February 7, 2022 - PBS NewsHour full episode

It was a day for diplomacy on the Ukraine crisis, from Washington to Moscow and beyond. All this as 100,000 Russian troops mass on the border with Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron met for talks as President Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz tried to present a united front. Nick Schifrin reports.

In our news wrap Monday, more than 60,000 people in Madagascar are homeless and 21 are dead after a tropical cyclone struck, a second man will plead guilty to plotting to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer over COVID restrictions, Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai denied she accused a Chinese official of sexual assault, and Spotify says it will go on streaming Joe Rogan's podcasts.

French President Macron met with Russian President Putin Monday in an effort to head off a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine. What are the prospects for French-Russian talks, and how are these talks viewed by the rest of Europe? Heather Conley, president of the German Marshall Fund of the United States, joins Nick Schifrin to discuss.

Canada is facing protests for a second week over vaccines mandates and other covid restrictions. Trucks and periodic demonstrations have jammed up the country' capital city ofOttawa. A judge on Monday granted a 10-day injunctions saying truckers must pull back on some of their disruptive tactics. Stephanie Sy has the story.

The decision Monday by the governors of New Jersey and Delaware to end masking mandates in schools makes them the latest states to roll back requirements. It comes as the CDC and groups continue to recommend masking in schools to reduce COVID infections. Dr. Lucy McBride, an internist in Washington, D.C., joins Amna Nawaz to discuss why she disagrees with mask mandates in schools.

Pharmacists and pharmacy workers get far less attention than other health care workers, but the stress and pressure has been intense. Staffing shortages and working conditions have been a problem throughout the pandemic, and major pharmacy chains and independent stores were recently forced to reduce hours as omicron surged and staff became sick. Here's what we heard from pharmacists themselves.

Last month, three men were sentenced in Georgia state court to life in prison for murdering Ahmaud Arbery. On Monday, jury selection began in the federal hate crimes trial that will look at whether the killings were racially motivated. Former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, who served as assistant attorney general for civil rights under Bill Clinton, joins William Brangham to discuss.

The wave of migration across the U.S. in the mid-1800's included people looking to live in open spaces, with land to grow crops and the opportunity to have a better life. After the Civil War, that included freed slaves and their families. Fred de Sam Lazaro reports on one Kansas town that was established as a result as part of our Black History Month coverage and ongoing series, "Race Matters."

NPR’s Tamara Keith and Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter join Judy Woodruff to discuss the latest political news, including the repercussions after the Republican National Committee censured Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger for their work on the select congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol, and how the committee's probe is progressing.