefield command. And she just sensed that the institution had lost its nerve. You had this amazing moment where you describe how george w. Bush reads John Berrys Book about the spanish influenza, and he decides that, in fact, the u. S. Has a bad national Health Administration and he tries to reorganize it. Does it work . It does work. I mean, it is an amazing story, that bush, you have a traumatized president with 9 11 in the Rearview Mirror and katrina just happened and someone thinks it is good idea to hand him a book about the 1918 pandemic and he comes back to the White House and says, whats our plan, and comes the answer, we dont have a plan. Two doctors, Carter Mitscher and Richard Hatchet try to figure out the answer to a very particular question and it is what do you do to slow disease before you have vaccine . How do you minimize Illness And Death . And the conventional wisdom at time which is hard to believe and it was entrenched in the public Health Community was you couldnt do much. Social distancing, School Closing and all of this stuff didnt work. And they thought that because in 1918 it seemed not to have worked. And so inside the bush White House, these two guys and theyre real doctors, like an oncologists and an Icu Doctor reexamine what happened in 1918 and write persuasive papers about how the reason that st. Louis had a fraction of the Death Rate of philadelphia was that they introduced these interventions earlier in relation to the arrival of the disease. And this wisdom ends up being buried in a plan about how you intervene when you have a pandemic. That becomes the official plan of the government and it is in the cdc. Now the irony here is the cdc was regarded as the worlds great health organization, spread this idea to other countries. Australia has contained the virus using the playbook the cdc handed them. So other countries executed our plan much better than we did. Of course it is too simplistic to say it is just that plan. It was a plan, but the plan is was easily adopted to covid, and we did not for a bunch of reasons, did not completely internalize the plan. Next on gps, Michael Lewis will tell us more about the woman who predicted the severity of the Covid19 Pandemic. That story and more when we come back. Saturdays happen. Pain happens. Aleve it. Aleve is proven stronger and longer on pain than tylenol. When pain happens, aleve it. All day strong. Na na na na na na na na. Hey hey hey. Goodbye. Na na na na. Hey hey hey. Goodbye. Na na na na na na na na. The worlds first sixfunction multipro tailgate. Available on the gmc sierra. If you have Risk Factors like heart disease, diabetes and raised triglycerides,. Vascepa can give you something to celebrate. Vascepa, when added to your statin,. Is clinically proven to provide 25 lower risk from Heart Attack and stroke. Vascepa is clearly different. First and only fda approved. Celebrate less risk. Even for those with family history. Dont take vascepa if you are. Or become allergic to Icosapent Ethyl or any inactive ingredient in vascepa. Serious Side Effects may occur like Heart Rhythm problems and bleeding. Heart rhythm problems may occur in more people. With persistent cardiovascular risk or who have had them in the past. Tell your doctor if you experience an Irregular Heartbeat or other Heart Rhythm problems. Possible Side Effects include muscle and joint pain. Celebrate less risk. Added cardio protection. Talk to your doctor about adding protection with vascepa. Upbeat music transitions™ light under control. Upbeat music transitions™ Signature Gen 8™ available now, in 4 vibrant style colors. Transitions™ sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name and theyre always glad you came welcome back, america. It sure is good to see you. When covid19 swept the world, it caught many by surprise. But some people sounded Alarm Bells early on. Dr. Charity dean, a former California State Health official, was one of those people. She spent her Career Fighting outbreaks of fatal Diseases Lightning Meningitis and tuberculosis. She knew what these plagues could do and how to stop them. Her bosses ignored her calls for urgent action against this Novel Coronavirus until it was too late. Shes one of the stars of Michael Lewiss new book. You have many fascinating characters in the new book, but Charity Dean is probably the principal one. Talk a little bit about what is the most distinctive thing about this woman. It is the combination of having so much fear inside of her with the ability to act so bravely. She her personal story is a lot like the Tara Westover Story that grew up in an evangelical community, didnt want girls to be educated. They were just supposed to have children. Had been obsessed with viruses as a small child. She leaves in many ways, lots of bad things happen to her. She has many reasons to be fearful. She is fearful, but adopts as a narrative, i need to be brave in order to do the things i want to do, and constantly sort of reminds herself that thats who she is. Shes churchill, Not Chamberlin in her parlance. And you need to be to do the job shes destined to do, which is to stop people from giving fatal diseases to each other. And the side of the story that was bring taking, you have walked into a public local Health Office and i have not but when you walk in there you are walking into a netflix drama. What is going on precovid is to unbelievable, that it is Life And Death kind of every day. And it is outbreaks once a week. And it is you dont know what saved you, this woman stood between you and a Tuberculosis Outbreak and you never knew it happened, that is what interested me about her. It was the quality of the person in the situation. She said men underestimate me, they think that my Spirit Animal is a bunny and instead it is a fing dragon. I want to ask you about something about her that reminded me of your last book, Fifth Risk. All these people, incredibly impressive, talented, devoted, who are not motivated by money. Who are not doing this for the money. You spent a lot of your time writing about Wall Street and people like that. But does it surprise you when you see these people with this level of dedication and hard work and theyre just doing it because they think this is an important this is important work . I have come to the conclusion that there is a separate gene, its the money gene. And some people have it and some people dont. And the people who are really effective in Public Service simply dont have it. If they have it, theyre frustrated because theyre not getting paid. This woman, Charity Dean, walks away from they times the sum she could have made in private practice to take this job as a public Health Officer. And doesnt even think about it. Doesnt like gnaw at her that i should be making more, im worth more than this. None of that crossed her mind. So instead shes animated and i think these other characters in the Fifth Risk are the same way. What gets them out of bed every morning is not their bank accounts, it is a mission that theyve identified, some almost you dont want to overstate this, but it is a calling. She has a calling. And it overwhelms all other motivations. She doesnt need any other motivation. And to me the tragedy of all of this is that we currently live in a society that does not honor these people appropriately. Because i think that i think what teased more out of the population if we created a culture of recognition around it and people understood kind of sacrifices that some of the people made to do things for all of us. And you have a calling Michael Lewis, which is to tell us all about this stuff in these just amazing, amazing books. Thank you. Thank you, fareed. Im sorry to have to add a very, very sad coda to this segment. Michael lewiss 19yearold Daughter Dixie and her boyfriend Ross Schultz were killed in a Car Accident earlier this week after we had taped the interview with michael. It is just a terrible tragedy. We send our condolences to the families and to all those who loved dixie and ross. May they rest in peace. If youre 55 and up, tmobile has plans built just for you. Switch now and get 2 unlimited lines and 2 free smartphones. And now get netflix on us. Its all included with 2 lines for only 70 bucks only at tmobile. Its the memorial Day Sale on the new Sleep Number 360 smart bed. Its the most comfortable, duallyadjustable, footwarming, temperaturebalancing. Proven Quality Night Sleep weve ever made. And now, save 1,000 on the new Sleep Number 360 Special Edition smart bed, plus free Premium Delivery when you add a base. Ends monday the light. It comes from within. It drives you. And it guides you. To shine your brightest. As you charge ahead. Illuminating the way forward. A light maker. Recognizing that the impact you make comes from the energy you create. Introducing the allelectric lyriq. Lighting the way. Welcome back to that same old place that you laughed about well, the names have all changed since you hung around welcome back, america. It sure is good to see you. Saturdays happen. Welcome back, america. Pain happens. Aleve it. Aleve is proven stronger and longer on pain than tylenol. When pain happens, aleve it. All day strong. And now, for the last look. The last year and a half has taken a toll on every aspect of society, from our Mental Health to our financial wellbeing, and now new data reveals just how much populations are shrinking. Its not just the excess debts from the pandemic, its the other side of the Life Cycle too, all across the globe birthrates are falling. The first babies conceived after the pandemic was declared were born in December 2020 but that month in South Korea and italy, both rates fell 10 . In spain births fell by 20 . And by january in Poland Birthrates were down by almost a quarter. In fact, aggregating 21 different countries, the economist found births fell 11 in January 2021 over the prior year. The magazine also noted that countries with a higher Covid Infection Rate saw greater declines in their birthrates. When u. S. Census data from 2020 was published much was made of the 4 decrease in births that year compared to 2019. But the sharpest dropoff in births came in december, an 8 from the previous year and that trend looks to continue based on the few states that have released data for 2021. In fact, a survey last june found that a third of All American women were postponing their plans to have children or aiming for smaller families due to the pandemic. Demographers point out that a declining birthrate is a norm during such massive crises. But this is actually part of a larger trend thats been happening for decades in developed countries Around The World. As Gdp Rises with higher education and more women in the workplace, instead of at home, couples marry later in life and have fewer children overall. Some of this is obviously a good sign, Gender Equality and educational attainment are certainly worthy goals. A decline in teen pregnancies accounts for one of the biggest parts of the u. S. s declining birthrate. Most would agree thats a cause for celebration and a in a world of limited resources there is a virtue to having fewer people on the planet. But the base of this decline matters a lot. Because when people stop having babies, the Labor Force shrinks. And with it the tax base, pension funds, and all the resources needed to deal with issues like Climate Change and inequality. One need only look at the oldest country in the world, japan, where once american officials warned of japanese economic dominance, the Island Nation now faces a labor shortage. Theres one elderly person for every two working adults, and that ratio is getting worse. Already medical coverage for some elderly people will be cut with some care giving outsourced to robots or other elderly citizens. But its not just japan. In italy 23 of the population is over 65 years old. In greece and germany, its 22 . For a long time the United States seemed to be avoiding these kinds of crises. Part is due to the melting pot, Immigrants Add to population, and immigrants also have more children. But in the last decade or so it has joined the pack as overall population began to level off. You see, since 2007 the american Fertility Rate has been lower than the 2. 1 births per woman thats needed to sustain the population. Last year it fell to 1. 6. On top of that, legal immigration has also slowed. Americas chief economic Competitor China is facing an even steeper demographic decline. Its own census released earlier this month showed a massive decline in births, and 18 decrease in 2020, from the number of babies born in 2019. The Fertility Rate is low as well, an average of 1. 3 children per woman. Already, the state has made plans to increase the retirement age, and readjust pension pools. This will have a significant impact on Beijings Path to becoming an economic superpower. Even the governmentowned Peoples Bank of china warned that china could be at risk of falling far behind the United States and india. The report pointed to the one real benefit that the u. S. Has above all other countries in demographic terms. Immigration. But that is, of course, as long as we continue to view it as a strength and not a weakness. Thanks to all of you for being part of my program this week. I will see you next week. Lets get uncomfortable. Thats when we find empathy. Once we get past our differences, thats when we find empathy because real empathy knows no age no color no gender. Real empathy says, hey, i see you. I feel you. I hear you. I understand you. I may not be you, but i love you. Thats what truly matters. Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name and theyre always glad you came welcome back, america. It sure is good to see you. My name is monique, im 41, and im a federal contract investigator. As a single parent, i would run from Football Games to work and trying to balance it all. So, what do you see when you look at yourself . I see a person thats caring. Sometimes i care too much, and thats when i had to learn to put myself first, because i would care about everyone all the time but im just as they are. Botox® cosmetic is fda approved to temporarily make frown lines, crows feet and forehead lines look better. The effects of botox® cosmetic may spread hours to weeks after injection, causing serious symptoms. Alert your doctor right away as difficulty swallowing, speaking, breathing, eye problems, or Muscle Weakness may be a sign of a lifethreatening condition. Do not receive botox® cosmetic if you have a skin infection. Side effects may include allergic reactions, injection site pain, headache, eyebrow, eyelid drooping, and eyelid swelling. Tell your doctor about your medical history, Muscle Or Nerve conditions, and medications including Botulinum Toxins as these may increase the risk of serious Side Effects. See for yourself at botoxcosmetic. Com to make my vision a reality. I have to take every perspective, and see clearly from every point of view. With my varilux Progressive Lenses i seamlessly transition from near to far. And see every detail in sharp focus. When you see no limits, there are no limits. Book now at your local essilor experts to push the limits of your vision. Varilux lenses by essilor. Right now a mass shooting outside a concert in florida, a group of gunmen now wanted for killing two people, and wounding at least 20 others. This is a despicable act of gun violence, a cowardly act. Breaking News Israel on the verge of a possible Power Shift when an Opposition Leader announced moments ago that could end benjamin netanyahus time in power. And President Biden calls it an assault on de