♪ amna: good evening. i'm amna nawaz. geoff: and i'm geoff bennett. on the "newshour" tonight, a russian jet forces down a u.s. drone as it was conducting surveillance over the black sea. amna: president biden signs an executive order to increase background checks on gun purchases and crack down on firearm dealers who violate existing laws. geoff: as the fallout from two bank failures ripples through the markets, inflation eases but stays high, complicating the federal reser' amna: and, an american manufacturer is accused of violating u.s. sanctions by doing business with the russian arndustr >> the reason haas machining tools are so important to the arms industry is because they can take an unrefined hunk of

metal like this and turn it into something useful, like this mortar round. ♪ >> major funng for the pbs newshour has been provided by -- >> for 25 years, consumer cellular has been offering no contract wireless plans designed to help people do more of what they like. our team can help find a plan that fits you. ♪ >> and with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions, and friends of the newshour, inuding kathy and paul anderson. and camilla and george smith. >> these are people who are trying to change the world. start have this energy that

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geoff: good evening and welcome to the "newshour." there is a new flashpoint today in the ever-worsening relationship between the united states and russia. amna: the u.s. says an amican drone was harrassed in the black sea and then bumped by a russian fighter jet, forcing the drone down into the waters below. foreign affairs correspondent nick schifrin has been following all of this. he joins us. good to see you. what more do we's know about how this clision occurred? nick: u.s. officials say this drone left is based in eastern europe which they say was a routine surveillance flight over the black sea. the u.s. sends these drones over the black seat because they can see into russian occupied crimea, and depending where they are, and to pressure themselves. mk-9's are big, 60 feet wide, weigh 5000 pounds. military officials tell me this drone was unarmed. these drones have been harassed intermittently by russia before,

but never what we saw today. never has a u.s. -- russian jet harassed a drone for 30 minutes and then dumped fuel on the drone and then actually ran into the drone. let's listen to the spokesman earlier today. >> while intercepts are not that uncommon, the fact this type of behavior from these russian pilots, that is uncommon and unsafe. nick: the u.s. official who watch the video of this incident goes much further. he tells me this was not a controlled tap. the russian pilot was barreling towards the drone out of control, tried to pull away, and that is when the rsian jet actually hit the back of it. this person tells me this was not something you would see a professional pilot do. called it amateur. geoff: how serious is this latest incident in light of the existing tensions between the u.s. and russia? nick: it is very serious because it just doesn't happen.

this is the first incident, physical contact between the u.s. and russian military since the full-scale invasion of ukraine but also the first contact in decades between the u.s. and russian militaries. on the other hand, this was not a manned aircraft. we are not talking about a russian jet threatening a u.s. pilot. the russian and basset are to the u.s. has been summoned to the state department. the u.s. ambassador to moscow visited the ministry of foreign affairs this afternoon. john kirby said if the message that russia is sending is trying to deter us from flying over the black sea, that will fail. if there was a consequence the pressure right now, the u.s. will say -- will not say what that is. geoff: thank you for that reporting. in the day's other headlines,

inflation shows fresh signs of easing, but prices are still well above where they were a year ago. the labor department's report for february finds consumer prices rose .4% from january. on a year-to-year basis, prices climbed 6%. that's down from the peak of more than 9% last june. there's word tonight that the collapse of silicon valley bank has triggered two federal investigations. reports today say the justice department and the securities and exchange commission have opened parallel probes. regulators are looking into sales of stock by bank executives in the days before the collapse. millions of americans bore the brunt of foul weather today, from atmospheric rivers to nor'easters. stephanie sy reports heavy snow and fresh rounds of rain brought new disruptions and dangers. stephanie: the wrath of winter is once again bearing down on both sides of the country. in the northeast, a wet, snowy

storm moved in this morning. low visibility on roads making it dangerous for drivers to get around parts of new england, as well as upstate new york, northeastern pennsylvania and northern new jersey. these massachusetts residents described the conditions as crews started to clear the roads. >> mean, the drive was like pretty crazy. there's some power lines down. t when possible.ivers to stay we just ask people to stay safe, stay offhe roads. this is a long, sustaining storm. and so, we're not out of it. stephanie: hundreds of flights were canceled. the majority of them at boston and new york city-area airports. hundreds of schools had to be closed, too. forecasters say the storm will last through wednesdayith snow accumulation predicted to reach two feet in the highest elevations. meanwhile, in the west, crews in california rushed to repair a broken levee on the central coast, just as more rain started falling. the levee break has already led to flooding in the agricultural community of pajaro, where this

mother had to evacuateer family last-minute. she says she needs to get back. >> the only thing we want is to pass the bridge to get our things that we left because we don't have clothes, many parents left their work tools at home, then how are we going to work? stephanie: monterey county officials are warning of a similar fate for the salinas river, which is at risk of flooding roadways and agricultural land in coming days. for the "pbs newshour," i'm stephanie sy. geoff: all told, california has orms this winter.mospheric river the state of ohio is suing norfolk southern railroad over last month's train derailment in east palestine. the federal lawsuit aims to make norfolk southern pay for cleanup, environmental damages, and economic losses. the state says it doesn't yet know what the total cost will be. in ukraine, president volodymyr zelenskyy's office says top commanders have agreed again to hold firm at bakhmut. russian forces have been trying to capture the frontline eastern city for seven months.

meantime, in the city of kramatorsk, a russian strike left gaping holes in a low-rise apartment building today. at least one person was killed. facebook's parent company meta announced today it's cutting 10,000 more jobs this year. the social media giant also said it won't be filling 5000 positions that were already vacant. meta had slashed 11,000 jobs last november in the face of declining revenue. on wall street, bank stocks bounced back and the broader market rallied. the dow jones industrial average ined 336 points, 1%, to close at 32,155. the nasdaq rose 2%. the s&p 500 added 1.7%. and a passing of note. a trailblazing former congresswoman, pat schroeder, died overnight. the colorado democrat had suffered a stroke in celebration, florida, her home in recent years. starting in 1973, schroeder served 12 terms and made a name with her sharp wit. she branded ronald reagan the

"teflon president" and often recalled the sexism she faced while serving in congress. >> when the 47th reporter asked me how i could be a mother and a congresswoman, i said because i have a brain and a uterus and they both work, and let me tell you, i was in trouble for a very, very long time. geoff: schroeder was frozen out of key committee assignments, but she still managed to push through the landmark family leave act in 1993. pat schroeder was 82 years old. still to come on the "newshour," the epa announces new rules to mit toxic chemicals in drinking water. australia buys american-made submarines to counter china's growing presence in the pacific. and a theater in appalachian virgin works to rise ♪ >> this is the pbs newshour w eta studios in washington and from the west at arizona state

university. amna: president biden traveled to monterey park, california today, where a mass shooting in january killed 11 people. while there, he announced an executive order to tackle gun violence, building on the bipartisan safer communities act that he signed last year. already this year, there have been at least 110 mass shootings in the u.s. and more than 8000 gun deaths, according to the nonprofit gun violence archive. white house correspondent ura barron-lopez brings us up to speed. good to see you. tell us about the president's announcement today. what exactly did he announced? laura: he announced an executive order on steps that advocates have been calling for him to do. this executive order, it directs the attorney general to clarify who sells firearms. in effect, expanding background checks.

it would prevent former federally licensed gun dealers from selling firearms. those are gun dealers who have their licenses revoked in some cases. it also encourages the federal trade commission to issue a public report on marketing to nors in a tasks agencies to create a federal system for shooting response. in addition to this, as you have noted, the president spoke today announcing these executive actions and he admitted that his hands are ultimately tied when it comes to bigger steps to curb gun violence. he called out congress like this. >> let's be clear -- none of this absolves congress of the responsibility of acting. pass universal background checks. eliminate gun manufacturers' immunity from liability. and i am determined once again to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.

laura: in addition, he also called out republicans, some republicans that he says are calling to abolish the bureau of alcohol firearms tobacco services, as well as the fbi. amna: tell us more about the first piece you on background checks because we hear a lot about that in the gun safety debate. what is the potential impact of that part of the executive order? laura: here, the real difficulty is there is no federal data on how guns are purchased, on how many guns are purchased without background checks. the studies are limited, but there was a 2017 study by harvard and northeastern university's which found that in five gun owners bought a gun without a bacrod check. and again, what the president is doing get as close as possible to universal background

checks without legislation by the congress. amna: what are gun safety advocates who have long been calling for the president and congress to do more, what are they saying about this today? laura: overall, advocates i spoke to praise to the president's actions. in particular, they were very happy about this one effort we were talking about that would more clearly define which businesses qualify as firearms dealers. and president obama tried to this in 2016, but ultimately, it did not have much effect. i spoke to chris brown, the president of the brady campaign, a gun safety group, and she had this to say about what president biden's actions would be different. >> the lesson is that we have to have a very clear rule from the department of justice of what it means to be in the business of selling firearms. we want that to mean selling more than five firearms in a

year. it means you are in the business of selling firearms. if doj comes up with that definition, which we are pushing very hard, we can effectively close this loophole in the law. laura: you have heard what she wants the definition to be, but a white house official told reporters that ultimately, the language of this possible regulationill be decided upon by the general -- attorney general merrick garland. amna: i know you have been talking to your law enforcement sources, who find themselves on the front lines when it comes to the gun violence problem in america. what do they think of the president's announcement? laura: there is something in here for law enforcement, specifically the national integrated ballistics information network, known as nibin, that helps law enforcement match cartridge casings to the guns they are fired from. i spoke to the ecutive director of thfraterorder

of police and he had this to say about the president's action on that ballistics information network. >> nibin is purely an anti-criminal tool. and in terms of solving crimes which is second only to preventing crimes in the minds of law enforcement officers, nothing is more valuable when able to put the gun in the hand of the shooter figuratively and show where it came from. laura: what this executive order does is it updates the requirements for law enforcement to more speedily report this ballistics data. so, they will report it faster and more efficiently into this nationwide network. amna: that is our white house correspondent laura barron-lopez reporting for us tonight. thank you. laura: thank you. ♪

geoff: days after the collapse of silicon valley bank and signature bank, there are plenty of questions being asked about the health of our banks. whether it's in the industry, on wall street, among lawmakers, or everyday americans who want to know about the security of their banking accounts. sheila bair is focused on these issues as the former chair of the fdic. she led the agency from 2006 to 2011, working to keep the system stable during the great recession. thank you for being with us. the collapse of silicon valley bank, of signature bank, it is raising questions about how the banking system is regulated and how it is supervised. there are those who say that rather than tightening the screws on the wall street giants even more, that regulators should really focus their attention on smaller firms who have not really faced at the same level of scrutiny. what is your view? sheila: first o all, i think the smaller firms, the regionals

and the larger community banks, i think most of them are just fine. they did very well during the financial crisis. they remain stable and solid. the traditional ones, the ones that have been around for a long time have diversified, good risk management, asset quality. i think we had some unusual situations, especially with silicon valley bank. it should not be extrapolated into the entire midsized segment of banks. that's not to say we can't do some things better, but i don't think there is widespread problems with regional banks. i think we can be thoughtful about it. most of them are just fine. geoff: was it the right call for government agencies to announce what amounts to a bailout for customers of those collapsed banks, ensuring the deposits well beyond the250,000 threshold? sheila: yh, no, i don't think so. so, silicon valley was a $200

billion bank. a $23 trillion banking system, it was not systemic by any imagination. most of it is uninsured depositors were very wealthy venture capitalists and portfolio companies they invest in. so, they made the argument that they had some startups that needed to access their uninsured deposits for payroll. i think that was probably a small subset of the uninsured depositors who were rescued in this. i think most of them are quite able to withstand on their uninsured deposits. geoff: the administration makes the argument that rescue action was necessary to avoid a run on the banks that could have collapsed the banking sector and tanked the overall economy. do you buy that? sheila: i don't because they made the determination for two banks. this is extraordinary procedure. you need super majorities from the fbi seaboard, the fed, treasury department, the

president. each time the smaller banks get in trouble, you will go through this process? i really don't see that happening. i think the fed's lending facility did a lot to calm the market down. that is available to everybody. they are not giving favored attention to one or two banks. that will provide a lot of liquidity to banks that have not liked silicon valley bank, have not managed their interest rate risks very well. a lot of securities have lost market value. they will be able to use them as collateral. geoff: a question about how we got here, because a lot of people are pointing to the rollck of the consumer protections in the dodd frank act back in 2018 under former president donald trump as playing a role in the collapse of silicon valley bank. do you see it that way? sheila: there are so many different narratives going on. i think there were some things that happened in 2018 with the

law you are referring to, as well as some of the things the fed did on its own. so-called tiering. having diffent regulatory regimes for different sized institutions. some of that is ok, but a couple of things were not ok. one is, i think banks need at least an annual stress test. you can have a simpler stress test for the smaller institutions but they need it. the need to be stressing the securities that they hold that have lost market value, and if they had to sell them, how much trouble they would be in. i think that was a mistake. also, the revised regulations, these midsized banks, smaller banks, even if they have these securities we were talking about , they don't have to recognize the market loss. they don't have to deduct from their capital market losses on those securities. that was a mistake. the absolutely should make

sure they have enough capital to absorb the losses. those are two mistakes that i think should be corrected. i don't think we need a big overhaul of the regional banks. i thing most of them are just fine. it is a teachable moment perhaps . geoff: the federal reserve meets next week to consider what would be another in a series of interest rate hikes. how do the collapse of these banks combined with the latest data showing inflation cooling only slightly? how does that affect their desion-making? what do you think they should do? sheila: the reason the securities loss valley is because the fed is raising rates. they can only go so far, so fast. i would hope they would hit pause and assess the stability of the banking system and its ability to absorb these very rapid, very big interest rate increases. i think it would be good to measure the impact on the real

economy as well. geoff: sheila barr the former head of the fdic. thanks for being with us. sheila: thank you. ♪ amna: for the first time, the federal government is on the cusp of regulating a class of deadly, so-called forever chemicals out of america's drinking water. the epa's proposal applies to six of those chemicals, known as p-fas compounds, and would require water utilities to clean any detectable level out of their systems. doing so could cost billions, and thousands of their chemical cousins would remain unregulated. annie snider covers this closely for politico and joins me now. welcome and thank you for joining us. let's back it up a little bit. there are thousands of these p-fas chemicals. drinking water is just one place they are found. how common are they? annie: they are extremely

common. they have been in widespread consumer use since the 1940's. they have an extremely strong chemical bond that makes them very useful for commercial purposes. they have been used in nonstick cookware. u are not supposed to use your knife on a teflon pan because of these chemicals. they have been used in camping gear, stain resistant carpeting, military firefighting foam. they are ubiquitous in the environment. because of that very strong bond that makes them so useful, they are extremely difficult to break down in the environment. once they are there, they typically stay there and accumulate. it is not just in the environment, the rivers and streams, it is also in american blood. we three them in -- breathe in, eat them, and also through the drinking water. amna: why would we geoff: geoff: want to regulate them now --

amna: why would we want to regulate them now? annie: there are estimated to be 12,000 chemicals in this class. many of them we know virtually nothing about. we do know something about some of them. the best studied chemicals, these two that were in production since the 1940's have been clearly linked with cancer and other health ailments. things like high blood pressure, developmental impacts, birth defects, and immune system effects. one of the most interesting effects that we see is an impact on the immune system that makes vaccines less effective. amna: the epa is saying they will be regulated up to detectable levels. does that mean lower levels are considered safe? annie: not exactly. epa's proposed regulation would limit six p-fas. two of these chemicals that are the most well understood and actually no longer in production

would be limited to detectable levels. the epa has said levels even 1000 times lower than what could be detected are still dangerous to human health, can still cause negative health impacts. practically speaking, all that they can require is for utilities to monitor for these chemicals. and if they find them, treat them so thoroughly that they are below the detectable limits. the other thing the epa did was include limits for four other p-fas chemicals. some of these are still in commercial use. two of them are what the chemicals industry turns to when they phased out the two older chemicals. the epa is taking an innovative approach which acknowledges these chemicals might have more severe health effects in combination than they do individually. amna: we know some states have already moved to regulate these compounds to some degree but this is a proposed federal standard. how would it be for water utilities to meet these new

standards? what would it take? annie: technologically speaking, there are absolutely technologies that drinking water utilities could install to treat for these chemicals, that are pretty well proven. we have reverse osmosis. the technologies are there. but they are not cheap. they are very expensive to install in the first place and they also have ongoing operational costs. the way that our law is set up now, those costs would be borne by customers. they would show up on people's regular or quarterly water bills. they would not be paid for by the polluters who put those chemicals there in the first place. amna: how big of a deal is it that there could be a federal regulation for this, knowing what we know about the potential impacts and this compound -- the chemical compounds more widely? annie: it is it extremely significant step. a little bit of context -- the

u.s. has not regulated a new contaminant in drinking water in nearly 30 years. the congress overhauled the drinking water act in 1996 and made it significantly more difficult for epa to regula chemicals, to regulate contaminants in drinking water. if this rule is finalized, it would be the first major upgrade to the safety of the nation's drinking water in nearly 30 years. what's worth noting is those same technologies that can treat for these p-fas chemicals would also remove other contaminants from drinkinwater as well. it could have some very significant improvements to the nation's drinking water overall. amna: ann from politico joining us tonight. thank you so much. annie: thank you. ♪ geoff: you've likely heard how russia's economy depends on revenues from oil exports.

you've also probably heard how u.s. sanctions have been ramped up to choke russia's war effort against ukraine. but there's one area equally important to the kremlin's military output that has so far avoided scrutiny, and it involves a high-tech american manufacturer that may be flouting export controls. with the support of the pulitzer center, special correspondent simon ostrovsky has this exclusive report. simon: this is the factory floor of ratep, a weapons manufacturer in russia that is part of the almaz-antey holding, which has been subject to u.s. sanctions since 2014 when russia first attacked ukraine. it produces guidance systems for anti-aircraft weapons used by the russian military. and it builds them using equipment made by california-based industrial manufacturing giant, haas automation. "newshour" has learned ratep is just one of several sanctioned enterprises in the russian arms industry that have been supplied

with precision machining tools manufactured here at haas' facility in oxnard, california in what may represent a breach of american sanctions. that's according to documents filed with the u.s. treasury and the department of commerce late last month. >> we were surprised that even now, one year after the beginning of the full-scale russian invasion, haas automation is continuing its direct shipments to russia. simon: denys hutyk is an expert consultant with the economic security council of ukraine, the group that filed the paperwork with the u.s. government agencies that oversee sanctions compliance. it alleges that haas is doing business with the russian arms industry through abamet management, ltd., a company in russia that is its official distributor in russia and belarus.

>> [speaking native language] >> russia was publishing the actual public procurements conducted by, for example, russian military plants. and we saw that abamet had a lot of customers within the russian military industrial complex, including the sanctioned entities. and we even can see the description of the actual products that were shipped by abamet to russian sanctioned enterprises. and we see that haas equipment bought by abamet directly from the u.s. were sold to russian sanctioned entities. simon: the escu said it spent months combing through russian government procurement databases and customs records to establish that haas, the largest machine

tool builder in the western world, supplies multiple russian weapons manufacturers with sophisticated equipment know as -- known as computer numerical control machines, or cnc. >> those tools are very accurate. because the military industry needs very high accuracy and high precision in the production of different parts, different equipment. it can be the parts for the ships, the parts for the aircraft, the different equipment and parts for missile systems or even radio electronic equipment. simon: they're so od, in fact, that the u.s. military also uses lathes and mills produced by haas. russia's own machine tools industry makes less precise and less sophisticated products, so it relies on imports from other countries to keep its factories feeding the war machine. the reason haas machining tools

are so important to the arms industry is because they can take an unrefined hunk of metal like this and turn it into something useful, like this mortar round. notably, both sides of the frontline have access to haas equipment. this plant in ukraine uses haas machine tools to make parts for tractors and combine harvesters. but this dual use technology is versatile and could easily be re-tuned to make almost anything, including weaponry. >> we made this bed for a tank-mounted machine gun. this picatinny rail was milled on our haas machines. it's used to mount sights, optics and illumination. we had plans to make these mortar safeties, too. it's all within our capabilities. simon: haas vice president peter zeirhut denied the company was still doing business in russia. in a written statement, he told "newshour" that haas had cut ties with its russian distributor on march 3 of last year, just a week after russia's full-scale invasion of ukraine

began. the email reads, haas "no longer supplies machines, replacement parts, or anything else to any companies in russia. statements to the contrary are false." but, our investigation puts that account into doubt. customs records reviewed by "newshour" show that shipments contind for months after russia's invasion began. at least 18 shipments were made to russia directly from haas worth $2.8 million from march 4 through october of last year. sanctions or no, russia's arms industry depends on technology developed in other countries. the head of the sanctions department on the national agency on corruption prevention, the ukrainian government body that sets sanctions policy. she told the "newshour," the problem was much wider than just haas. germany's siemens and japan's dmg mori are also computer numerical control machine tool manufacturers ukraine believes

to be key to the continuing function of russia's arms industry. >> approximately 70% to 80% of a russia machine industry is western machine, is imported machine. you have no guided missile, you have no tank, you have no rifle, a simple rifle, if you have no cnc machine. simon: according to zahrebelska, at least two sanctioned entities have displayed haas equipment in their own promotional materials, including the vektor research institute in st. petersburg which helps manufacture satellites likely used to track ships, aircraft, and ground vehicles during russia's invasion of ukraine. another is the scientific research institute of electrical carbon products in the moscow region, which makes satellites and electronics. that's in addition to the footage from ratep we showed at the beginning of this report, which a russian television channel first broadcast just

three months ago. the ukrainian authorities further believe haas continues to help maintain the equipment already sold to russian defense firms with spare parts and software updates. >> legal experts believe that the company is aware or should have been aware of its equipment being used by russian military plants. if our organization is able to to trace the links between the abamet and the russian sanctioned military plants, then it is surely possible for such a big company, such a corporation as haas automation. >> we are sure that they can check what country, what entities will be end user. and if these companies cannot control, i think that they have

not a right to supply these products and to produce these products because these products can kill people. simon: now the big question is whether the u.s. government will step in to investigate one of its own leading suppliers of manufacturing technology. ukraine's escu says they hope a penalty would serve as a warning to oths who continue doing business with russia's arms industry. for the "pbs newshour," i'm simon ostrovsky in kyiv. amna: beijing said today that the united states, the united kingdom, and australia had embarked on a "dangerous path" after those three countries announced a historic submarine agreement yesterday in san diego. it's known as aukus, for australia, u.k., and u.s. nick schifrin is back with this look at how it will extend one of the most important american weapons systems into waters that

china claims as its own. nick: military officials call it one of their crown jewels. the nuclear powered attack submarine, with technology so sensitive, it hasn't been shared with any ally in 65 years, until now. >> aukus has one overriding objective, to enhance the stability in indo-pacific amid rapidly shifting global dynamics. nick: president biden made the announcement yesterday, alongside british prime minister rishi sunak, and australian prime minister anthony albenese. >> one of the vessels you see behind me is a virginia class nuclear-powered submarine, the uss missouri. top of the line submarines are the vanguard of u.s. naval power. nick: as we saw for ourselves late last year aboard the same virginia class, uss missouri. navy commander carlos martinez walked me on board. it can stay underwater longer, and travel farther, than conventionally-powered

submarines. the crew shows how they get a torpedo ready to launch. besides torpedoes that can attack ships, these submarines conduct surveillance, and can carry cruise missiles to attack targets on land. it's the one system experts agree is the most difficult for china to detect and can sail through what for china are the most sensitive waters. >> if the operational commander tells me as a ship that he wants me to go to a certain area via a certain route that's international waters, that's certainly within our right to do so. nick: does that include the taiwan strait? >> the international waters of the taiwan strait are available for navigation. nick: the deal with australia, the u.k. and the u.s. develops in stages. this year, australian sailors will embark with american and british sailors. as early as 2027, one u.k. astute class submarine, and up to four u.s. virginia class submarines will rotate through a base in western australia.

beginning in the early 2030's, the u.s. will sell australia as many as five virginia class submarines. meanwhile, australia and the u.k. will both build a new submarine, called the ssn-aukus, ready in the u.k. by the late 2030's, and in australia by the early 2040's. it's designed to complicate china's military plans. as beijing tests more missiles than the rest of the world combined and has launched one of the fastest military modernizations in history. richard marles is australia's defense minister. >> we are witnessing the biggest conventional military build-up that we have seen since the end of the second world war, and we need to respond to this. a failure to do so would see us be condemned by history. nick: the agreement as part of the biden administration's plan to strengthen its allies. last week, president xi jinping accused the u.s. by name of

trying to contain china. to discuss this and the american drone forced down by russian jets over the black sea, we turn to mara karlin, who is performing the duties of deputy under secretary of defense for policy. welcome back to the newshour. mara: thank you for having me. nick: what consequences will russia face for helping down a u.s. drone? mara: this was a routine operation the mq-9 was performing and it did it in international airspa. what we saw by the russians was unprofessional. it was incompetent and it was unsafe. our colleagues from the state department are engaging the russian government right now, but it is quite unfortunate to see them take such steps. nick: will there be a direct consequence? mara: our colleagues at the state department will speak with them about what happened but i want to underscore, it is international airspace. we all know how to operate in safe, professional ways and that

is not what we saw from the russians. nick: let's turn to aukus. you said this agreement is not aimed at anyone country, but to the independently have nuclear powered attack submarines complicate beijing's plans if it were to go to war? mara: it is not about anyone country. it is about stability and security in the indo pacific. it is about deliverin deterrences in all four phases -- nick: of the agreement. mara: of the agreement. having three allies, three very close allies knitted together with this tremendous undersea capability will be important for ensuring this region, the indo pacific region can maintain its security, stability and prosperity going forward. nick: is china more deterred by australia having a nuclear powered attack simmering than it is by -- attack submarine than the u.s.?

mara: the u.s. is lucky to have a tremendous network of allies and partners in tremendous undersea capabilities. having three allies with these capabilities, strengthening our defenses shows that we are willing to work together in any number of challenges. the u.k., australia have stood by the united states. together, we have dealt with no shortage of challenges around the globe and now we are especially focused on the indo pacific. nick: you announced that australia would purchase new and older virginia class submarines. will the u.s. shipbuilding industry have to build extra submarines for australia or will australian cut the line and get a sub that was supposed to go to the u.s.? mara: australia will be purchasing a mix of submarines that are in service, and newer submarines. those wi deliver. the first one will be enhanced in less than a decade which is really fast given the

significance of this capability. our submarine industrial base has needed a lot of investment. the biden administration has pushed for that investment and congress has delivered. the defense budget was unveiled yesterday. there is $.6 billion in increasing our part -- $4.6 billion in increasing our production. australia will also be contributing a proportional amount. we will work together with the australians to make sure, as we have throughout the last 18 months of developing this massive plan that the heads of state have devised in ensuring they are getting what they need and we are doing so as well. nick: well australia get to cut the line? mara: it is not an issue of cutting the line. it is an issue of making sure we can increase our maintenance. we have a lot more submarines -- we have a maintenance backlog. that will be very important to make sure our submarines are

ready and out and about, and to be able to increase that production. we have put in thanks to the congress extra funding in that industrial base. that early investment will have an outsized effect and i think we are increasingly going to see we havthe facilities and the talent that we need to make all of this a reality. nick: you acknowledged there has been maintenance issues, huge production issues. the congress has funded two virginia class submarines per year only 1.2 on average being produced. you cited the $4.6 billion number but the republicans on the hill say that is not enough. take a look at this statement from the top republican on the senate armed services committee. "the biden administration has never asked congress for the type of generational investment for resources to meet our own navy's submarine requirements, let alone additional requirements." this is somewhat in favor of aukus. what is your response? mara: i have been pleased to see

the bipartisan support. it really is a generational leap in this alliance. it is a game changer. in terms of the comments on the need to invest in the submarine industrial base, we are working closely with congress to be able to max the investment that the industrial base can absorb. we are studying really hard to see what effect the investments are having as we go forward. nick: the effect that aukus can have. do you think it will tax the industrial base further? mara: i think it will help lift up the submarine base for us, the united kingdom and australia. nick: because australia will invest in the american industrial base just like the u.s. is investing in themselves? mara: they are indeed but i would underscore the increasing recognition that we as a country have in our spectacular undersea capabilities and the need to make sure we can maintain that competitive -- that advantage. nick: thank you very much.

mara: thanks for having me. ♪ geoff: barter theatre, borne out of the depression, is thriving 90 years later, known for bringing regional themes to its rural appalachian stage. jeffrey brown visited abingdon, virginia to show the changing face of the area for our arts and culture series, canvas. >> i said, isn't it tragic? he fell over -- jeffrey: a rehearsal of a new play about a group of women in a small factory town. >> what's so wrong with me, mama? jeffrey: experiencing loss and grief, friendship and family ties. >> her volume and intensity there is way off the charts. >> what i am trying to do is to articulate without condescension the interior worlds of working class people of this region. there are a lot of

preconceptions and myths and stereotypes out there. and i'm trying to dispel what i can withruthful characters from an honest perspective. jeffrey: cefaly's play "trouble at the vista view mobile home estates" was one of six featured this year at barter theater's annual appalachian festival of plays and playwrights, which offers regional writers a chance to work with actors and directors to fine-tune their plays. >> there's no water here because that's fun. it's so fun. jeffrey: and to see how audiences respond during a staged reading here in one of its two theaters. >> there's something very singular about being among writers who are all focused and devoted to the same goal, which is to elevate voices in the region from whence they came. >> i think what's it's become is about our audience, to develop

these plays for our audience, plays that reflect their lives, that reflect their values, or challenge those and explore them. >> it is so good to see you all back here. jeffrey: barter's associate artistic director nick piper is also director of the 23-year-old festival. an opportunity for local audiences to hear new stories, and for regional writers to develop new work. at least one of these plays will eventually receive a full production at barter. >> that has the possibility of changing a playwright's career and life. once it's gotten to production, in like a regional theater or a professional regional theater, other theaters throughout the country are looking at -- we look at each other's seasons and see what other theaters are choosing, what their audiences are interested in. jeffrey: this is the ecosystem of theater in the u.s. >> that's right. jeffrey: barter is located in abingdon, a town of about 8000 in the westernmost tip of virginia, wedged between west virginia, kentucky, tennessee and north carolina.

the theatre has a special role in this region, according to henry and flora joy, longtime supporters who drove an hour from home in johnson city, tennessee to see the festival. >> it's not just an artistic magnet, but it's an economic engine for not only abingdon in particular, but for the entire southwest virginia, east tennessee region. is the place to go. jeffrey: it's also filled with history, 90 years of it. barter is one of the longest-running professional theatres in the u.s, founded during the great depression when the price of a ticket was 40 cents, or a bartered equivalent in farm products, trading ham for "hamlet." founder robert porterfield managed to salvage equipment and furnishings, including these balcony seats from a new york theater going out of business in order to build his own gorgeous theater. he also brought in actors from new york and elsewhere.

which the theater still does. and legends like gregory peck, ernest borgnine, and patricia neal have performed here as they were starting out. today, the theatre fuels the local economy through tourism, but also by employing actors, stage hands and craftspeople, all part of the local community. >> i've come to the greatest theatre in in the world, if you ask me. jeffrey: and it's continued to fuel the dreams of people like ketch secor, who grew up three hours away in harrisonburg, virginia. "hooten holler," the fable of a boy who saves country music, is secor's debut as a playwright. it's a departure from his normal full-time gig as frontman and fiddler of the grammy award-winning band old crow medicine show, and a chance to do a different kind of story-telling. >> the only way i can scratch the musical theater itch is by doing it, by writing it.

♪ i wanted to talk about the authenticity of the originators of country music. you know, these hills like they're alive with song. this landscape is a soulful place. so, it's no surprise that so much of the music that has become country, and rock and roll comes from this place. jeffrey: barter, a historically white theater in a mostly white town, has also made a commitment to telling stories of black appalachia and promoting black playwrights. >> how did i, henry brown, escape the savagery of slavery? jeffrey: "the transported man" was part of this year's appalachian festival. written by russell nichols, who joined remotely as actors gathered for their first rehearsal of the play. >> they will enter from house right. jeffrey: it tells the story of henry "box" brown, who shipped himself from slavery in virginia to freedom in pennsylvania. terrance jackson, a longtime barter actor who lives in the

community, now oversees the theater's black stories, black voices initiative, begun in 2022. he says things were different when he first came here 10 years ago from his native florida. >> it was definitely difficult at first to try to find my place. you know, pecially back when i first started. it was not a lot of people who looked like me were about in the community and especially at the theater. jeffrey: jackson and others here are trying to change that through full-length plays, including at least one in the appalachian playwrights festival, monologue nights, and community events focusing on black stories. >> my dream for us at the theater is that no one will ever be shocked to sea black person in the audience. no one will ever be shocked, including other black people. i want to be able to create a space where people feel comfortable at all times, whether they're white, black, anybody. i think it's important because we need representation and we need our stories told.

jeffrey: for playwright audrey cefaly, the festival gave her a chance to represent the working-class people she grew up around in northern alabama. >> every writer that i know of that writes stories in this region is dying to have a space here. so, i feel very, very lucky to be here. jeffrey: ketch secor adds this -- >> this is a big stop on the tour of what makes our country unique. >> how do we feel about bourbon as a verb? jeffrey: for the "pbs newshour," i'm jeffrey brown at barter theatre in abingdon, virginia. amna: later this evening on pbs, "frontline" presents a film looking at the federal reserve's efforts to revive the economy in the wake of the great financial crisis. "the age of easy money" examines the story behind the headlines, focusing on the unintended consequeneces anthe widening gap between main street and wall street.

>> facing the growing possibility of a recession, wall street spent anoer day in turmoil. >> for the stock market and bond market, it was the worst year since the great financial crisis in 2008. >> the nasdaq down for four straight quarters for the first time since the dot-com bust. >> in 2022, we had this very unusual situation whereby you have made double-digit losses on both risky assets, stocks, and risk-free assets, u.s. treasuries. that is not supposed to happen. but, there is been absolutely nowhere to hide. amna: "the age of easy money" premeires tonight on pbs at 9:00 p.m. eastern. check your local station listings. and that is the newshour for tonight. geoff: and i'm goeff bennett. thanks for spending part of your evening with us. >> major funding for the pbs

newshour has been provided by -- carnegie corporation of new york. supporting innovations in education, democratic engagement, and the advancement ofnternational peace and security, at carnegie.org. and with the ongoing support of these institutions. this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. ♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy.]

hello everyone and welcome to amanpour and company. here is with coming up. iran claims a deal is on the table to free jailed american citizens but the u.s. calls it a lie after an extraordinary interview inside and imprisoned in i now speak to -- who has a father who waalso there. and to former ambassador bill richardson who laws lobbies for people in prison and in america and abroad. the bbc scrambles to save her face in a row over impartiality but was the sports commentator wrong about the issue of britain's refugee policy? my conversation