PBS NewsHour; Tuesday, December 27, 2022, 3:00pm-4:00pm PST

♪ JUDY: GOOD EVENING. I'M JUDY WOODRUFF. ON "THE NEWSHOUR" TONIGHT... WINTER WOES -- THOUSANDS MORE FLIGHTS ARE CANCELED AS THE DEATH TOLL FROM A MAJOR STORM RISES. THEN... CHANGING COURSE -- CHINA ENDS QUARANTINE REQUIREMENTS FOR INTERNATIONAL TRAVELERS, THE LATEST MOVE AWAY FROM ITS ZERO VID POLICY. AND... EXIT INTERVIEW -- AFTER LOSING TO A TRUMP-BACKED CHALLENGER, REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE DISCUSSES HOW POLITICS IN THE UNITED STATES HAVE CHANGED. MR. DAVIS: PRESIDENT TRUMP DEMANDS LOYALTY, AND IN MANY CASES, HE DOESN'T GIVE THAT SAME LOYALTY BACK. JUDY: ALL THAT AND MORE ON TONIGHT'S "PBS NEWSHOUR." ♪ >> MAJOR FUNDING FOR "THE PBS NEWSHOUR" HAS BEEN PROVIDED BY

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POSSIBLE BY THE CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING AND BY CONTRIBUTIONS TO YOUR PBS STATION FROM VIEWERS LIKE YOU. THANK YOU. JUDY: THE CASUALTIES KEEP CLIMBING TONIGHT FROM A SAVAGE WINTER STORM GRIPPING MUCH OF THE NATION. THE LATEST COUNTS SHOW AT LEAST 60 ARE DEAD, WITH MORE THAN HALF OF THOSE AROUND BUFFALO, NEW YORK. ROADS THERE ARE STILL PARALYZED, AND AIR TRAVEL IN MANY PLACES IS STILL A SHAMBLES. NICOLE ELLIS BEGINS OUR COVERAGE. NICOLE: EMERGENCY CREWS IN BUFFALO HAVE BEEN WORKING AROUND

THE CLOCK TO CLEAR MORE THAN 4 FEET OF SNOW. BUT, AS FIRE DEPARTMENT VIDEO SHOWS, THEY FACE AN OBSTACLE COURSE OF ABANDONED CARS LITTERING THE STREETS. >> IT IS UGLY RIGHT NOW ON MANY OF THE STREETS. NICOLE: ERIE COUNTY EXUTIVE MARK POLONCARZ SAYS STATE TROOPERS AND MILITARY POLICE ARE TAKING UP POSITIONS CITYWIDE BECAUSE TOO MANY DRIVERS ARE IGNORING AN EMERGENCY TRAVEL BAN. MR. POLONCARZ: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DO NOT DRIVE IN THE CITY OF BUFFALO UNLESS YOU ARE EMERGENCY PERSONNEL BECAUSE THERE ARE SOME ROADS THAT ARE PASSABLE WITH TWO LANES, THERE ARE OTHERS THAT ARE ONLY ONE LANE AND OTHERS THAT ARE, AS WE KNOW, COMPLETELY IMPASSABLE. NICOLE: BLIZZARD CONDITIONS HAVE ALSO KEPT PLANES GROUNDED AT AIRPORTS NATIONWIDE THIS WEEK, WITH THOUSANDS MORE FLIGHTS CANCELED TODAY. SOUTHWEST AIRLINES IS THE FOCUS OF MUCH OF THAT ANGER AFTER IT CANCELED NEARLY THREE QUARTERS OF MONDAY'S FLIGHTS. TODAY, IT CANCELED ROUGHLY TWO THIRDS OF ITS FLIGHTS, FAR MORE THAN OTHER MAJOR AIRLINES. ONE OF THE THOUSANDS OF

PASSENGERS AFFECTED WAS KITTY JARMON, STUCK AT CHICAGO'S MIDWAY AIRPORT. KITTY: IT'S JUST BEEN FRUSTRATING BECAUSE I'M A SINGLE PARENT. I HAVE TO GET HOME. MY CHILDREN ARE THERE WAITING FOR ME. I'M SUPPOSED TO BE AT WORK TODAY , NOW I HAVE TO CALL AND SAY I CAN'T BE THERE. NICOLE: DELAYS PROMPTED CHAOTIC SCENES ELSEWHERE, WITH MASSES OF UNCOLLECTED LUGGAGE OVERNIGHT, AND WEARY PASSENGERS FACING THE POSSIBILITY OF DAYS OF MORE WAITING. KARA: THEY SAID NO ONE IS GETTING ON A SOUTHWEST FLIGHT FOR FOUR DAYS AND WE CAN'T HELP YOU GO HOME. NICOLE: LAST NIGHT, THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION SAID IT WILL LOOK INTO WHAT IT CALLED SOUTHWEST'S UNACCEPTABLE RATE OF CANCELLATIONS AND REPORTS OF LACK OF PROMPT CUSTOMER SERVICE. FOR ITS PART, SOUTHWEST HAS BLAMED THE STORM'S SHEER SIZE. >> THE FACT THAT THIS ONE STARTED WEST, SWEPT EAST AND IMPACTED ALMOST EVERY SINGLE ONE OF OUR LARGEST AIRPORTS THAT PUT US IN A POSITION WHERE WE STRUGGLED TO RECOVER AND STRUGGLED TO GET OUR FLIGHT CREWS AND AIRPLANES WHERE THEY NEEDED TO BE. NICOLE: THE AIRLINE ALSO WARNED THAT FURTHER CANCELLATIONS ARE EXPECTED THIS WEEK.

FOR "THE PBS NEWSHOUR," I'M NICOLE ELLIS. JUDY: FOR MORE ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING AND THE FEDERAL RESPONSE TO THESE CANCELLATIONS AND DELAYS, I'M JOINED BY THE U.S. SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION, PETE BUTTIGIEG. MR. SECRETARY, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US. HOW MUCH OF WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THE AIRLINES IS DUE TO THEIR POOR DECISIONS AND HOW MUCH IS DUE TO THE WEATHER? SEC. BUTTIGIEG: WELL, WE REALLY SEE TWO DIFFERENT THINGS GOING ON. ONE IS A CHAIN OF EVENTS THAT WAS BECAUSE OF THE WEATHER. EVERYBODY UNDERSTANDS THIS WAS AN EXTREME STORM AND IT KNOCKED THE AVIATION SYSTEM OFF BALANCE. BUT WE'RE SEEING RECOVERY IN MOST OF THE SYSTEM. AS A MATTER OF FACT, BUT FOR ONE AIRLINE, THE CANCELATION RATE IS DOWN TO ABOUT 5% AND FALLING. BUT THAT OTHER AIRLINE, SOUTHWEST AIRLINES, IS ACTUALLY MOVING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION. THEY HAVE HAD A SET OF CASCADING EFFECTS. A MAJORITY OF THEIR FLIGHTS ARE CANCELED AND IT'S LED TO CATASTROPHIC AND UNACCEPTABLE

CONDITIONS IN TERMS OF WHAT'S HAPPENING TO PASSENGERS AND WHAT'S HAPPENING TO EMPLOYE. ORDINARILY, I THINK THAT SOMETIMES IN THE MEDIA, THE WORD MELTDOWN IS USED A LITTLE BIT TOO OFTEN. RIGHT NOW, I WOULD SAY MELTDOWN IS THE ONLY WORD I CAN USEO DESCRIBE WHAT IS HAPPENING ACROSS SOUTHWEST AIRLINES OPERATIONS. JUDY: WELL, WE UNDERSTAND YOU'VE SPOKEN TODAY WITH THE CEO OF SOUTHWEST AND OF THE HEAD OF THE AIRLINE ATTENDANTS, FLHT ATTENDANTS UNION. WHAT ARE YOU LEARNING ABOUT WHAT'S GONE WRONG AND WHAT'S THE SOURCE OF IT? SEC. BUTTIGIEG: WELL, WHAT THE FLIGHT ATTENDANTS AND ALSO THE PILOTS HAVE DESCRIBED TO ME IS OUTDATED SYSTEMS. SO THAT RIGHT NOW THE AIRLINE IS UNABLE TO TRACK WHERE MANY OF ITS CREWS EVEN ARE. OBVIOUSLY, THAT'S NOT AN ACCEPTABLE STATE OF AFFAIRS WHEN YOU ARE TRYING TO RECOVER OPERATIONS. WE'RE ALSO HEARING FROM CUSTOMERS, PASSENGERS WHO ARE NOT EVEN ABLE TO GET ON THE PHONE LINE, JUST GETTING A BUSY SIGNAL WHEN THEY CALL FOR HELP. I SPOKE TO THE CEO OF SOUTHWEST AIRLINES.

I REMINDED HIM OF THE STEPPED UP COMMITMENTS THAT THE AIRLINE MADE TO OUR DEPARTMENT OVER THE SUMMER. AND WE GOT THOSE COMMITMENTS IN WRITING ABOUT HOW THEY TAKE CARE OF CUSTOMERS, PASSENGERS, WHEN THERE ARE ISSUES LIKE THIS. WE'RE GOING TO BE HOLDING THEM ACCOUNTABLE TO THOSE COMMITMENTS ANEXPECT THEM TO GO ABOVE AND BEYOND THE LETTER OF THE LAW IN TERMS OF HOW THEY TREAT PASSENGERS, MAKING SURE THAT THEY ARE PAYING FOR THINGS LIKE HOTELS, GROUND TRAVEL EXPENSES, MEALS AND OF COURSE, THE REFUNDS FOR PASSENGERS WHO FLIGHTS A CANCELED. THEY HAVE PLEDGED THAT THEY'RE GOINTO BE DOING THAT. I'LL BE WATCHING VERY CLOSELY TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY FOLLOW THROUGH. JUDY: SO THEY'RE SAYING THEY'RE GOING TO DO THIS FOR EVERYONE AFFECTED ADVERSELY BY TRAVEL RIGHT NOW THIS WEEK? SEC. BUTTIGIEG: ANYONE WHOSE FLIGHT IS CANCELED IS ENTITLED TO A CASH REFUND. THAT SHOULD BE A PROMPT REFUND. THEY ARE ALSO INDICATING, AND AGAIN, THIS IS PART OF THE CUSTOMER SERVICE PLANS THAT THEY FILED WITH US OVER THE SUMMER AFTER WE PRESSED THEM AND THE OTHER AIRLINES TO INCREASE THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE COMMITMENTS, THAT THEY WILL DO THINGS LIKE

TAKING CARE OF A HOTEL OR A MEAL. SO, YES, THAT AT A MINIMUM IS MY EXPECTATION FOR HOW THE PASSENGERS WHO ARE STRANDED TODAY ARE GOING TO BE TREATED. JUDY: AND WHAT ABOUT GOING FORWARD? WE SPOKE WITH AN AIRLINE TRAVEL EXPERT TODAY WHO SAID ESSENTIALLY THAT THEIR SYSTEM OF SCHEDULING, AS YOU JUST REFERRED TO, IS BROKEN. WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR THEM TO DO GOING FORWARD FROM TODAY? SEC. BUTTIGIEG: WELL, CLEARLY, THEY NEED TO DEMONSTRATE THAT THEY CAN'T ALLOW A SYSTEM, A PROBLEM LIKE THIS TO HPEN AGAIN. WE AGAIN, WE ALL UNDERSTAND THAT WEATHER CAN HAVE A MAJOR AND SERIOUS IMPACT ON FLIGHT OPERATIONS. BUT WHERE YOU HAVE THE ENTIRE REST OF THE AVIATION SYSTEM RECOVERING AND CANCELATIONS AND DELAYS RETURNING TO NORMAL, YOU HAVE A SITUATION HERE WITH SOUTHWEST THAT SEEMS TO BE COMPLETELY PARALYZED. I ALSO THINK WE NEED TO TAKE A LOOK AT THINGS LIKE WHETHER THEIR SCHEDULE WAS REALISTIC AND OTHER THINGS THAT THEY NEED TO DO. ULTIMATELY, OF COURSE, THEY HAVE

A RESPONSIBILITY AS A COMPANY TO THEIR PASSENGERS AND EMPLOYEES. BUT AS A WATCHDOG, WE'RE WATCHING VERY CLOSELY TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE MEETING THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE COMMITMENTS. JUDY: YOU MENTIONED A COUPLE OF TIMES THE COMMITMENTS THAT SOUTHWEST AND OTHER AIRLINES MADE OVER THE SUMMER. BUT THOSE PENALTIES, THOSE FINES CLEARLY DIDN'T PREVENT WHAT'S GOING ON RIGHT NOW. WHAT DOES THAT TELL YOU ABOUT THE LEVEL OF ENFORCEMENT? SEC. BUTTIGIEG: WELL, WE'RE TAKING A LOOK AT WHAT ELSE WE CAN DO. ULTIMATELY, WHAT WE'RE SEEING IS THAT NO OTHER AIRLINE HAD THIS ISSUE. SO IT DOES SEEM TO BE SPECIFIC TO THIS ONE AIRLINE. THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE TO, I THINK, AS A COMPANY THAT HAS RELATIONSHIPS WITH THEIR PASSENGERS, ANSWER FOR THAT. BUT THEY'RE ALSO GOING TO BE RESPONSIBLE TO US FOR MEETING THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE COMMITMENTS. AND WHAT WE FOUND IS THAT BOTH THROUGH TRANSPARENCY AND THROUGH ENFORCEMENT, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO GET A LOT OF RESULTS OUT OF AIRLINES. JUST THIS YEAR ALONE, WE'VE GOTTEN HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS BACK TO HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PASSENGERS. AND BECAUSE WE PUT THAT PRESSURE ON OVER THE SUMMER, MANY AIRLINES, INCLUDING SOUTHWEST,

MADE NEW COMMITMENTS IN WRITING TO WHAT THEY'LL DO FOR PASSENGERS IN SITUATIONS LIKE THIS. NOW THAT WE HAVE THAT IN HAND, WE'RE IN A POSITION TO HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE TO THEM. AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE GOING TO BE DOING AS WE LOOK AHEAD. JUDY: AND SO WHAT RIGHT NOW, MR. SECRETARY, SHOULD PEOPLE WHO ARE FLYING LOOK FORWARD TO IN THE DAYS IN THE WEEKS TO COME? SEC. BUTTIGIEG: FIRST OF ALL, YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU'RE USING THAT WEBSITE TO REQUEST A REFUND IF YOUR FLIGHT WAS CANCELED TO GET THAT THOSE REIMBURSEMENTS AND THAT FUNDING. WE HAVE A WEBSITE TOO. SO SOUTHWEST IS RESPONSIBLE FOR WEBSITE AVAILABLE TO CUSTOMERS, BUT WE HAVE A WEBSITE FOR FILING A COMPLAINT IF THIS OR ANY AIRLINE IS FAILING TO MEET THEIR COMMITMENTS. AND WE FOLLOW THROUGH ON THAT. AS WE GO FORWARD, YOU CAN EXPECT US TO CONTINUE TO BE THERE FOR AIRLINE PASSENGERS. AGAIN, A LOT OF GAINS HAVE BEEN MADE THIS SUMMER AND GOING INTO THIS FALL. BUT AS YOU CAN SEE, THIS WINTER, WE ARE NOT OUT OF THE WOODS YET AND AIRLINES NEED TO CONTINUE TO IMPROVE THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE PATTERNS, ALTHOUGH I WOULD NOTE THAT MANY AIRLINES WERE ABLE TO RECOVER VERY QUICKLY AFTER AN ALMOST UNPRECEDENTED STORM

IMPACTING MULTIPLE HUBS FOR MULTIPLE AIRLINES ACROSS THE COUNTRY. THE MAJORITY OF THE AIRLINE SYSTEM WAS MOVING BACK TO NORMAL OR CLOSER TO NORMAL. WE'VE SEEN, AGAIN, THE OPPOSITE IN THE CASE OF THIS ONE AIRLINE. AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S GOING TO REQUIRE A LOT OF FOLLOW THROUGH, NOT JUST ON THEIR PART , BUT WE'RE GOING TO BE LOOKING AT THE CAUSES OF THIS AND WHAT CAN BE DONE. JUDY: I HAVE ONE LAST QUESTION WITH WITH REGARD TO ROAD AND HIGHWAY AVEL, AND THAT IS WATCHING WHAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING AND IN NEW YORK STATE, IN WESTERN NEW YORK STATE, THE BUFFALO AREA, WHERE LOCAL OFFICIALS, CITY AND COUNTY HAVE ASKED PEOPLE TO STAY OFF THE ROADS. MOST PEOPLE HAVE IN THE HEAVY, HEAVY SNOW, BUT SOME HAVE NOT. AND THAT'S LED TO LIVES BEING LOST BECAUSE EMERGENCY VEHICLES HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO GET TO WHERE PEOPLE NEED HELP. IS THERE SOMETHING MORE THAT CAN BE DONE IN THOSE SITUATIONS? SEC. BUTTIGIEG: I CANNOT EMPHASIZE THIS ENOUGH -- WHEN LOCAL AUTHORITIES SAY TO STAY OFF THE ROADS, STAY OFF THE ROADS. THAT IS FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY AND FOR THEIR ABILITY TO RESPOND TO EMERGENCIES.

I KNOW THAT ESPECIALLY AROUND THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS AND THE WINTER HOLIDAYS, PEOPLE MAYBE FEEL A DIFFERENT KIND OF PRESSURE THAT IT'S HARD TO HEED THOSE WARNINGS. BUT WHAT YOUR FAMILY WANTS MORE THAN HAVING YOU THERE AT NEW YEAR'S, MORE THAN HAVING YOU THERE FOR A HOLIDAY OBSERVANCE, WHAT YOUR FAMILY WANTS IS FOR YOU TO BE SAFE AND ALIVE FOR MANY HOLIDAYS TO COME. THAT IS LITERALLY WHAT'S AT STAKE. JUDY: TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY PETE BUTTIGIEG, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. SEC. BUTTIGIEG: THANK YOU. GOOD TO BE WITH YOU. ♪ JUDY: IN THE DAY'S OTHER NEWS, THE U.S. SUPREME COURT RULED THAT TITLE 42 -- BARRING MIGRANTS AT THE SOUTHERN BORDER FROM SEEKING LEGAL ASYLUM -- WILL STAY IN PLACE INDEFINITELY. THE RULE WAS BASED ON STOPPING THE SPREAD OF COVID. CONSERVATIVE-LEANING STATES WARNED THEY WOULD BE OVERWHELMED BY THOUSANDS OF MIGRANTS, IF THE POLICY IS ENDED. FIVE CONSERVATIVE JUSTICES AGREED TO LEAVE IT STANDING AND

SAID THE COURT WILL HEAR ARGUMENTS IN FEBRUARY. RUSSIA IS AGAIN DEMANDING CONDITIONS FOR PEACE THAT UKRAINE IS SURE TO REJECT. FOREIGN MINISTER SERGEI LAVROV SAID TOD THAT KYIV MUST DE-MILITARIZE BEFORE THE WAR CAN END. UKRAINE SAID MOSCOW NEEDS TO FACE REALITY. IN EASTERN UKRAINE, A LARGE RESIDENTIAL BUILDING BURNED TODAY IN BAKHMUT, WHERE RUSSIAN FORCES HAVE ATTACKED FOR WEEKS. MOST OF THOSE STILL IN THE RAVAGED CITY ARE ELDERLY. PILAHEIA: YOU KIND OF GET USED TO IT. THERE ARE CONSTANT EXPLOSIONS. EARLIER, WHEN SOMETHING GOT HIT, I'D BEND OVER AND GET ON THE GROUND, BUT NOW YOU JUST DON'T EVEN LOOK -- OR YOU LISTEN CAREFULLY WHAT IS HAPPENING AND WHERE. THAT'S HOW WE ARE NOW. BUT STILL, I WANT TO LIVE A NORMAL LIFE. JUDY: ALSTODAY, RUSSIA'S PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN ANNOUNCED HE'S BANNING OIL SALES TO COUNTRIES ENFORCING A PRICE CAP ON RUSSIAN OIL. SOUTH KOREA'S MILITARY APOLOGIZED TOD FOR FAILING TO SHOOT DOWN NORTH KOREAN DRONES

THAT CROSSED THE BORDER ON MONDAY. THE SOUTH'S TOP GENERAL SAID IT SHOWED THAT HIS AIR DEFENSES CANNOT DETECT SMALL SURVEILLANCE DRONES. AT A CABINET MEETING, PRESIDENT YOON SAHK YOHL ADDRESSED THE FAILURE, AND SAID THE NEED TO FIX IT IS CLEAR. PRES. YOON: YESTERDAY, NORTH KOREA'S MILITARY DRONES INVADED OUR AIRSPACE. THE INCIDENT SHOWED A SUBSTANTIAL LACK OF OUR MILITARY'S PREPAREDNESS AND TRAINING. USING YESTERDAY'S INCIDENT AS MOMENTUM, WE WILL EXPEDITE THE PLAN TO CREATE A DRONE UNIT AS SOON US POSSIBLE -- SOON AS POSSIBLE. JUDY: THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT NORTH KOREAN DRONES HAVE VIOLATED SOUTH KOREAN AIRSPACE SINCE 2017. BACK IN THIS COUNTRY, CONGRESSMAN-ELECT GEORGE SANTOS HAS ADMITTED TO LYING IN HIS CAMPAIGN ABOUT HIS COLLEGE AND WORK EXPERIENCE. IN AN INTERVIEW MONDAY, THE NEW YORK REPUBLICAN ACKNOWLEDGED HE NEVER GRADUATED FROM COLLEGE AND NEVER WORKED FOR FINANCIAL FIRMS CITIGROUP AND GOLDMAN SACHS. HE SAID "MY SINS HERE ARE EMBELLISHING MY RESUME.

I'M SORRY." WE'LL TAKE A CLOSER LOOK, LATER IN THE PROGRAM. A CONVICTED RING-LEADER OF A PLOT TO KIDNAP MICHIGAN GOVERNOR GRETCHEN WHITMER WAS SENTENCED TODAY TO 16 YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON. ADAM FOX HAD BEEN FOUND GUILTY LAST SUMMER, AT HIS TRIAL IN GRAND RAPIDS. FEDERAL PROSECUTORS WANTED HIM TO SPEND LIFE IN PRISON, BUT OUTSIDE THE COURTHOUSE, AFTER TODAY'S HEARING, THEY SAID THE SENTENCE IS STILL A WARNING. MR. BIRGE: RESPONDING TO DOMESTIC TERRORISM PLOTS HAS BEEN A PRIORITY FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE SINCE ITS FOUNDING. WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO SPARE NO EXPENSE TO MAKE SURE WE DISRUPT PLOTS LIKE THESE AND BRING THOSE RESPONSIBLE, HOL THEM ACCOUNTABLE TO THE LAW. JUDY: THE FBI BROKE UP THE KIDNAPPING PLOT IN THE FALL OF 2020. ANOTHER RING-LEADER WILL BE SENTENCED TOMORROW. AND, ON WALL STREET, STOCKS STRUGGLED TO MAKE HEADWAY AFTER THE LONG HOLIDAY WEEKEND. THE DOW JONES INDUSTRIAL AVERAGE GAINED 37 POINTS TO CLOSE AT 33,241. BUT THE NASDAQ FELL 144 POINTS -- MORE THAN 1 PERCENT.

THE S&P 500 SLIPPED 15 POINTS. STILL TO COME ON "THE NEWSHOUR"... REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE-ELECT GEORGE SANTOS ADMITS TO LYING ABOUT HIS RESUME... W RAPPER MEGAN THEE STALLION'S COURT BATTLE HIGHLIGHTS MISTREATMENT OF BLACK WOMEN... A BIOGRAPHY UNCOVERS NEW DETAILS ABOUT THE LIFE OF FILM LEGEND ELIZABETH TAYLOR... PLUS MUCH MORE. >> THIS IS "THE PBS NEWSHOUR" FROM WETA STUDIOS IN WASHINGTON, AND IN THE WEST FROM THE WALTER CRONKITE SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM AT ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY. JUDY: AFTER THREE YEARS OF STRICT COVID RESTRICTIONS, CHINA IS DRAMATICALLY LOOSENING UP ON RULES, AND OPENING ITS BORDERS. STARTING IN JANUARY, THE GOVERNMENT WILL SCRAP QUARANTINE REQUIREMENTS FOR INTERNATIONAL TRAVELERS. IT IS THE LATEST MOVE ROLLING BACK THE GOVERNMENT'S SO CALLED RO COVID POLICY. BUT AS A RESULT OF EASING RESTRICTIONS, THE VIRUS IS NOW

RAPIDLY SPREADING ACROSS TOWNS AND CITIES. HOSPITALS ARE OVERBURDENED, MEDICAL STAFF ARE OUTNUMBERED AND CREMATORIUMS ARE RUNNING OUT OF SPACE. IN BEIJING, IT'S A STRUGGLE TO SAVE LIVES. FRONTLINE WORKERS ARE BATTLING AN UNPRECEDENTED SURGE IN COVID RELATED HOSPITALIZATIONS. EMERGENCY WARDS AR AND THERE'S A SHORTAGE OF BEDSDW IN HOSPITALS. PATIENTS ARE BEING TREATED ON CHAIRS, IN CORRIDORS. MEDICAL STAFF, MANY OF THEM WORKING SICK, ARE OVERWHELMED WITH CRITICAL PATIENTS. ZHOU YING: ALL THE PATIENTS WHO COME HERE HAVE OXYGEN LEVELS AT ONLY 50%, 60%, 70%, OR SO. SO WE FEEL A LOT OF PRESSURE WHEN IT COMES TO SEVERE CASES. OUR MEDICAL STAFF FELL ILL ONE AFTER ANHER AND MANY COLLEAGUES ARE STILL WORKING DESPITE BEING SICK. JUDY: THIS DRAMATIC SURGE OF COVID CASES WAS TRIGGERED A SUDDEN EASE IN RESTRICTIONS. ON DEC 7, BEIJING ABRUPTLY ENDED

ITS ZERO COVID POLICY THAT HAD IMPOSED STRINGENT MEASURES LIKE MANDATORY QUARANTINE, MASS TESTING AND STRICT LOCKDOWNS ON RESIDENTS SINCE 2020. EARLIER THIS MONTH, WIDESPREAD PUBLIC PROTESTS ACROSS CHINA LED THE REGIME MAKE A U-TURN. BUT THE QUICK WITHDRAWAL FROM COVID PROTOCOLS HAS LED TO DESPERATION AND TRAGEDY. IN HEARTBREAKING SCENES, PEOPLE ARE QUEUING UP OUTSIDE FUNERAL HOMES AND CREMATORIUMS, COMPETING FOR A BIT OF SPACE FOR DIGNIFIED FAREWELL TO THEIR LOVED ONES. WHILE SOME CITIES ARE REPORTING SOME NUMBERS, AS OF THE WEEKEND, THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT IS NO LONGER REPORTING OFFICIAL COVID DATA, MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR THE PUBLIC TO KNOW THE TRUE SCALE OF THE PANDEMIC. THE MOST ACCURATE INFORMATION PEOPLE HAVE ARE VIDEOS POSTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA OF PILED-UP BODY BAGS AND UNCOUNTED DEATHS

ACROSS CHINA. FOR MORE ON CHINA'S SURGE IN COVID CASES, WE TURN TO DR. CHRIS BEYRER, DIRECTOR OF THE DUKE GLOBAL HEALTH INSTITUTE. AND LYNETTE ONG, A PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL SCIENCE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO, WHERE SHE FOCUSES ON CHINA. HER LATEST BOOK IS "OUTSOURCING REPRESSION: EVERYDAY STATE POWER IN CONTEMPORARY CHINA." WE WELCOME BOTH OFOU TO THE WSHOUR. HOW SERIOUS IS THE COVID SITUATION RIGHT NOW IN CHINA? DR. BEYRER: IT IS VERY SERIOUS ALTHOUGH FOR SIZE NUMBERS ARE HARD TO COME BY. THE OFFICIAL CHINESE NUMBERS DON'T LOOK ANYWHERE AS DIRE AS WHAT IS GENERALLY BEING UNDERSTOOD FROM HOSPITALS AND MORGUES. THE REAL ISSUE IS ZERO COVID WAS NEVER GOING TO WORK AGAINST OMICRON, IT IS TOO INFECTIOUS. THE CHINESE DID NOT GET THE

ELDERLY POPULATION VACCINATED WITH HIGH EFFICACY VACCINES IN TIME. THEY NOW HAVE LISTED ZERO COVID AND THEY HAVE AN ENORMOUS POPULATION THAT'S VULNABLE. JUDY: WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT WHY THEY DIDN'T GET MORE PEOPLE VACCINATED AND ESPECIALLY THE MOST VULNERABLE, THE ELDERLY? DR. BEYRER: THEY STARTED WITH CHINESE MANUFACTURED VACCINES USING VERY OLD TECHNOLOGIES AND THESE VACCINES WERE NEVER HIGH-TECH AT THE CITY -- HI EFFICACY, BUT THEY WERE BASED ON THE WUHAN VARIANCE. THAT VARIANT IS EXTINCT. WHAT CHINA IS DEALING WITH IS THE OMICRON SUBVARIANTS, MUCH MORE INFECTIOUS AND FOR WHICH THERE VACCINES HAVE VERY LOW EFFICACY. WHAT THEHAVE FAILED TO DO IS USE HIGH EFFICACY VACCINES WHERE THEY ARE NEEDED MOST AND THAT'S WHY THEY ARE IN SUCH DIRE STRAITS. JUDY: THAT IS A GOVERNMENT DECISION? WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT WHO DECIDED TO HAVE THINGS TURN OUT THIS

WAY? DR. BEYRER: TO BE FAIR, YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT EARLY ON, THE HIGH EFFICACY VACCINES, PARTICULARLY MRNA VACCINES, WERE NOT WIDELY AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WERE PRE-PURCHASED BY THE U.S., EU AND OTHER WEALTHY COUNTRIES. IN THE LAST YEAR AND A HALF THERE HAS BEEN MUCH MORE VACCINE SUPPLY WORLDWIDE. MUCH MORE AVAILABILITY OF HIGHER EFFICACY VACCINES IT ISN'T CLEAR WHY THEY DIDN'T TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO IMMUNIZE. THEY'VE ADDED SOME MORE HOMEGROWN VACCINES BUT THEY ARE STILL USING VACCINES OF UNCERTAIN OR LOW EFFICACY. THEY REALLY HELD ON TIGHTLY TO THE ZERO COVID POLICY. MANY CHINA WATCHERS WOULD SAY THIS WAS BECAUSE OF THE PARTY CONGRESS AND THE IDEA THAT THEY COULD NOT REVERSE COURSE UNTIL IT WAS OVER. NOW THAT IT IS OVER IN THEY HAVE REVERSED COURSE, IT IS A LOST WIOW OF OPPORTUNITY TO GET THE ELDERLY VACCINATED. JUDY: AND A VERY DEADLY LIFE COSTING SET OF DECISIONS.

PROFESSOR, WHY DO YOU THINK THE GOVERNMENT STUCK WITH THIS POLICY FOR SO LONG, WHICH IS TURNING OUT TO BE LEADING TO SO MANY DEATHS? PROF. ONG: YOUR QUESTION ABOUT WHY THE VACCINATION RATE IN CHINA IS SO LOW, EVEN THOUGH THEY'VE GOT THREE YEARS TO PREPARE FOR IT -- ZERO COVID HAS BEEN XI JINPING'S SIGNATURE POLICY FROM DAY ONE. A YEAR INTO IT, COVID HAS CEASED TO BECOME A PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE, IT IS BECOME A POLITICAL ISSUE, ALLOWING PRESIDENT XI TO SHOWCASE THE PRIORITY OF THE CHINESEOVERNANCE MODEL AND PROTECTING ITS PEOPLE'S LIVES, OFTEN POINTING TO ONE MILLION DEATHS IN THE UNITED STATES, SAYING THE FAILURE OF WESTERN DEMOCRACIES IN PROTECTING LIVES. AND IT IS ALSO USED TO CONTROL

PEOPLE'S MOVEMENTS LEADING UP TO THE PARTY CONGRESS. IT HAS BECOME MORE POLITIL THAN A PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE, WHICH IS WHY I THINK VACCINATION HAS BEEN VERY LOW ON THE PRIORITY. THE LAST SIX WEEKS OR SO, THERE HAVE BEEN EXTRAORDINARY PROTESTS IN MAJOR CITIES IN CHINA, ASKING PRESIDENT XI TO STEP DOWN AND GIVING INTENSE PRESSURE FROM ALL SIDES. PRESIDENT XI DECIDED TO DO A 180 DEGREES REVERSAL WHICH HAS CAUGHT HOSPITALS UNPREPARED. JUDY: DOES THE PUBLIC UNDERSTAND WHAT IS GOING ON, THAT THEIR GOVERNMENT HAS MADE DECISIONS THAT ARE NOW LEADING TO THIS MASSIVE COVID CRISIS? PROF. ONG: I THINK PEOPLE VERY MUCH UNDERSTAND WHAT IS GOING ON EVEN THOUGH THERE IS A LACK OF TRANSPARENCY, THERE IS NO DATA ABOUT COVID INFECTIONS AND MORTALITY RATES, OR HOW CREDIT HOSPITALS ARE. PEOPLE ARE SPECULATING IN THE

DARK. BUT I THINK PEOPLE KNOW THE SITUATION IS DIRE, AND THEY ARE TAKING THINGS INTO THEIR OWN HANDS. SOME OF THEM ARE GOING TO THE BLACK MARKET AND SOME OF THEM ARE TRYING TO SECURE OVER-THE-COUNTER PAINKILLERS AND MEDICINE FROM HONG KONG AND MACAU. BUT THINGS ARE REALLY NOT LOOKING GOOD AT THE MOMENT. JUDY: IS BLAME FALLING ON THE SHOULDERS OF XI JINPING AND HIS REGIME? PROF. ONG: THAT'S AN INTERESTING QUESTION. I THINK WE WILL HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE IF WE SEE A SCAPEGOAT THAT WILL BE ATTRIBUTE IT THE BLAME TO. ALL LIKELIHOOD, I THINK THE CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY'S LEGITIMACY IS GOING TO SUFFER BECAUSE PUBLIC TRUST HAS BEEN ERODED THE LAST SEVERAL WEEKS WITH THE PROTESTS AS WELL AS THE 180 DEGREES REVERSAL.

THE REVERSAL AND RHETORIC, TELLING PEOPLE COVID IS DANGEROUS AND OVERNIGHT, TELLING PEOPLE THERE'S NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT, I DON'T THINK PEOPLE ARE EASILY FOOLED. JUDY: WHAT DO WE SEE IN THE WEEKS AND MONTHS TO COME IN CHINA IN TERMS OF COVID? WHAT SHOULD WE EXPECT? DR. BEYRER: I AM AFRAID WE EXPECT MANY MORE CASES, UNFORTUNATELY MORE LOSS OF LIFE, BECAUSE PEOPLE HAVE NOT BEEN IMMUNIZED WITH HIGH EFFICACY VACCINES. THERE IS A U.K. ESTIMATE OUT THAT PERHAPS 5000 DEATHS PER DAY ARE ALREADY OCCURRING AND THERE COULD BE CONSIDERABLY MORE THAN THAT COMING. THE CATCH UP OF IMMUNIZATION IS GOING TO TAKE LONGER THAN IT WOULD IN OTHER SETTINGS BECAUSE WHO HAS MANDATED THESE LOW EFFICACY CHINESE VACCINES REQUIRE AT LEAST THREE DOSES. IT'S NOT JUST TWO DOSES BUT ALSO A BOOST. CATCHING UP WITH BOOSTING IS

CHALLENGING AND TAKES TIME, AS WE KNOW FROM THE U.S.. JUDY: FINALLY, WHO AMONG THE CHINESE POPULATION IS GOING TO BE SUFFERING THE MOST? YOU MENTIONED SOME PEOPLE HAVE ACCESS TO INFORMATION, TO MEDICINE ON THE BLACK MARKET, BUT WHO MAINLY WILL SUFFER? PROF. ONG: PEOPLE IN RURAL AREAS, BECAUSE THE APPLICATION OF PUBLIC HEALTH IS UNEVEN. FOR A LONG TIME THERE'S BEEN NEGLECT ON THE HEALTH SYSTEM IN THE COUNTRYSIDE. I SEE YOU BEDS -- ICU BEDS IN SHORTAGE IN CHINA IN GENERAL BUT PARTICULARLY IN RURAL AREAS. ALL THINGS BEING EQUAL, WE ARE LIKELY TO SEE MORE CASUALTIES IN RURAL CHINA UNFORTUNATELY. JUDY: IT IS SUCH A TRAGIC SITUATION ON SO MANY LEVELS. PROFESSOR ONG AND DR. BEYRER, THANK YOU BOTH. ♪ AN INCOMING NEW YORK CONGRESSMAN SAYS HE STILL PLANS ON TAKING

HIS SEAT NEXCONGRESS DESPITE ADMITTING HE MISLED VOTERS ABOUT HIS CREDENTIALS. CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT LISA DESJARDINS IS HERE TO BREAK DOWN WHAT HAPPENED, WHAT'S NEXT, AND WHAT WE STILL DO NOT KNOW ABOUT REPRESENTATIVE-ELECT GEORGE SANTOS. HELLO, LISA. AN EXTRAORDINARY STORY. WHAT EXACTLY DID HE CLAIM AND WHAT IS TRUE? LISA: LET ME TAKE YOU TO LONG ISLAND WHERE HE WON AN OPEN AND COMPETITIVE C. GEORGE SANTOS IS 34 YEARS OLD, AND YOURS MAY BE FAMILIAR WITH HIM BECAUSE HE MADE HISTORY AS THE FIRST REPUBLICAN WHO WILL ENTER CONGRESS AS AN OPENLY GAY PERSON. AS PART OF HIS CAMPAIGN, HE MADE SEVERAL CLAIMS ABOUT HIS LIFE HISTORY. LET'S LOOK AT WHAT HE HAS CLAIMED AND WHAT HE IS NOW ADMITTING. FIRST OF ALL HE CLAIMED HE WORKED FOR CITIGROUP AND GOLDMAN SACHS, HE SAYS THAT'S NOT TRUE, HE NOW SAYS HE WORKED AT A FIRM THAT WORKS WITH THEM. HE ALSO CLAIMED HE GRADUATED

FROM COLLEGE, HE NEVER GRADUATED FROM COLLEGE. HE ALSO CLAIMED TO BE A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSMAN, OWNING 17 PROPERTIES, HE NOW SAYS HE DOESN'T OWN ANY PROPERTY, AND FOR THE TIME BEING HE IS LIVING WITH HIS SISTER. HOW DOES HE EXPLAIN ALL OF THIS? HE'S BEEN DOING INTERVIEWS WITH LOCAL MEDIA AND HE SAYS THESE WERE EMBELLISHMENTS HE SAYS IS PART OF MEDIA CULTURE. SOME GYMNASTIC LOGIC. IN THIS INTERVIEW, HE POINTED TO THE NEW YORK TIMES FOR EXAMPLE AS CALLING A JOB HE HAD AS A CUSTOMER SERVICE REP AN AUDIT JOB. MR. SANTOS: FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES TO DIMINISH IT AND CALL IT AN ODD JOB JUST SHOWS YOU THE TYPE OF PRECONCEIVED NOTION THAT PEOPLE GIVE TO PEOPLE WHO WORK HARD. SO THAT'S WHERE I PROBABLY FELT IN A SENSE, THE NEED TO NOT SHARE THAT AND THE NEED TO EMBELLISH A LITTLE BIT, MY RESUME, WHICH I REGRET, REGRETTABLY, AND IN HINDSIGHT AND HINDSIGHT VISION IS 20/20. LISA: STILL SO MANY QUESTIONS

INCLUDING THE $700,000 HE PERSONALLY LOANED TO HIS CAMPAIGN AND IT IS NOT CLEAR WHERE IT CAME FROM. JUDY: HE EVEN MISLED VOTERS ABOUT HIS OWN HERITAGE. LISA: THIS IS SIGNIFICANT. HE CLAIMED HIS GRANDPARENTS THROUGH HIS MOTHER WERE JEWISH AND FLED TO BRAZIL, HE SAID, FROM UKRAINE AND PERSECUTION DURING WORLD WAR II. AN INDEPENDENT AMERICAN JEWISH MEDIA OUTLET LOOKED INTO HIS PAST AND FOUND THOSE GRANDPARENTS WERE BORN IN BRAZIL , NOT IN EUROPE UKRAINE, BEFORE WORLD WAR II. HE HAS TALKED ABOUT THIS AS WELL. HE H SAID HE WAS GOING OFF OF FAMILY STORIES. MR. SANTOS: I ALWAYS JOKE I'M CATHOLIC, BUT I'M ALSO JEW-ISH. AS IN 'ISH,' AND I'VE MADE THAT JOKE BECAUSE GROWING UP, I GREW UP FULLY AWARE THAT MY GRANDPARENTS WERE JEWISH. LISA: SO JEW-ISH IS NOT SOMETHING RINGING WELL WITH THE

ACTUAL JEWISH COMMUNITY IN AMERICA. THE REPUBLICAN JEWISH COALITION, A GROUP SUPPORTING HIM, CAME OUT WITH THIS TODAY, THEY SAY, "HE DECEIVED US AND MISREPRESENTED HIS HERITAGE AND HE WILL NOT BE WELCOME AT FUTURE EVENTS." THAT IS AN IMPORTANT AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE JEWISH GROUP. AND ALSO WORTHY OF NOTE, THAT DISTRICT HAS A SIGNIFICANT JEWISH POPULATION AS WELL. JUDY: SO YOU COVER CONGRESS AND YOU KNOW THE RULES. WHAT HAPPENS NOW? CAN HE BE PREVENTED FROM TAKING OFFICE BEFORE HE IS TO BE SWORN IN? LISA: THE CONSTITUTION DICTATES ONLY CONGRESS ITSELF CAN EXPEL MEMBERS AND IT TAKES A TWO THIRDS VOTE OF THE HOUSE CHAMBER TO DO THAT. THERE IS NO EXPECTATION THAT WILL HAPPEN. ONE REASON, KEVIN MCCARTHY HAS A VERY SLIM REPUBLICAN MAJORITY IN THE HOUSE AND CANNOT AFFORD TO LOSE ANY VOTES, CERTAINLY NOT WHEN HE IS TRYING TO BECOME

SPEAKER A WEEK FROM TODAY. WHAT COULD HAPPEN, SOME, INCLUDING REPUBLICANS, ARE CALLING FOR AN ETHICS INVESTIGATION. A HOUSE ETHICS COMMITTEE IS EVENLY DIVIDED AND THEY COULD RECOMMEND SEND, A -- RECOMMEND CENSURW, A REPRIMAND. THEY WILL LOOK AT HIS FINANCES AND CAMPAIGN DISCLOSURES OVERALL. JUDY: THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME MR. SANTOS RAN FOR CONGRESS. HE RAN IN 2016. WHAT IT DID REPUBLICANS KNOW ABOUT HIS BACK AROUND AND WHAT ABOUT EVERYBODY ELSE INVOLVED? LISA: I HAVE A PROMINENT CLOSELY INVOLVED SOURCE TOLD ME THAT THE REPUBLICAN COMMITTEE THAT RUNS CAMPAIGNS FOR HOUSE REPUBLICANS NEW ABOUT GEORGE SANTOS'S ISSUES AND PROBLEMS, THAT THERE WERE IN FACT FALSE WOODS -- FALSEHOODS ON HIS RESUME, FOR THE ELECTION, AND DID NOT DISCLOSE IT. ALSO THAT KEVIN MCCARTHY DID NO. THE RCC SAYS THEY DID NOT KNOW. REPUBLICANS WILL SAY PRIVATELY,

WE WILL NOT SAY ANYTHING BAD ABOUT ONE OF OUR GUYS. DEMOCRATS, THEIR JOBS ARE TO FIND OUT COLUMNS WITH OPPONENTS. DEMOCRATS SAY WE ONLY LOOK AT PUBLIC INFORMATION AND A LOT OF THIS WAS PRIVATE, WHERE HE WENT TO SCHOOL, IF HE WENT TO SCHOOL. I THINK THE TRUTH IS THAT THE DEMOCRATS FEEL THIS IS A MISSED OPPORTUNITY. IT RIGHT NOW LOOKS LIKE THERE WILL BE ANOTHER RACE IN THAT DISTRICT NOT FOR TWO YEARS. JUDY: HE GETS TO TAKE A SEAT AND SERVE AS A MEMORY OF CONGRESS? LISA: HE WILL TAKE A SEAT, UNLESS MOORE COMES OUT, AND HE SAID HE WILL PROVE TO VOTERS HE WILL SEE. JUDY:EMARKABLE. LISA: IT IS INCREDIBLE. [LAUGHTER] JUDY: LISA, THANK YOU. ♪ WHEN THE NEW SESSION OF CONGRESS GAVELS IN NEXT WEEK, DOZENS OF

LAWMAKERS WON'T BE RETURNING TO THE CHAMBER. REPUBLICAN RODNEY DAVIS IS ONE OF THEM. HE HAS REPRESENTED ILLINOIS FOR THE PAST 10 YEARS BUT IS LEAVING AFTER LOSING HIS PRIMARY RACE EARLIER THIS YEAR. LISA IS BACK WITH THIS CONVERSATION SHE RECENTLY RECORDED WITH DAVIS ABOUT CONGRESS AND THE REPUBLICAN PARTY. LISA: CONGRESSMAN RODNEY DAVIS OF ILLINOIS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING ME. LET'S START WITH THE FUTURE OF YOUR PARTY AND THE DECISIONS AHEAD FOR CONGRESS. RIGHT NOW, IT'S NOT CLEAR THAT KEVIN MCCAHY WILL HAVE THE VOTES TO BE SPEAKER. I WONDER WHAT YOU THINK OF HIS FUTURE AND WHY IS IT THAT FUTURE LEADERSHIP IS IN DOUBT? MR. DAVIS: WHEN I GOT TO CONGRESS, THERE WAS QUESTIONS ABOUT WHETHER JOHN BOEHNER WOULD GET ENOUGH GET 218. JUST TWO YEARS AGO, THERE WERE QUESTIONS WITH A SLIM MAJORITY THAT NANCY PELOSI HAD AFTER LOSING SEATS IN THE 2020 ELECTION, WHETHER OR NOT SHE WOULD GET 218. IN THE END, IT'S EITHER IT WAS EITHER NANCY PELOSI, JOHN BOEHNER, OR WHOEVER ELSE. AND THERE WAS NO CLEAR ALTERNATIVE.

KEVIN MCCARTHY WILL BE THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE. HE DESERVES TO BE THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE. LISA: LET'S TALK ABOUT THE REPUBLICAN PARTY IN GENERAL. OBVIOUSLY, YOU OPPOSE MANY OF PRESIDENT BIDEN'S POLICIES, BUT WHAT DO YOU THINK THE REPUBLICAN PARTY STDS FOR RIGHT NOW? MR. DAVIS: WELL, THE REPUBLICAN PARTY HAS CHANGED SINCE I JOINED THE REPUBLICAN PARTY BACK AS A TEENAGER AND AS A COLLEGE STUDENT. THERE WAS A LOT MORE FOCUS BACK THEN ON FISCAL ISSUES, THE FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY. REMEMBER THE BLUE COLLAR WORKERS THAT WERE MEMBERS OF LABOR UNIONS IN THE 80'S AND 90'S AND EARLY 2000S, THEY WERE ROCK SOLID DEMOCRATS. THOSE BLUE COLLAR WORKERS ARE NOW REPUBLICANS. MANY OF THOSE BLUE COLLAR WORKERS VOTED AGAINST BARACK OBAMA'S POLICIES IN 2010. BUT PRESIDENT TRUMP NUCLEARIZED THEIR SUPPORT BECAUSE HE SPOKE DIRECTLY TO THEM. AND MANY OF THEIR ISSUES ARE NOT TRADITIONAL, WHAT WOULD BE CONSIDERED TRADITIONAL REPUBLICAN ISSUES.

AND YOU'RE GOING TO SEE A CHANGE IN THE NEXT CONGRESS. I THINK CORPORATE AMERICA IS GOING TO BE SURPRISED WHAT A REPUBLICAN OVERSIGHT AGENDA LOOKS LIKE IN OUR NEW MAJORITY, BECAUSE IT'S GOING TO BE MUCH DIFFERENT THAN THE OVERSIGHT AGENDA THAT THEY SAW IN THE PAST. LISA: AS YOU WERE SAYING, PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS BEEN A VERY BIG PART OF THE CHANGE IN THE REPUBLICAN PARTY AND HE IS ONE OF THE REASONS THAT YOU'RE NOT RETURNING TO OFFICE. HE ENDORSED YOUR PRIMARY OPPONENT. I WONDER WHAT YOU LEARNED ABOUT PRESIDENT TRUMP IN THAT PROCESS AND HIS SUPPORTERS. MR. DAVIS: I LEARNED A LOT ABOUT PRESIDENT TRUMP WHEN I GOT TO MEET HIM AND SERVED WITH HIM. AND WE ACTUALLY MADE SOME LEGISLATIVE PROGRESS TOGETHER. SO I WAS A BIT SURPRISED WHEN THE FORMER PRESIDENT CAME OUT AND ENDORSED MY OPPONENT. BUT, YOU KNOW, I'VE LEARNED A LOT ABOUT A LOT OF PEOPLE IN POLITICS, SO NOTHING REALLY SURPRISES ME IN THE END. BUT PRESIDENT TRUMP DEMANDS LOYALTY, AND IN MANY CASES, HE DOESN'T GIVE THAT SAME LOYALTY BACK. LISA: YOU VOTED AGAINST IMPEACHMENT OF FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP WHEN THAT VOTE CAME TO THE HOUSE FLOOR.

BUT WE HAVE NOW LEARNED SO MUCH MORE ABOUT WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN THE WHITE HOUSE. PRESIDENT TRUMP'S ROLE. DO YOU THINK HE BROKE HIS OATH OF OFFICE? MR. DAVIS: THAT'S NOT UP TO ME TO JUDGE WHETHER ONE BREAKS THEIR OATH OF OFFICE. WHEN SOMEBODY IS SWORN IN TO ANY OFFICE, IT'S THEIR DUTY TO SERVE THEIR CONSTITUENTS. AND I'M SURE PRESIDENT TRUMP THOUGHT HE WAS DOING HIS DUTY TO SERVE WHAT HE VIEWED AS HIS CONSTITUENTS. HE AND I DISAGREE. I VOTED TO CERTIFY THE ELECTION. NOW, PRESIDENT TRUMP, IS HE PERSONALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT HAPPENED ON JANUARY 6? I HONESTLY DON'T THINK ANY ONE INDIVIDUAL IS PERSONALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR INSPIRING THAT TYPE OF VIOLENCE AND HATE. NO MORE SO THAN NANCY PELOSI AND BERNIE SANDERS WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR A CRAZED GUNMAN WHO SCREAMED HEALTH CARE WHILE FIRING AT US, TRYING TO KILL US A FEW YEARS AGO ON A BASEBALL FIELD IN ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA. I BLAME THE PEOPLE W COMMITTED THOSE ACTIONS. LISA: YOU DO HAVE A SPECIAL SORT OF PERSPECTIVE ON TO POLITICAL VIOLENCE, BECAUSE YOU WERE AT

THE CAPITOL ON JANUARY 6, BECAUSE YOU WERE ON THAT BASEBALL FIELD IN ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA, WHEN A GUNMAN TRIED TO ASSASSINATE YOU AND NEARLY DID KILL YOUR FELLOW REPUBLICAN, STEVE SCALISE. I WONDER, DID THAT CHANGE HOW YOU VIEWED YOUR JOB? MR. DAVIS: VERY MUCH SO. AND THAT'S ONE THING I'VE TRIED TO DO IS IS TONE DOWN THE RHETORIC, TALK ABOUT BIPARTISANSHIP, TALK ABOUT WHERE, YOU KNOW, WE AGREE ON MOST THINGS THAT WE DO IN THE CAPITOL. UNFORTUNATELY, YOU DON'T SEE THAT IN THE NEWS MEDIA. YOU ONLY SEE THE DIFFERENCES. LISA: YOU ARE A REPUBLICAN. I WANT TO ASK YOU, WHAT IS THE REPUBLICAN PARTY'S RESPONSIBILITY FOR STOKING HOSTILITY IN THIS MOMENT? AND I KNOW YOU HAVE CALLED OUT, FOR EXAMPLE, RHETORIC ON WHITE NATIONALISM. WHAT IS THE PARTY'S BIONRE ILISITYRMN TES OF MR. DAVIS: THE REPUBLICAN PARTY DOESN'T ALLOW WHITE NATIONALISM TO CONTINUE. THAT NARRATIVE THAT'S TRYING TO BE CREATED IS DEMONSTRABLY FALSE AND VERY OFFENSIVE TO REPUBLICANS LIKE ME.

IN THE END, RHETORIC THAT IS HEATED FROM BOTH SIDES WHERE YOU HAD BERNIE SANDERS AND NANCY PELOSI TALKING ABOUT REPUBLICANS KILLING PEOPLE BECAUSE WE WANTED TO FIX A BROKEN HEALTH CARE SYSTEM. AGAIN, THEY'RE GOING TO USE THEIR RHETORIC THAT THEY THINK IS GOING TO GAIN THEM SUPPORT FOR LEGISLATION, GAIN THEM SUPPORT FOR ELECTORAL WINS. I DON'T AGREE WITH IT. IT'S NOT SOMETHING I USE. LISA: BUT DO Y THINK THAT IS BASELESS? MR. DAVIS: YES. LISA: THERE ARE EXAMPLES OF REPUBLICANS, ELECTED MEMBERS OF CONGRESS USING ANTI-SEMITIC RHETORIC. YOUR OWN PRIMARY OPPONENT YOU CRITICIZED FOR USING WHAT YOU SAID WHITE NATIONALIST LANGUAGE. MR. DAVIS: WELL, WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT ANTI-SEMITISM. WEAVE SOME DEMOCRATIC MEMBERS OF CONGRESS THAT HAVE HAVE USED ANTI-SEMITIC LANGUAGE. THIS ISN'T RELATED JUST TO THE REPUBLICAN PARTY. I CALL OUT BAD BEHAVIOR NO MATTER IF SOMEBODY IS A REPUBLICAN OR A DEMOCRAT, BECAUSE THAT'S WHO I AM. LISA: NOW I CAN GET TO YOUR VAST EXPERIENCE. YOU ENTERED THE HALLS OF CONGRESS IN THE 90'S AS A STAFFER.

I WANT TO ASK YOU, WHAT'S CHANGED ABOUT CONGRESS? MR. DAVIS: CONGRESS HAS CHANGED A LOT. UNFORTUNATELY, NOW I SPEND A LOT MORE TIME AS AN ELECTED OFFICIAL TALKING ABOUT WHAT SOMEBODY MAY OR MAY HAVE READ. SOCIAL MEDIA, MAY HAVE SEEN IN THE NEWS MEDIA. THAT'S JUST NOT TRUE. AND THAT'S CHANGED A LOT. I THINK OVERALL, THE NEWS MEDIA HAS CHANGED. REMEMBER WE HAVE A LOT MORE , PEOPLE THAT LIVE AND GET THEIR NEWS AND THEY BREATHE THEIR NEWS ON SOCIAL MEDIA. AND I THINK IT'S HAVING A TREMENDOUS, TREMENDOUS NEGATIVE EFFECT ON PEOPLE'S FAITH IN GOVERNMENT. LISA: CONGRESSMAN RODNEY DAVIS OF ILLINOIS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. MR. DAVIS: THANKS, LISA. ♪ JUDY: LATE LAST WEEK CANADIAN RAPPER TORY LANES WAS CONVICTED OF 3 FELONIES FOR SHOOTING RAP STAR MEGAN THEE STALLION IN THE

FOOT IN 2020. THE LOS ANGELES TRIAL RECEIVED A LOT OF ATTENTION ONLINE, WHERE COMMENTARY ON THE CASE SPARKED A LARGER CONVERSATION ABOUT THE WAY BLACK WOMEN SURVIVORS OF ABUSE AND VIOLENCE ARE TREATED IN SOCIETY. LAURA BARRÓN-LÓPEZ HAS OUR OWN CONVERSATION ABOUT THAT. LAURA: MEGAN THEE STALLION HAS BEEN OUTSPOKEN ABOUT THE HARASSMENT SHE HAS FACED SINCE COMING FORWARD ABOUT BEING SHOT. SHE'S BEEN OPENLY MOCKED BY OTHER HIP-HOP STARS AND HAS RECEIVED DEATH THREATS ON SOCIAL MEDIA. CRITICISM OF THE GRAMMY-WINNING RAPPER IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE SHOOTING AND THROUGHOUT THE TRIAL UNDERSCORE THE LARGER ISSUE OF MISOGYNY TARGETING BLACK WOMEN. TO DISCUSS ALL THIS I'M JOINED BY MOYA BAILEY, A PROFESSOR AT NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY AND AUTHOR OF THE BOOK "MISOGYNOIR TRANSFORMED: BLACK WOMEN'S DIGITAL RESISTANCE IN U.S. CULTURE." THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING THE NEWSHOUR. TORY LANES, THE MAN CONVICTED THREE FELS, INCLUDING WITH A SEMIOMATIC O 20

POSSIBLY BE DEPORTED. YOU THINK THIS VERDICT WILL HELP STOP THE MISOGYNY THAT MEGAN THEE STALLION IS FACING AS WELL AS OTHER BLACK WOMEN? PROF. BAILEY: UNFORTUNATELY NO. I DON'T THINK OUR JUDICIAL SYSTEM IS SET UP TO DEAL WITH THE KINDS OF TRANSFORMATIVE JUSTICE REQUIRED FOR THIS TO BE ERADICATED FROM OUR SOCIETY. IT WILL TAKE MORE THAN ONE SENTENCE OF ONE PERSON TO ACTUALLY CREATE A DIFFERENT IMPACT IN TERMS OF HARM. UNFORTUNATELY WHAT WE KNOW IS THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM CREATES MORE HARM. WHILE THIS DOES SUBSTANTIATE MEGAN'S CLAIMS OF HARM, IT DOESN'T GET US CLOSER TO JUSTICE. LAURA: SHE ALSO FACED ATTACKS FROM OTHER RAPPERS WHO ACCUSED HER OF LINING -- OF LYING. THIS IS ALSO AFTER BRITTNEY

GRINER HAS BEEN FACING CRITICISM AND DOUBT ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT SHE WAS WORTHY OF HER PRISONER SWAP. WHAT SIMILARITIES DO YOU SEE IN THESE CASES WITH THESE BLACK WOMEN? PROF. BAILEY: I THINK YOU POINTED IT OUT, IT IS BECAUSE THEY ARE BOTH BLACK WOMEN THAT THEY ARE FACING THIS UNIQUE, TARGETED HARM. WHAT I CALL THAT HARM IS MISOGYNOIR. THERE IS A WAY THAT ANTI-BLACK, RACIST MISOGYNY SHOWS UP AND IT IS UNIQUELY TARGETING MEGAN AND BRITTNEY GRINER, AND YOU CAN ALSO ADD THE OTHER MEGHAN, MEGHAN MARKLE, WHO HAS GONE THROUGH A LOT OF PUBLIC VITRIOL DIRECTED HER WAY. THERE'S A WAY WE THINK BLACK WOMEN ARE SUPPOSED TO BE STRONG AND JUST INDOOR -- ENDURE THE VIOLENCE AND HARMFUL LANGUAGE DIRECTED AT THEM, BUT WE CAN SEE EVEN WITH THESE THREE MAJOR

CELEBRITIES, THREE BLACK WOMEN IN POSITIONS OF POWER AND HAVE A LOT OF MEDIA IN SUPPORT OF THEM IN SOME WAYS, WE ARE STILL SEEING THIS IMPACT OF MISOGYNOIR , AND I HOPE IT MAKES US THINK ABOUT LACK WOMEN WHO ARE NOT -- BLACK WOMEN WHO ARE NOT IN SUCH PRIVILEGED POSITIONS. LAURA: IN HER TESTIMONY, MEGAN THEE STALLION SAID, BECAUSE I WAS SHOT I WAS TURNED INTO A VILLAIN AND HE IS THE VICTIM. THIS IS MESSED UP LIFE. CAN YOU EXPLAIN THE LASTING IMPACT ON MEGAN'S AND OTHER BLACK WOMEN'S LIVES EVEN WHEN THEY WIN THEIR CASES? PROF. BAILEY: I DON'T THINK MEGAN HAS WON IN THE COURT OF PUBLIC OPINION. AS YOU MTIONED, THERE ARE RAPPERS AND OTHER PEOPLE SAYING THEY STILL DON'T BELIEVE HER. IN THAT CASE, THERE IS A LOT OF CONTINUOUS, NEGATIVE PUBLICITY

ASSOCIATED WITH HER, TO THE POINT WHERE MEGAN HERSELF EVEN SAID SHE CONSIDERED ENDING HER OWN LIFE, OR WISHED THAT TORY HAD KILLED HER WHEN HE SHOT HER. THERE IS A NEED TO CONSIDER WHAT THE IMPACT IS FOR BLACK WOMEN BEYOND THE OUTCOMES OF A LEGAL CASE. LAURA: DO YOU SEE THE PUBLIC RESPONDING DIFFERENTLY TO BLACK WOMEN WHEN THEY COME FORWARD ABOUT THEIR TRAUMA AND VIOLENCE THEY FACED VERSUS BLACK MEN OR OTHER WOMEN OF COLOR? PROF. BAILEY: ABSOLUTELY AND I THINK WE'VE SEEN THIS IN THE CASE OF A LOT OF THE EXTRAJUDICIAL KILLINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED IN THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS BY POLICE OFFICERS. THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF ATTENTION DIRECTED TO BLACK MEN WHO HAVE BEEN GUNNED DOWN BY POLICE BUT NOT THE SAME ATTENTION GIVEN TO BLACK WOMEN WHO HAVE FACED THOSE SAME THINGS.

YOU MIGHT REMEMBER A HASHTAG CALLED #SAYHERNAME TRYING TO BRING ATTENTION TO THE NUMBER OF BLACK WOMEN KILLED BY POLICE OFFICERS BECAUSE THEY DON'T GARNER THE SAME MOVEMENT OR ATTENTION IN OUR COMMUNITIES THAT PEOPLE HAVE WHEN IT COMES TO BLACK MEN. LAURA: THERE HAS ALSO BEEN SOME BACKLASH IN RECENT YEARS TO THE #METOO MOVEMENT AFTER IT GAINED WIDESPREAD ATTENTION IN 2017. YOU THINK MEGAN THEE STALLION'S CASE WILL CHANGE THE WAY BLACK WOMEN WHO COME FORWARD ABOUT DOMESTIC ABUSE AND ASSAULT AND HARASSMENT ARE RECEIVED? PROF. BAILEY: ABSOLUTELY. I THINK IT IS ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF WHY WOMEN ARE ACTUALLY VERY RELUCTANT TO COME FORWARD. FOR BLACK WOMEN WHO DO COME FORWARD, THERE IS THIS DISBELIEF AND THE IDEA OF, WHAT WAS SHE WEARING, WHAT WAS SHE DOING, WHAT IS HER SEXUAL HISTORY? WE'VE SEEN SO MUCH VICTIM BLAMING BOTH ONLINE AND IN THE COURTROOM WHEN IT COMES TO

MEGAN. I THINK IT WILL BE AN IMPEDIMENT FOR A LOT OF WOMEN TO FEEL COMFORTABLE COMING FORWARD WHEN THIS IS HOW THEY ARE TREATED WHEN THEY ARE IN THE SPOTLIGHT. LAURA: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US. PROF. BAILEY: THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. ♪ JUDY: IT HAS BEEN 12 YEARS SINCE LEGENDARY OSCAR-WINNING ACTRESS ELIZABETH TAYLOR DIED AT THE AGE OF 79. AND FOR THE FIRST TIME, TAYLOR'S ESTATE GRANTED A JOURNALIST ACCESS TO THE ICON'S PRIVATE DIARIES, PERSONAL LETTERS AND OFF-THE-RECORD INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTS. THE RESULT IS A NEARLY 450 PAGE EXAMINATION OF ELIZABETH TAYLOR'S EXTRAORDINARY CAREER, ADVOCACY EFFORTS, COMPLEX PERSONAL LIFE, MARRIAGES AND BATTLE WITH ADDICTION. I RECENTLY SPOKE WITH KATE ANDERSEN BROWER, THE AUTHOR OF "ELIZABETH TAYLOR: THE GRIT AND GLAMOUR OF AN ICON." KATE ANDERSEN BROWER, WELCOME BACK TO THE NEWSHOUR.

THERE MUST BE DOZENS, IF NOT SCORES OF BOOKS ABOUT ELIZABETH TAYLOR. WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO WRITE ANOTHER ONE? KATE: IT WAS A UNIQUE KIND OF MOMENT WHERE I WANTED TO WRITE ABOUT AN IMPORTANT HISTORIC FIGURE. AND I GOT TO KNOW SENATOR JOHN WARNER, WHO IS ELIZABETH'S SIXTH HUSBAND. AND SENATOR WARNER PUT ME IN TOUCH WITH HER FAMILY. AND THE FAMILY SAID THEY WERE FINALLY READY TO LET A JOURNALIST SEE HER DIARIES AND LETTERS. THEY WERE VERY PROTECTIVE OF HER, AND THEY'D BEEN ABOUT A DECADE SINCE SHE HAD PASSED AWAY. SO IT WAS A UNIQUE SORT OF CHAIN OF EVENTS THAT LED TO THIS BOOK. JUDY: IF SHE WERE ALIVE TODAY, SHE'D BE 90 YEARS OLD. I THINK THAT'S CORRECT. TO WHAT EXTENT DID YOU FEEL YOU HAD TO REINTRODUCE HER TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE? BECAUSE SHE DIED A DECADE AGO. KATE: I THINK SHE'S ONE OF THE HANDFUL OF WOMEN FROM THE 20TH CENTURY WHO RESONATES TODAY. I MEAN, THERE'S MARILYN MONROE, JACKIE KENNEDY, QUEEN ELIZABETH AND ELIZABETH TAYLOR. SO I THINK PEOPLE KNOW WHO SHE IS AS AN ACTRESS, BUT THEY HAD

NO IDEA THE THE WAYS IN WHICH SHE RESONATES NOW AND THE ISSUES THAT SHE WAS TAKING UP AT THE TIME THAT ARE IMPORTANT TODAY, LIKE AIDS AND OPIOID ADDICTION. JUDY: AND SPEAKING OF THAT, SHE HAD A A LONG, VERY SUCCESSFUL CAREER IN MANY WAYS, BUT ALSO A COMPLICATED LIFE WITH A LOT OF CHALLENGES. HOW DID YOU EVEN DECIDE WHAT TO TACKLE? I MEAN, YOU MENTIONED THE ADDICTION. KATE: I MEAN, YOU COULD DO A BOOK ON EACH DECADE OF HER LIFE. IT WAS JUST SO PACKED. THE BOOK IS MORE ABOUT HER. WHAT MADE HER TICK? SORT OF HER THINKING. I WANTED READERS TO GET A SENSE OF WHAT MOTIVATED HER. THERE'S ALSO A LOT ABOUT HER CAREER AND ACTING AND HOW SHE HAD TO FIGHT FOR THE ROLES SHE WANTED. YOU KNOW, UNTIL "A PLACE IN THE SUN," SHE FELT LIKE SHE WAS GETTING A LOT OF ROLES THAT WEREN'T REALLY UP TO PAR. AND SHE WAS SO SMART SHE COULD READ A SCRIPT AND SHE KNEW INSTINCTIVELY IF IT WAS ANY

GOOD. SHE KNEW "CLEOPATRA" WASN'T A GREAT SCRIPT, FOR INSTANCE, BUT SHE DEMANDED $1,000,000 TO BE IN THAT FILM. AND I HAD NO IDEA GOING INTO THIS BOOK THAT SHE'S THE FIRST ACTOR TO GET PAID THAT MUCH FOR A FILM. JUDY: SHE HAD A DIFFICULT CHILDHOOD, TO PUT IT MILDLY. A MOTHER WHO VERY MUCH WAS ON HER CASE ALL THE TIME, DIFFICULTY WITH HER FATHER. HOW DID ALL THAT SHAPE WHO SHE WAS? KATE: FOR THE FIRST TIME, THIS BOOK DELVES IN ABUSE FROM HER FATHER. HE DID PHYSICALLY ABUSE HER, AND IN HER LATER RELATIONSHIPS THROUGHOUT HER LIFE AND ALL THESE TUMULTUOUS, PASSIONATE MARRIAGES, MOST FAMOUSLY TWICE TO RICHARD BURTON, SHE DID SEEK OUT A CERTAIN KIND OF MAN. AND THE PSYCHOLOGY BEHIND THAT IS VERY COMPLICATED. BUT SHE SHE DIDN'T WANT A GENTLEMAN LIKE MICHAEL WILDING, HER SECOND HUSBAND. SHE WANTED SOMEBODY LIKE MIKE TODD AND RICHARD BURTON, WHO WERE PHYSICALLY ABUSIVE AT TIMES, AND SHE WAS PHYSICALLY ABUSIVE TOWARDS THEM. SO I THINK A LOT OF THAT IS FROM THIS CHILDHOOD AND THIS FEELING OF ALWAYS HAVING TO PROVE HER

WORTH, HER VALUE TO PEOPLE. SHE WAS A COMMODITY FROM THE TIME SHE WAS 12 YEARS OLD. JUDY: FROM, AS YOU SAY, YOU WRITE A LOT ABOUT HOW -- SHE WAS INTO ACTING AS A CHILD. AND THEN AT 12 WITH "NATIONAL VELVET." EIGHT MARRIAGES. DIFFICULTY WITH ADDICTION. HOW DID SHE COPE WITH THE ADVERSITY? SHE HAD SUCCESSES, BUT SHE HAD PLENTY OF ADVERSITY, TOO. KATE: YEAH. I THINK SHE AS SHE FAMOUSLY TOLD OFF MGM HEAD LOUIS B. MAYER WHEN HE WAS BEING RUDE TO HER MOTHER AND SAID, YOU KNOW, GOO HELL AND WALKED OUT OF THE ROOM. AND WHEN THEY DIDN'T FIRE HER -- I THINK THIS IS A REALLY REVEALING STORY, SHE WAS A TEENAGER AT THE TIME -- WHEN SHE WASN'T FIRED BACK FOR YOU KNOW, FOR TALKING BACK TO MAYER, SHE SAID SHE KNEW THAT SHE WAS WORTH A LOT OF MONEY TO TH AND IT WASN'T ABOUT WHO SHE WAS. AND SO SHE USED THAT KNOWLEDGE AND MAKING HERSELF A COMMODITY IN A REALLY UNIQUE WAY THAT I THINK ACTORS ARE DOING TODAY. YOU KNOW, SHE WOULD GO TO --

AIDS WAS THE WAY THAT SHE EXPRESSED ALL OF THAT PENT UP I THINK ANGER AND FRUSTRATION. JUDY: LATER IN HER LIFE SHE WAS A BIG ADVOCATE FOR FOR AIDS, FOR THE AIDS COMMUNITY. SHE WENT TO PRESIDENT REAGAN AND SHE WENT TO OTHER LEADING POLITICIANS TO TRY TO GET MORE FUNDING. THERE'S BEEN SOME CYNICAL SPECULATION THAT THAT WAS ALL ABOUT TRYING, FRANKLY, IMPROVE HER IMAGE. KATE: I DON'T THINK THAT -- I HAVEN'T SEEN ANYTHING THAT WOULD INDICATE THAT, ESPECIALLY IN THE EARLY YEARS WHEN SHE WAS GETTING NO FROM PEOPLE, THAT SHE WAS GETTING PEOPLE HANGING UP THE PHONE ON HER FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HER LIFE, FRANK SINATRA, MICHAEL JACKSON. THEY WERE NOT WILLING TO HELP. SHE AGAIN AND AGAIN RAN TOWARDS PEOPLE WHO WERE IN PAIN BECAUSE I THINK SHE WAS DEEPLY IN PAIN FROM HER CHILDHOOD AND THEN BEYOND. AND THAT'S WHY I THINK SHE HAD THIS EVERLASTING, SADLY, OPIOID ADDICTION THROUGHOUT HER ENTIRE LIFE. JUDY: I THINK IT'S FAIR TO SAY, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE WHO LOOK AT HER WONDER -- EIGHT HUSBANDS OR I

SHOULD SAY SEVEN HUSBANDS, EIGHT MARRIAGES, BECAUSE RICHARD BURTON TWICE, WHO WAS THE LOVE OF HER LIFE? KATE: IT'S INTERESTING BECAUSE I WORKED CLOSELY WITH HER GRANDSON, WHO IS MIKE TODD'S GRANDSON. SO IT WAS ALWAYS A DIFFICULT CONVERSATION. I THINK IT WAS RICHARD BURTON, A TIE WITH MIKE TODD, BUT THEY WERE ONLY MARRIED FOR A YEAR BY -- A YEAR. BY THE TIME SHE WAS SHE HAD BEEN 26 TWICE DIVORCED ANONCE WIDOWED. SO I WAS STRUCK BY JUST THE FAST PACED LIFE THAT SHE LIVED. I DON'T KNOW IF SHE WOULD HAVE STAYED MARRIED TO MIKE TODD. I MEAN, HE DIED A YEAR LATER, BUT THOSE ARE THE TWO THAT REALLY STAND OUT. JUDY: WHAT IS THE QUESTION THAT YOU STILL HAVE AFTER WRITING THIS BOOK? WHAT ELSE WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT HER THAT IS STILL NOT AVAILABLE TODAY TO KNOW? KATE: WITH ALL OF THESE LETTERS, ESPECIALLY WHEN SHE'S WRITING TO HER DOCTOR ABOUT HER ADDICTION

, AND ONE REALLY PAINFUL LETTER SHE IS ASKING, YOU KNOW, SHE SAYS, I KNOW I'M AN ADDICT, BUT I WANT TO BE TREATED LIKE A NORMAL PERSON. I WANT THE PAIN MEDICATION THAT I NEED TO GET THROUGH THIS SURGERY. I GUESS THE THING I'VE ALWAYS WONDERED IS WHAT IS THAT DEEP VOID? WHAT IS THAT SADNESS THAT I THINK SHE DID CARRY THROUGH HER ENTIRE LIFE AND WAS NEVER ABLE TO FILL? LIKE A LOT OF ADDICTS. I DON'T THINK SHE WOULD HAVE THE ANSWER TO THAT. JUDY: SO MAYBE UNKNOWABLE? KATE: MAYBE UNKNOWABLE. I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT YOU CAN NEVER KNOW ABOUT A PERSON. SHE'S VERY COMPLEX, REALLY MULTIFACETED, FASCINATING WOMAN. JUDY: WELL, KATE ANDERSON BROWER, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. "ELIZABETH TAYLOR: THE GRIT AND GLAMOR OF AN ICON." THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. FASCINATING AND COMPLICATED FOR SURE. THAT'S "THE NEWSHOUR" FOR TONIGHT. I'M JUDY WOODRUFF. JOIN US ONLINE AND AGAIN HERE TOMORROW EVENING. FOR ALL OF US ATTHE PBS NEWSHOUR," THANK YOU, PLEASE STAY SAFE AND WE'LL SEE YOU

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to Amanpour and Company. Here's what is coming up. [transition swooshes] - I just realized that I can really do better in the world than maybe I can on one magazine. - [Christiane] "A Visible Man", Edward Enninful, the first Black editor of British Vogue, reveals his conversation with the boss, Anna Wintour about his future. And how he ifully boldly remaking the world of fashio. Th... [transition swshes] - Thew generation of women in Afghanistan, they're so wonderfully courageous. And I'm really, really proud of being one of th. - [Christiane] At age 24, she became Afghanistan's youngest female mayor. No Zarifa Ghafari tells me about surviving assassination attempts, pushing for girls education, and fighting "A Woman's Battle in a Man's World". Plus, "The Revolutionary". Pulitzer prize-winning historian, Stacy Schiff