January 12, 2022 - PBS NewsHour full episode

In our news wrap Wednesday, the crackdown in Kazakhstan has led to the arrest of another 1,700 people for allegedly taking part in violent protests, bringing the total to 12,000. Also, Senate Republicans fired back after President Biden denounced them for stalling voting rights legislation, and a federal judge will allow a sexual abuse lawsuit to move forward against Britain's Prince Andrew.

The last time inflation rose 7 percent annually was back in 1982. The latest consumer price report shows costs are continuing to spike. That is presenting real questions for the Federal Reserve, which is tasked with promoting stable prices. Mary Daly, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco who also sits on the committee that decides interest rates, joins Judy Woodruff to discuss.

On Capitol Hill, Democrats are looking for ways to move voting rights forward as Senate Republicans pushed back after President Biden denounced them for stalling legislation. Lisa Desjardins joins Judy Woodruff to discuss where legislation stands and what options lie ahead.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is fighting for his political life. He was forced to apologize to Parliament Wednesday after it was revealed he attended a cocktail party in the garden of his official residence at the height of the COVID crisis when strict nationwide restrictions were in force. Special correspondent Malcolm Brabant reports from the United Kingdom.

The U.S. and its NATO allies met with Russian officials Wednesday in Brussels as part of a whirlwind week of diplomacy across Europe, sparked by a massive Russian troop buildup on its border with Ukraine. The crisis comes as questions about NATO cohesion persist. Nick Schifrin reports, and speaks with Ivo Daalder, former U.S. ambassador to NATO during the Clinton administration, to learn more.

On Thursday in a German courtroom, a verdict will be rendered in the world's first trial against a high-ranking former officer in the Syrian regime for crimes against humanity. Anwar Ruslan was in charge of interrogations in a government prison and stands accused of overseeing mass torture, rape and killing. For Reveal and PBS NewsHour, Adithya Sambamurthy and Luna Watfa report.

Rebecca Hall has been on-screen since age 10, but in her new film "Passing" she steps into the director role for the first time. It is based on a novel that was written in 1929 by Nella Lawson at the height of the Harlem Renaissance. Hall shares her Brief But Spectacular take on "Passing" and on her own racial identity as part of our arts and culture series, CANVAS.