February 15, 2022 - PBS NewsHour full episode

In our news wrap Tuesday, a new trial began for Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny at a prison where he's already jailed for parole violations, Britain’s Prince Andrew will settle a sexual abuse lawsuit with Virginia Giuffre, Ottawa’s police chief resigned amid criticism for failing to end protests over pandemic restrictions, and the Senate confirmed Dr. Robert Califf to lead the FDA.

The longtime accounting firm of former President Trump has cut ties with him, stating they could no longer stand by a decade of financial statements they prepared for the Trump Organization. This latest news comes amid ongoing criminal and civil investigations into Trump’s financial assets. Andrea Bernstein, who has long reported on Trump’s finances for NPR, joins Lisa Desjardins with more.

The families of nine victims in the Sandy Hook School shooting agreed to settle with gun-maker Remington for $73 million. The company made the Bushmaster AR-15-style rifle used to kill 20 first-graders and six teachers in 2012 in Newtown, Connecticut and the families sued over the weapon's marketing. John Yang reports.

President Biden on Tuesday appealed to Russia to pursue the path of diplomacy and laid down a stark warning to Moscow not to threaten the U.S. and its allies. He also told Americans a war in Ukraine could have economic consequences at home in the U.S. But Russia's military has now amassed 150,000 troops on Ukraine’s border, and is able to invade at any moment. Nick Schifrin reports.

As President Biden examines the records of potential Supreme Court nominees, we continue our series of profiles of the women on his short list. California Supreme Court Justice Leondra Kruger has never faced questions from the Senate Judiciary Committee, unlike some of the other top contenders. But she is already familiar with breaking barriers during her life and career. Geoff Bennett reports.

The so-called megadrought that is afflicting the American West is the worst in 1,200 years, according to a study published this week. It has dried up water supplies, threatened ranchers and fueled wildfires. Park Williams, the lead author of the study just published in the journal Nature Climate Change, joins William Brangham with more.

Three high profile police killings of Black men in the past two years have led to ongoing conversations about racial justice in Minnesota. There’s also been noticeable solidarity between the state’s African American and African immigrant populations. Special correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro reports.

As President Biden on Tuesday reiterated the repercussions Russia would face should it invade Ukraine, we get perspectives from two foreign policy experts. Leon Panetta, former secretary of defense and director of the CIA during the Obama administration, and Angela Stent, who was on the State Department's policy planning staff during the Clinton administration, join Judy Woodruff to discuss.