GEOFF BENNETT: Good evening.

I'm Geoff Be AMNA NAWAZ: On the "News to repeated attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea.

GEOFF BENNETT: We examine the critical white evangelical vote ahead contest in the GOP race for the White House.

AMNA NAWAZ: And Taiwan prepares to choose its next have major implications for its alliance with the U.S. and its tense relationship with China.

SHELLEY RIGGER, Davidson College: The PRC is really always worried about somehow losing Taiwan.

And the thin Taiwan.

(BREAK) AMNA NAWAZ: Welcome to the "NewsHour."

Houthi militants in Yemen fired a missile at a ship today and promised further retaliation after last night's U.S. and British airstrikes against Houthi targets.

GEOFF BENNETT: U.S. officials say the airstrikes are a bid to stop the Houthi disruption of shipping through the Red Sea and not intended to widen the war in Gaza.

As Nick Schifrin reports, the U.S. warned it will strike again if the Houthi campaign continues.

NICK SCHIFRI the streets of the capital, Sanaa, waving weapons, demanding death to their enemies, a promise repeated by Houthi leader Mohammed Ali Al-Houthi.

MOHAMMED ALI AL-HOUTHI, Head of Houthi Supreme Revolutionary Commit Did you not hear yesterday, Yemeni people, the airstrikes?

Are they not the same raids we have seen?

They did not bring anything new, but we are NI CK SCHIFRIN: Last night, from jets, ships and a submarine, the U.S. says a first round of strikes targeted 16 locations, and then 30 to 60 minutes later an additional 12 locations with more than 150 munitions.

A Western of The U.S. military says it hit more than 60 individual targets in mostly unpopulated areas, targeting air defense, drones and missiles that the Houthis have used in recent attacks, including the Tuesday attack that precipitated the military strikes, more than two dozen Houthi drones and missiles aimed at U.S. warships.

JOE BIDEN, President of th we will respond.

NICK SCHIFRIN: S the Red Sea; 30 percent of global container traffic and more than a million barrels of crude oil every day sail through the Suez Canal via the Red Sea.

Now, many of those ships are rerouting around Africa, driving up consumer prices and causing supply chain delays.

This morning, crude oil futures jumped 4 percent to more th The international reaction to the military strike was mixed.

Russia called an emergency Security Council meeting and called the strikes Om an denounced the strikes, warning they could escalate conflict in the region.

Saudi Arabia said in a statement it was following the events with great concern and called for self-restraint.

For nearly 10 years, Houthi rebels backed by Iran have b Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, in 2014 from the country's internationally recognized government.

The subsequent brutal civil war the last 20 months, there's been a shaky cease-fire.

Houthis and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government re gional and U.S. officials worry that military strikes could reverse political progress.

But that could depend on what happens next and the extent of the expected Houthi military response.

For the "PBS AMNA NAWAZ: In the day's other headlines: Israel rejected allegations that it's committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

Instead, it told the world court at The Hague that its operation is a after Hamas attacked Israel in October.

The Israelis responded today to the genocide claim made biggest cases ever brought before an international court.

TAL BECKER, Legal Adviser, Israeli Foreign Ministry: The attempt to weap genocide against Israel in the present context does mor story, and it does more than empty the word of its unique force and special meaning.

It subverts the object and purpose of the convention itself.

AMNA NAWAZ: Meanwhile, in Southern Gaza, fiery explosions rock the city of th e Israeli bombardment continued.

Hamas officials said nearly 24,000 people have the war began.

A new winter storm is sweeping winds and brutal cold.

Dangerous driving conditions across Iowa today prompted Republicans canceled a number of campaign events ahead of Monday's presidential caucuses.

The storm also grounded hundreds of flights at Chicago's O'Hare and Midway Airports and 7,500 nationwide.

Arctic air and bitter cold are expected to Fe deral prosecutors in Buffalo will seek the death penalty against a gunman who killed 10 Black victims in 2022.

The attack took place at a supermarket.

A white supremacist, Payton Gendron, pleaded life without parole.

Today, the Justice Depar federal hate crimes.

The government of Ukraine got a boost from Brit military aid over the next fiscal year.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak met with President Volodymyr Zele deal.

Zelenskyy ce VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, Ukrainian President (through translator): Today is the day the history of Europe has changed.

Ukraine and the United Kingdom signed a new Re garding Washington's help, I'm viewing this with more positivity than in December.

AMNA NAWAZ: A package of $60 billion in U.S. assistance is being held up in Congress.

Republicans are demanding major changes in U.S. border policy before they will green-light aid for Ukraine.

China has announced a cease-fire in Northeas Beijing mediated the agreement between Myanmar's military and guerrillas that have sei and military posts along the country's border with China.

A previous agreement failed to hold.

The Biden administration is taking Texas to the Supreme Court in a n This week, the state fenced off a public park in Eagle Pass to stop illegal crossings, and the Texas National Guard barred the federal Border Patrol from the site.

Today, the Justice Department asked the High Court to restore federal access to the park.

And on Wall Street, stocks had a mixed finish to the week.

The Dow Jones industrial average lost 118 points to close below 3759 The Nasdaq rose two points, and the S&P 500 added three.

But, for the week, the Nasdaq was up 3 percent, the S&P rose nearly 2 percent, ad ded a fraction.

Still to come on the "New the dire situation in Gaza; a new variant of COVID-19 poses an increased risk of widespread infection; David Brooks and Jonathan Capehart weigh in on the week's political headlines; plus much more.

GEOFF BENNETT: The U.S. strikes against the Houthis in Yemen mark a significant esca of tensions in the Middle East.

The world is now waiting to see wh the Houthis from targeting ships in the Red Sea or raise the risk of an even wider conflict.

Nadwa Al-Dawsari was born and raised in Yemen and is a nonresident scholar at the Middle East Institute in Washington, D.C.

Thank you for being with us.

And how will the U.S.-led strikes agai the militant group's strategy moving forward, in your view?

NADWA AL-DAWSARI, Middle East Institute: Well, I me of intense airstrikes by the Saudis and the Emiratis, and they survived that and even emerged stronger than before.

So, airstrikes might neutralize the Houthi thre would be temporarily.

GEOFF BENNET Do they welcome these airstrikes?

NADWA AL-DAWSARI: Yemenis are co of airstrikes for eight years, and these airstrikes caused a lot of civilian casualties, a lot of destruction, but also they made the Houthis stronger.

So Yemenis at large don't want to go through another episode of airstrikes that o the Houthis, at the expense of Yemenis.

Now, the Houthis are still extremely unpopular, but th the war with Israel and America, which is their narrative, that they're at war with Israel and America, they're using that to oppress the population and silence critics.

They're using that to force families to send their children to indoctrination camps, to recruit fighters, to recruit children at a mass scale.

And so these airstrikes could be very good for the Houthis.

The Houthis want war.

They want confrontation for the th at's why they continue to attack the ships in the Red Sea.

That's how they build -- they make an excuse to oppress the population.

So, this will be good for the Houthis if it's only airstrikes.

GEOFF BENNETT: Well, in order for the U.S. goal of deterrence to be effective on a more permanent basis, what kind of approach would be required?

NADWA AL-DAWSARI: Well, the U.S. -- the Houthis have prove regional security and international shipping.

And so only a strategic approach will mitigate th Now, airstrikes by the U.S. and the U.K. are not going to address that.

The U.S. and the international community need to support Yemeni government forces to weaken the Houthis militarily and rebuild Yemen.

GEOFF BENNETT: The Houthis, as you well know, are also militias across the Middle East as a way of stepping up its own influence.

How independent are the Houthis from Iran?

Are they acting on their own, or are they followin NADWA AL-DAWSARI: It's both.

So the Houthis are not Iran puppets.

They don't carry Iran orders.

Having said that, the Houthis are very strong go al in the region, which is Iran's expansionist agenda.

And that includes weakening Saudi Arabia, taking Mecca and eventually in their own words, and destroying Israel, more importantly, also pushing the U.S. and the West out of the region.

The Houthis also are capable of Iran has empowered the Houthis and strengthened them.

And I'm not, even sure if Iran decided that the Houthis need to de-escalate today, tha the Houthis would do that.

GEOFF BENNETT: The Whi regional war.

You can argue th Israel-Hamas war has already escalated into a regional conflict.

The question is whether or not it can be contained.

How do you view it?

NADWA AL-DAW The risk is high.

Having said that, I think it's important for th problem, and that's not going to happen with airstrikes.

And, also, it's not going to happen with putting boots on the A more sustainable solution would be to work with the Yemeni government and strengthen Yemeni forces, so that they can weaken the Houthis.

Now Iran and other proxies might still exist, but the Houthis have p strategic threat to everyone, basically, in the region.

GEOFF BENNETT: Nadwa Al-Dawsari is a nonresident scholar at the Middle East Institute in Washington.

Thank you.

NADWA AL-DAW AMNA NAWAZ: Today marks 97 days of the war against Hamas in Gaza, and the humanitarian toll on its population has been devastating.

According to the United Nations, 90 percent of Gazans are displaced.

More than one in four are starving.

There's not a single hospital there that's fully func limited.

Earlier toda Agency through a shaky Internet connection for an update about what's happening on the ground.

ALI ROGIN: S joining us.

The World Fo Can you just give us a sense of just how dire the food scarcity situation is right now?

SCOTT ANDERSON, Deputy Director of Operations, United Nations Relief and Works Agency Gaza: Yes, I'm joi 1.4 million internally displaced people here.

The only food that most people have is Shalom or Rafah, and it's simply not enough to accommodate the basic needs of this many people.

And I have s they're just desperate to get any food that they can.

We did have a convoy that managed to go north a they were carrying their flour away, you could see how happy they were.

But the situation really is quite desperate, children begging for food have any.

It's just a not being able to provide for them.

So I think that, overall, we need to do more We need to get more food in.

ALI ROGIN: And what ha ve, including Israel, Hamas, and other regional players?

SCOTT ANDERSON: First, we would ask that all the parties to of the United Nations and that they do everything they can to protect the civilian -- innocent civilian population that's here in Gaza.

And we have had great difficulty accessing Nort There's a checkpoint that we're required to traverse to take aid to the nort think there are 300,000 people.

Since January 1, only eight of the 24 missi north.

They're very They're very They're very to help deliver aid to those people.

ALI ROGIN: The United Nation Can you talk about the situation specifically for children right now?

SCOTT ANDERSON: And children, obviously, they bear the brunt of this.

They're much younger and they're less resilient.

Their bodies are just smaller.

I mean, in addition to every 100 Gazans has been killed at this point during the conflict.

They need psychosocial support and they need some normalcy.

And I feel that we're in danger of losing a generati and the negative impact that had, and now we're losing a whole school year most likely during this conflict.

The impact is quite negative to AL I ROGIN: As the Israeli military operation continues, as more and more people are crowding into a smaller and smaller area?

SCOTT ANDERSON: Oh, there's not sufficient water for hygiene and certainly for people to clean themselves, nor is there sufficient water for everyone to drink.

People are living in quite close proximity, so we're worried about waterborne disease and any kind of disease that would spread quickly.

Women have borne the brunt of hygiene here.

There's not enough feminine hygiene kits.

Women don't eat or drink, they have told me on want to have to wait in line to go to the bathroom.

We're certainly not able to import have, and it's something we're working very hard to correct.

ALI ROGIN: You have lost colleagues in this; conflict began.

Can you just describe the toll workers, and the work that you do?

SCOTT ANDERSON: We say that nowhere is safe in Gaza, which I think Even the house where I live in has received fire from Israeli forces.

You can't talk to any of our staff or any of their families that haven't been impacted by the loss of a loved one or the severe injury of a loved one.

Despite the loss, they get up every day, they come into work, and they're trying to help their fellow Gazans.

Now, we have one staff member that works o lost everyone in their family, except one son.

And despite that horrific event, he was there at the crossing the next sure aid was flowing in to help take care of people.

So I think that the resilience and the bravery and courage they show is But it also has to be very heavy on their heart that they don't know sometimes when they leave if their family will be there when they go home.

ALI ROGIN: Israel has long been critical of UNRWA.

It accuses UNRWA of having an anti-Israel Ho w do you respond to those criticisms?

SCOTT ANDERSON: I think the core humanitarian principles.

And I certainly am not anti-Israe We're here to do a job, to do it with -- as I said, with neutrality, which is one of our core principles.

Sometimes, that means we s What we are is pro-humanity, and we want to do everything we can to ke as safe as possible and make sure we're meeting their basic needs every day.

ALI ROGIN: Scott Anderson, the deputy director of UNRWA in Gaza, thank you so much f us.

SCOTT ANDERS Thank you, A AMNA NAWAZ: The Iowa caucuses are now just three days away, which means the candidates are making their final pitches to voters, including one coveted group, white evangelicals.

Lisa Desjardins is in Des Moines and sat down with perhaps Iowa's most recognizable and influential evangelical leader.

LISA DESJARDINS: Bob Vander Plaats is often Si nce 2010, he's directed the conservative Christian group The Family Leader, which advocates for what they see as biblical values in government, opposing abortion and gay marriage.

Vander Plaats has endorsed the eventual winner in every Iowa Republican Caucus since 2008.

In November, he announced his support for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

I began by asking him why he made that decision and about polls that show most Iowa evangelicals support former President Donald Trump.

BOB VANDER PLAATS, CEO, The Family Leader: He caught my attention right away when he won reelection in He took a tossup state like Florida and turned it deep red, won by 20 points.

And he did that after leading on things that are very important to us, whether it's the sanctity of human life, parental rights, taking on the woke agenda in schools, in big corporations, keeping Florida open during COVID, challenging all the mandates during COVID.

You mentioned about the evangelical support.

My pulse just doesn't line up with the polls.

We have a very large base here, and that means every other person tell me, I'm voting Trump.

They're not saying that.

They're appreciative of what he did, but they be leader.

They believe And I think they're skeptical that he's just not the same guy that he was in LISA DESJARDINS: How well does Governor DeSantis or Nikki Haley have to do in order to really make this a race, have a chance at beating Donald Trump?

BOB VANDER PLAATS: Well, I think it's all an expectations ga And everybody's dismissing Governor DeSantis, I don't believe Trump will meet the expectations.

I don't believe Haley will come in outperform his expectations, which will give him momentum moving forward.

I'm even bullish enough to believe he has a shot to win the Iowa caucuses on Monday night.

LISA DESJARD it seems, could you support him?

Do you think he is a moral man?

BOB VANDER PLAATS: Ele And so the Trump administration versus the Biden of the Trump administration was way better for families and for our issues.

And God has always used flawed people throughout Scripture, whether it was David or Moses or Abraham.

They all had And he used them for his So that may be above my pay grade.

But if it's a Trump administration versus a Bi going to be a choice for me.

I mean, for me, th LISA DESJARDINS: You could choose not to vote BO B VANDER PLAATS: Oh, no, no, I would choose the Trump administ in Y and twice on Sunday.

LISA DESJARDINS: Trump is ge nerally don't want him to be a role model for their children.

BOB VANDER PLAATS: Big hurdle, there's no doubt.

LISA DESJARDINS: I know yo Every politician is flawed.

Donald Trump, as a disconnect between the evangelical movement that says it's about family values and supporting -- and, in this case, you said, if there's no other choice, you would support him -- someone who you don't think should be a role model for your children.

BOB VANDER PLAATS: Well, the disconnect there is right.

I mean, there's no doubt.

I have said met a parent or grandparent yet who has said they want to have their son, daughter, grandchild grow up to be like him.

That said, I haven't heard anybody say that abou are way more detrimental to the family than, say, Donald Trump's record has been for the family.

So it comes down You have 75 percent of Americans who are saying they don't want the choice between Biden and Trump.

They want so Even heard somebody say And so I just think, again, let Iowa do its job, present an alternative to the former president, and now let America choose.

But I think what I can do as a faith leader, as wel to the Gospel, is by calling balls and strikes.

Donald Trump is not my savior.

Can God use Donald Trump to accomplish good things?

Yes, he's always used flawed people to accomplish good LISA DESJARDINS: Trump also tapped into something else, which is anger.

BOB VANDER PLAATS: Sure.

LISA DESJARD And I want t Bible, Jesus was angry, sure.

But do you think that evangelicals have changed politics o is changing them?

BOB VANDER P and his disruptive behavior is that... LISA DESJARDINS: Anger, sometimes hate.

BOB VANDER PLAAT But they kind of The reason is, they're concerned when the government's tel your children, these are our children.

If you don't believe in gender transitioning or i or if you don't believe in whatever else we believe in, you may not be able to raise your children.

That scares a lot of Or it's not about religious liberty.

You can't live out your faith.

You have freedom of worship inside You're saying religious liberty is about living out my faith.

And now you have got a government saying, I can't live out my faith.

That's why I think some evangelicals are going, listen, they're weaponizing against but they're also weaponizing against us.

So, if they're going to weapon But I'm saying, we have a choice right now.

LISA DESJARDINS: Bob Vander Plaats, BOB VANDER PLAATS: Oh, thank you.

Really appreciate it LISA DESJARD freeze now from Mother Nature, as temperatures are starting to drop into the single digit And that has meant a freeze on campaigning as well, with Ron DeSantis postponing four events today, Nikki Haley moving to all virtual events, and Vivek Ramaswamy doing one town hall from inside of a car as he was trying to get through this weather.

AMNA NAWAZ: Lisa, that winter weather we see you standing out in the middle of right now, that's going to make it tougher for folks to travel, fewer events for them to go to see the candidates.

How is all this going LISA DESJARDINS: We always wonder about the weather, but I will tell you that, right now, this is bad news for anyone who is not Donald Trump, because everyone else needs to make up ground against him.

And they're not out there Th ey're not able to meet a days.

I think, tod see.

And it's eve here.

There are a We met one last night, som DOUGLAS ROSS, Iowa Voter: What I like about Chris Christie is he was a go verned a Democratic state, so he could reach across aisle and get things done.

And that's what I want.

Recently, we moved here from Arizona, a So I want somebody that can actually work with the other side to get something done that's reasonable.

LISA DESJARD He was at that DeSantis event.

And we're going to keep track of w But, meantime, these candidates are looking for every sort of eyeball, ca n get.

I do think t Believe it or not, what you're seeing behind me, this is actually plowed.

Cars are going to start getting back on the roads.

The question Monday night will be col And that will be a test of enthusiasm for Trum Do they think he has too much of a lead?

Do they stay home, rather than actually show up That is the hope, frankly, of some of his opponents.

AMNA NAWAZ: All right, that is Lisa Desjardins ju of those Iowa caucuses.

Lisa, thank you.

And be sure to join us for live coverage of at 11:00 p.m. Eastern right here on PBS.

GEOFF BENNETT: The U.S. and other parts of the world are in the midst of another COVID-19 wave.

Infections and And a new variant is responsible for a majority of those cases.

John Yang has the latest and a look at whether we need to change our approach to the virus.

JOHN YANG: Geoff, the World Health Organization said yesterday that, in December, nearly 10,000 COVID deaths were reported in Europe and the Americas.

In the United States, hospital admissions are on the rise, up 56 per the month before.

But they're still far lo In Europe and the Americas, ICU admissions are up 62 percent from the month befo The director general of the WHO said public health officials need to be vigilant.

TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS, WHO Director General: Although COVID-19 is no longer a emergency, the virus is still circulating, changing and killing.

Data from various sources indicate increasing transmission during December fueled by gatherings over the holiday period and by the JN.1 variant, which is now the most commonly reported variant globally.

JOHN YANG: S Dr. Eric Topol is the founder and director He's been warning about the risk of this new variant.

Dr. Topol, how concerned are you about this DR .

ERIC TOPOL, I think the main most throughout the entire pandemic after Omicron.

And so while the hospitalizations are not as bad, and you mentioned already the death toll, that's reassuring because of some of the immunity we have built up.

But this virus has evolved, and it's markedly different than previous versions we have see and that's a challenge for the spread and for the infections and the potential of long COVID in many of those people as well.

JOHN YANG: Talk about that evolution.

This new variant, JN.1, is it Is it more infectious?

What -- tell us about it.

DR. ERIC TOPOL: So, in the c only been two times when a variant came along with more than 30 new mutations in the spike protein.

Usually, a v that was the first time we saw one.

And then, of course, back in the fall, we started to see the r JN.1 with another 30-plus mutations in the spike protein.

And so when you have this many new mutations, the virus has essentially found a way to work around, bypass our normal immune response.

And so it gets to be very infectious, easily getting people who have already been infected, no less those who have not had COVID before.

So it's good that we have four years of built-up exposures and vaccinations it's bad that this virus is relentless in finding ways to basically reinvent itself and to get into our upper airway and then all the other potential things that can happen after that.

JOHN YANG: Y You have been very voc who's at risk for long COVID.

Explain your concerns and also whether or not re DR. ERIC TOPOL: Well, there' And the problem, John, with long COVID is, we don't know who's going to get this.

Over time, since the beginning of the pandemic, it looks like the incidence has dropped some.

And that's partly because vaccinations are quite protective, 40 percent or 50 percent reduction of long COVID, as well as with boosters.

But the problem is, even with vaccinations or without, some people can have this terrible long-term problem of their immune system getting totally out of sorts and having self-directed antibodies and so many markers of inflammation across the body, throughout every organ system, no less a disabling set of symptoms.

So, even if that is just a couple percent of people in this current wave, this big global surge, that's still a lot of people who we have added to the tens of millions of people currently suffering from long COVID around the world, and we don't have any treatment for it.

We know some to treat long COVID.

JOHN YANG: You had an op-ed column in Th In it, you wrote: "It's crickets from the White House on COVID now, with no messaging on getting the updated booster or masking.

The Biden administration has done far too little to accelera treatments for long COVID."

What would you like to see the administrati DR. ERIC TOPOL: In the first year of the pandemic, we saw that Operation Warp Speed, a virus as an existential threat and pulled out all the stops.

But, right now, John, we need oral or nasal vaccines to stop infections, to stop spread, to be variant-proof, whatever this virus mutates to in the times ahead.

And we have a small amount of funding towards that end, but not enough.

And the messaging has been poor.

That is, even the people at highest ri booster that's been available since September.

That's the highest-risk people of advanced age.

We had 90, 95 percent of those same high-risk people getting the i of the vaccine.

So we're not We have known this was coming.

We have seen countries in ev en exceeding Omicron.

And it isn't like We knew it was coming since September, October, and only in recent weeks have health sys started to get masking back as a policy.

We're just not doing enough to prepare or manage this big surge.

JOHN YANG: Dr. Eric Topol of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, thank you very much.

DR. ERIC TOPOL: Thank you, AMNA NAWAZ: In Taiwan, voters head to the polls tomorrow for presidential and parliamentary elections.

The results Taipei.

China consider with the island.

Nick Schifrin looks at t NICK SCHIFRIN: Taiwan's election is cacophonous, colorful and a little chaotic.

It's also critical to the future of the region.

The leading candidate is Lai Ching-te, known as William Lai, the current vice President Trump the Democratic Progressive Party, or DPP.

He vows to continue Taiwan's current de facto about Taiwan's relationship with mainland China than he used to.

WILLIAM LAI, Taiwanese Presidential Candidate: I will maintain the st to bring society together.

Our door will always be open to engagements NI CK SCHIFRIN: But the People's Republic of China, or PRC, appears to be keeping the door shut tight.

Recent military exercises have Th ere will be more tension, more satellite launches... MAN: It's not the moon.

NICK SCHIFRIN: last year if you choose William Lai.

Wang Wenbin is the Foreign Ministry spokesman.

WANG WENBIN, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman st ubbornly to the separatist position for Taiwan independence.

He is a troublemaker through and through.

SHELLEY RIGGER, Davidson College: Sometimes, people d leader, but that's not really the position he's taking in this election.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Shelley Rigger is, the faculty dean and professor of East Asian studies at Davidson college.

She spoke to us from a campaign SH ELLEY RIGGER: His mandate, if he wins, is to maint the Taiwan Strait, which is that Taiwan is a self-governing democratic entity that hasn't fully separated itself from its history as a Chinese place.

NICK SCHIFRIN: The main opposition candidate, Hou Yu-ih, is from the Kuomintang party, or KMT, historically less antagonistic toward Beijing than the ruling DPP.

SHELLEY RIGGER: For the DPP, the path to preserving the status quo is to remain close to the U.S. For the KMT candidate, Hou Yu-ih, Taiwan needs to engage with Beijing more actively in order to preserve its security and autonomy.

NICK SCHIFRIN: The election also features for the first time a third-party candidate, former Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je, popular among younger voters.

SHELLEY RIGGER: He's not that different on the major policy areas.

His position on cross-strait relations is a little bit hard to discern.

But I think his appeal is that he's a new face.

The PRC doesn't like any of these candidates, but they dislike Lai Ching-te the most.

NICK SCHIFRIN: That's led to what Taiwan calls Beijing's unprecedented election interference, including Lai deepfakes -- that's the real Lai on the left, manipulated Lai on the right -- and what the U.S. and Taiwan call disinformation about labs with dangerous viruses and bioweapons.

Independent researchers have also found a campaign of fake online accounts disparaging Lai and promoting the KMT.

Taipei accuses Beijing of cyberattacks, co-opting local offi WILLIAM LAI: China has intervened in every major Taiwanese election, but, this time, it is the most severe.

It can be said that they are ANDERSON COOPER, CNN Host: So are you saying that defense if China attacked?

JOE BIDEN, P Yes, we have NICK SCHIFRIN: Loo Beijing.

The U.S. has expanded its Philippines, to bases closer to Taiwan.

And the U.S. has worked to improve Taiwan's mi But the administration says its policy has not changed, including that Taiw not declare independence.

JOE BIDEN: We maintain the agreemen SHELLEY RIGGER: The PRC is really always worried about somehow losing Taiwan.

And the thing that they worry about the most, honestly, is that the U.S. will encourage Taiwan or somehow give Taiwan a blank check to bust a move and do something that will force the PRC to respond militarily.

NICK SCHIFRIN: On New Year's Day, Chinese Communist Party Genera reiterated his promise that Taiwan and Beijing will one day fly the same flag.

XI JINPING, Chinese President (through translator): The reunification of China is a historic inevitability.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Of course, all politics are local.

Voters have economic concerns and are exhausted of same-party rule.

But Beijing is on their mind, and young Taiwanese are increasingly proud to identify them themselves as from Taiwan, not China, with Taiwanese food... WOMAN: Just to cook it all the way.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Taiwanese music, including by bands banned in mainland mo st of all, Taiwanese democracy.

SHELLEY RIGGER: They are going to show with a democratic system and to preserve their freedom.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Democracy here is only 35 years old, but, tomorrow, the people of Taiwan will choose their next leader, something the people of mainland China are not able to do.

For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Nick Schifrin.

GEOFF BENNETT: With just days to go until the Iowa caucuses, presidential politics are taking center stage.

Let's discuss that and more with Bro That's New York Times columnist David Brooks and Jonathan Capehar The Washington Post.

It's good to Let's talk a bit abo David, the latest poll of Iowa voters found that Donald Trump has a dominant lead.

That hasn't changed.

But this is the fi DeSantis.

She has 20 p error.

How do you i DAVID BROOKS I mean, he's really be He is said to have an amazing ground game.

He's invested zillions of dollars in And if he's down to 13 percent, I don't see how the campaign r He said he will go to South Carolina, maybe skip New Hampshire.

But I just don't see how he recovers from a showing that bad, when he' much time and effort.

As for Nikki Haley, very good number for her.

She's kind of late in the game, less organized on t On the other hand, there is a ceiling on her.

And that's because, if you look at who's voting for her, it's college- And this is a working-class party, and she has done very poorly trying to crack into that working-class group.

She's done very poorly trying An d so Trump has great organization, great presence.

People are waiting to wait around, I have read recently, five and six hours as he shows up late.

They will st They want to So all indications And if those polls are right, then Ron DeSantis is in trouble.

GEOFF BENNETT: And, Jonathan, you could argue one, Nikki Haley is even better positioned to do well in New she has a strong showing in Iowa, or that the race for number two is meaningless when the front-runner is 30-plus points ahead.

How do you see it?

JONATHAN CAPEHART: Exactly.

(LAUGHTER) JONATHAN CAP front-runner is 34 points ahead in that poll, in the Suffolk University poll you just showed?

But, also, he's ahead in all of the polls.

And they have not taken the gloves off against him, except for, I think, Nikki Haley took the gloves off this week.

And Ron DeSantis in some way took the gloves Bu t they should have been doing that from the moment they And so, again, as I have said on Friday nights now for at least a month, maybe two, when it comes to the Iowa caucuses, I will be curious to see if that 34-point spread in the Suffolk University poll shows up in actual votes.

And if Donald Trump doesn't wipe the floor with Haley or DeSantis, whoever comes in two, then we have to start to wonder, can he make it through New Hampshire?

And does that provide an opportunity for Nikki Haley to maybe win New Hampshire, but then get obliterated in her home state of South Carolina?

GEOFF BENNETT: Well, how can Nikki Haley capitalize on Chris Christie's exit f Because the one thing his campaign proved is that there is no nationwide constituency for a Republican who's willing to break with Donald Trump in the way that he did.

DAVID BROOKS: Right.

Yes, no, the And there's a scenario for Haley.

She does well in Iowa, or better than expected, maybe She goes to New Hampshire, Christie's gone, DeSantis is sort of out of it, even if he's not officially out of it.

And then she's really -- They're sort of in the ballpark.

That would be bi He's basically a sitting An d if a sitting incumbent president lo I agree with Jon.

She will then But then, after that, we have Michigan, which vote in it.

And so that look And then after that, we have So there's some plausible scenario of, the wa Trump in short order, and then she has some remote chance.

GEOFF BENNETT: Jonathan, what do you think?

Does Chris Christie's exit JO NATHAN CAPEHART: No.

No.

And, unfortu I mean, I don't agree with Governor Christie ro le as a candidate for the Republican nomination was an important one, because he was fearless in taking the argument to the party against Donald Trump.

And the fact that a person who is telling the truth about a four-times-ind cted-on-91-counts former president shouldn't be the standard-bearer of their party, the party rejected him by not supporting him, meaning Chris Christie.

And so it's unfortunate that he had to get out of the rac that there's no constituency for the truth-telling that he has.

GEOFF BENNETT: Let's talk about the Biden campaign, because The Washington this past weekend that former President Barack Obama has raised questions abou of President Biden's reelection campaign, and has even discussed this with President Biden himself.

Of course, David own criticisms about the campaign.

And, to be clear, they're not criticizing They're criticizing the effectiveness and the mess In your view, is there a reason for worry?

DAVID BROOKS: Yes, I mean, there are now -- well, the election were held today, in my view, Donald Trump would be elec So that's reason for Democrats to worry.

And in my conversation with Democrats around th 85 million political consultants.

Every Democrat I know has got some words of An d I happen to agree with the Obama people.

And, by the way, the Biden people And I do think Axelrod and Obama are essentially correct that, of course, he had to do a January 6 speech.

Of course, g But he does have to show how I'm going to make your And the core reason Donald Trump is doing OK is a lot of America was better under him than under Biden.

And so they're -- in my view, he has to who said, no, here's what I'm going to do for you.

And he has to have law and order.

Donald Trump is an agent o For a Democrat to be a law and order -- a persuasive law and order candid of global chaos, that would be a good thing.

And then I think he really has to somehow get into the working class.

You can't give away that many votes, especially among the Hispanic working class.

So I think he has to champion business, small business, and show he's for enterpri aspiration.

And these are not of claw back some of that working class.

GEOFF BENNETT: Jonathan, I know yo What do you make of, this Democrat -- the sense among some Democrats that the campaign isn't as nimble or as effective as it needs to be to meet the moment?

JONATHAN CAPEHART: I mean, this -- I file this under the -- it's like a file folder within the Democratic bed-wetting folder that I keep.

But I do -- but, that being said, I do think that Democrats should be running scared.

I do think that it is important that former President Obama is talking to the current president and saying, hey, you need to take this seriously.

But I am also confident that President Biden and th the threat of Donald Trump seriously and taking seriously that their message isn't getting through.

I mean, I ta But as he was talking about the things that the president should be doing or the campaign should be doing, I was thinking back to last fall, when the president was campaign and the administration was doing exactly that.

I think that we have to not look at this campaign as -- from the snapshot of one my God, because they didn't talk about this or they didn't have a message on that this particular week, that they're not going to be talking about it or have been it.

So, I am not give the president, give the campaign the room to let its campaign unfold, and rest assured that they take the threat of Donald Trump, but also the Republican Party seriously, because think about this.

If Donald Trump, through s abroad in the land.

MAGA is still abroad in the And so whether Trump's the nominee or to run against.

GEOFF BENNET I was going to move to another topic, but I will stay on this one.

What is the future of the Republican Party?

I mean, Donald Trump will ce of the Republican Party.

What is left?

DAVID BROOKS It's going to be a working-class party.

And we too often l Every country has a right-wing populist party.

And so it's going to be a party that's going to be suspicious of foreign adventures, unlike the earlier Republican Party.

It's going to be a party suspic It's going to be a party that represents the -- the hope for the Repu going to be a multiracial working-class party.

And they're not far away.

The Hispanic movemen Even some of the Black working class has moved a little, not that much, but a multiracial working-class party is what they are hoping for.

And it's not impossible.

GEOFF BENNET Have a good weekend.

JONATHAN CAPEHART: Thanks, Geoff.

AMNA NAWAZ: Be sure to tune into "Washington Week With The Atlantic" tonight on PBS.

Moderator and editor in chief of "The Atlantic" Jeffrey Goldberg and his panel will discuss the escalating conflict with Yemen's Houthi rebels, the countdown to the Iowa caucuses, and Donald Trump's week in court.

GEOFF BENNETT: And, tomorrow on an d drinking more microplastics than previously thought.

And that is the "NewsHour" for tonight.

I'm Geoff Bennett.

AMNA NAWAZ: On behalf of