AMNA NAWAZ: Good evening.

I'm Amna Naw GEOFF BENNET On the "News a funding deal.

We ask the former head o ANDERS FOGH RASMUSSEN, Former NATO Secretary-General: It's detri interests if Russia wins this war.

AMNA NAWAZ: The United States declares Houthi militants in Yemen a specially designated global terrorist group, part of its broader response to numerous attacks on ships in the Red Sea.

GEOFF BENNET the limits on federal regulations.

(BREAK) GEOFF BENNETT: Welcome to the "NewsHour."

Congressional leaders are returning to the Capitol after spending the afternoon negotiating with President Biden at the White House, at stake, funding for Ukraine, Israel, and additional border security measures.

AMNA NAWAZ: This as Congre shutdown.

Lisa Desjard Lisa, good to see you.

So, this White House m are they making progress?

LISA DESJARD in each chamber, McConnell, Schumer, Jeffries, and Speaker Johnson, but also al l the relevant committees.

So these are the heavy hitters And I want to just remind people of the simple On e, Ukraine, our allies, now been at war for almost two years, and if we fu nding them, they will have serious ammo and weapons issues at some point.

They're saying that is coming sooner, rather than later.

At the same time, our own Southwest border An d many people on Capitol Hill, not just Republicans, are saying we need to do more.

Now, while leaders came out of the meeting generally positive, saying that they all that both of these things have to be done, when you listen to sound from the Senate floor and also from after the meeting today, you can see that the key differences here still remain.

SEN. CHUCK SCHUME in Ukraine, the safety of our friends in Israel, an of Western democracy.

REP. MIKE JOHNSON we must insist that the border be the top priority.

I think we have some consensus around that table.

Everyone understands the urgency of that.

And we're going to continue to press fo LISA DESJARDINS: The problem i want to do with the border is different than what's going on in the Senate.

However, those Senate talks, we have been looking at them day after day bo rder security still continue.

I talked to one of the senators He said they're almost there.

They're getting closer and Bu t he acknowledges Senator Schumer says he thinks that they have a good c perhaps on the Senate floor.

But, by that, he So we're not sure.

AMNA NAWAZ: In shutdown.

Where do thi LISA DESJARD the House and Senate are warm toward this deal that is emerging for th at would kick funding basically into March.

We have to watch and see the voting, but I thin tonight or tomorrow even on these deals.

Now, since things, they're going OK, I want to r We don't always just look at what the problem is in the Capitol.

They are trying to pass 12 different appropriations bills.

So what happened is, the Senate has been passing bipartisan bills, 12 which really was quite an achievement.

The House, however, their th ose bills.

They only ma Now, both chambers had problems getting all of those bills out of the chambe The result is that we have not had any spending bills pass Congress this year.

Now, this has happened for many, many years, but I think we just assume that they can't get it done.

And that's w The Senate was able to pass some bipartisan pa rtisanship overall shut that process down.

AMNA NAWAZ: There's another issue I know you have been tracking about a potential deal on some potential tax cuts, so families.

Where does t LISA DESJARD This would b for lower-income families.

Millions of kids would benefit.

This was a huge povert Maybe 20 million jobs or so could be affected by these tax credits.

Now, there were two prime negotiators on this, the Ways and Means on the House side, Republican, and Ron Wyden of the Finance Committee in the Senate, been working on this for months.

They say they have got t And my sources say that the Maybe it gets to the House floor next week.

Even though there are some who have questions abou it is moving along.

And we're going accomplishment.

AMNA NAWAZ: Lisa Desjardins, LISA DESJARDINS: You're welcome.

GEOFF BENNETT: In the day's other headlines: A new winter storm iced over much of the Pacific Northwest.

Parts of Washington st It closed government offices, grounded flights and cut power.

Snow even extended into Northern Alabama, and bitter cold again gripped the nati midsection.

The move in Ma on hold.

A judge toda that he engaged in insurrection.

That's until the U.S. Supreme Court rules In her ruling, the judge said the pause -- quote -- "will promote greater predictabili the weeks ahead of the primary election on March 5."

A federal judge threatened today threatened today to throw Mr. Trump out of da mages trial in New York.

It came as the writer E. Jean Carroll charge of rape.

During Carroll's t and con job.

When the judge warned he m The trial is meant to determine how much Mr. Trump has to pay Carroll in damages.

In the Republican presidential campaign, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is pulling back from New Hampshire six days before that state's primary.

"NewsHour" has confirmed that he's shifting most of his staff to South pr imary on February 24.

DeSantis finished a distant second in Iowa, Me dicine for Israeli hostages held by Hamas has arrived in Gaza tonight.

It's part of the first deal between the two sides since a weeklong cease-fire in November, and it also calls for more aid to Palestinians.

The medicine arrived in Egypt today and headed for the Ra that much more is needed.

The U.N. secretary-general issued a fre ANTONIO GUTERRES, United Nations Secretary-General: I repeat my call for an immedi cease-fire in Gaza and a process that leads to sustained peace for Israelis and Palestinians, based on a two-state solution.

That is the only way to stem the suffering the entire region up in flames.

GEOFF BENNETT: Meantime, airstrikes and art said they killed more than 30 militants in the city of Khan Yunis in 24 hours.

The Gaza Health Ministry said nearly 24,500 Palestinians have died since the war started.

Britain's King Charles will undergo surgery next week for an enlarged prostate.

The king is 75.

Buckingham Palace said today Th e palace also said that Kate, the princess of Wales, is recovering from ab and that her condition is also noncancerous.

She could be hospitalized for two weeks.

China reports its population declined in 2023 for the seco Its total population fell to 1.4 billion.

Deaths rose sharply to 11.1 million, as China ended its sweeping COVID An d births dropped more than 5 percent to nine million, the seventh straight year of decline.

It all adds workers and consumers and the rising costs of elderly care and retirement benefits.

The Biden administration is calling for a crackdown on overdraft charges at the nation's biggest banks.

The Consumer Financial Cu rrently, the average tops $26.

Major banks say they already cut fees, so there's no need for new re And on Wall Street, stocks slipped again over concerns that strong December retail sales could fuel inflation.

The Dow Jones industrial aver The Nasdaq fell 88 points.

The S&P 500 was down 26.

Still to come on the "NewsHour": why a growing nu close friends; school administrators work to keep students in class amid chronic absenteeism; and a Pacific Northwest artist illuminates life's simple pleasures with just a knife and paper.

Today, the Biden administration relisted Yemen's Houthi rebels as a specially designated global terrorist group.

It's aimed at deterring further attacks by the rebels on shipping in the Red Sea.

Today's announcement is a partial reversal for the administration.

Nick Schifrin talks to the top State Department official overseeing Yemen policy move and the ongoing tension.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Today's designation follows sh ipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden and three rounds of airstrikes in the last week by the U.S. and the U.K. targeting Houthi capabilities.

Despite those U.S. and U.K. airstrikes, just today, apparent Houthi drones and missiles hit at least two commercial ships.

Tim Lenderking is the U.S. special envoy for Th anks very much, Tim Lenderking.

Welcome back TIMOTHY LEND NICK SCHIFRI global terrorist group?

What's the pract TIMOTHY LENDERKING: to get at the problem, which is the Houthi attacks on international sh And it is not American shipping or Israeli shipping.

It is international shipping.

And so having a problem of t in mind that 15 percent of international commerce flows through the Red Sea and 30 percent of container traffic.

So the fact that the H we have really made every effort to show that this is an international problem, and it requires an international response.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Are the The Houthis TIMOTHY LENDERKING: No, I don't think it's symbolic.

I think it will have direct impact.

It will have impact on Houthi finances, on ability of entities to do business w Houthis.

So I think t NICK SCHIFRIN: W administration did, essentially a higher-level designation?

TIMOTHY LENDERKING: We felt that the FTO, or the was not something that was appropriate to the current circumstances.

Maybe we would go to that, but I hope we don't have to.

What the SDGT does, as you mentioned, is prohibit certain types of interac organization, but it also gives us a little bit more flexibility to have carve-outs and licenses so that essential commodities, food, fuel, medicine, humanitarian supplies, can continue to reach the Yemeni people.

There's no desire to hurt the Yemeni p war.

NICK SCHIFRI was it a mistake for the Bid on day one of the administration?

TIMOTHY LENDERKING: No, I don't I think the Biden ad that Yemen would be a priority within the international foreign policy.

And because of, I think, the attention that we have given to the Yemen problem, we have been able to carve out, with the U.N. and with the Yemeni parties, a truce that's lasted almost two years, I mean, a true end to most of the fighting inside Yemen.

It's a very significant development.

We have also been able to co Now these Houthi attacks on international shipping, in fact, jeopardize that truce.

NICK SCHIFRIN: I want to talk about the politics and your efforts to find a durable peace in Yemen, but, first, the humanitarian aspect, right?

Two-thirds of the country needs humanitarian aid.

And despite the administration's effort, w said that any designation, even the one that you're making today, could have a -- quote -- "chilling effect" on commercial shippers and banks that these organizations need to feed the people of Yemen.

So why take any step that TIMOTHY LENDERKING: Again, the goal is not to harm or create obstacles in of the Yemeni people.

But it is to get Those attacks are also creating problems for humanitarians.

They're driving up shipping costs.

They're preventing ships from moving humanitarian assistance.

So it may be an imperfect to the Houthis and any other actor that would decide to carry out its own particular agenda against international shipping that this is not something that the United States or the international community can tolerate.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Over the last of airstrikes on Houthi drones, missiles, air defense capabilities, the very things that the Houthis have used to attack ships in the Red Sea and in the Gulf.

But, as we also just said, the Houthis launched two strikes at least just today, including on a U.S. ship.

So what evid TIMOTHY LENDERKING: Well, the strikes that the U.S. and the U.K., in conjun other partners, have launched have certainly hit their targets.

I think it's the hope of all of us that we're not getting into an open-ended conflict h That is definitely not the intention of the United States.

The United States wants to hit those capabilities that are responsible f shipping.

And I think parameters.

NICK SCHIFRI I mean, how to the point where they cannot continue to do what they have been doing on shipping?

TIMOTHY LEND I think diplomatic activity will continue, ve Houthis, see what combination of pressures, incentives will get us back to an ability where the international community can focus on the peace effort in Yemen and move away from this conflict and the attacks on shipping.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Could the military strikes have an impact on the peace efforts have helped lead, from the United States' perspective, which have had a lot of success Could the military strikes actually imperil that progress?

TIMOTHY LENDERKING: Well, we remain 100 perce I think we all want to get back to that focus, that, whatever else is happening in t that Yemen can see an end to the conflict that has dogged it for eight years.

And it's ironic, but the Yemen internal peace process that I described is at its best point in the eight years of this conflict.

We can actually begin to see There's a road map to do that the parties have agreed on.

So we have to get away from the attacks on shipping and dial that back an a focus on the peace effort in Yemen.

NICK SCHIFRIN: And does that pe have not shown the willingness to bring the peace that you would like to in Yemen?

TIMOTHY LENDERKING: I think the peace effort will have a moderating effect In other words, no party in this road map, as I describe it, gets everything that they want.

And the Hout There are things that they want in this road map.

They have incentive.

They're looking for And I think the road map is one way that they would derive t And I think the international committee has been very strongly committed to this road map and wants to see it through.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Tim Lenderk TIMOTHY LENDERKING: Thank you.

AMNA NAWAZ: As we reported earlier, critical aid to Ukraine is still being held up in ongoing negotiations over funding for border security.

Earlier today, I spoke with former NATO Secretary-Gene as Russia's war in Ukraine enters its third year.

Anders Fogh Rasmussen, thank you so much for being here.

Welcome to the "NewsHour."

ANDERS FOGH AMNA NAWAZ: So I want on immigration that would allow Ukraine aid to move forward.

You have said previously you would advise Democrats to accommodate Republicans on border, cut a deal, get the aid flowing.

I know you're meeting with House Freedom Caucus member What's your advice to them?

ANDERS FOGH wins the war against Russia, because it is detrimental for the U.S. national security interests if Russia wins this war.

We cannot allow Putin any success in Ukraine.

AMNA NAWAZ: There's a very real chance that former President Donald Trump will be the Republican nominee, that he could win in November.

If aid for Ukraine does not move forward under the Biden admi could move forward under President Trump?

ANDERS FOGH RASMUSSEN: Yes, we don' As a point of departure, I'm skeptical.

AMNA NAWAZ: When you look forward, though, into the months here in the U.S., you have said that even if Mr. Trump doesn't win, you said alone could be a geopolitical catastrophe.

Why?

ANDERS FOGH that he probably will be nominated as the Republican presidential candidate, already, that has changed the way international actors, they take decisions.

They try to hedge their bets.

And, in Europe, for instance, there is a great mo re inward-looking, more isolationist, that they will leave Europe behind.

I don't think that would be in the interest of the United States to weaken its alliance across the Atlantic.

On the contrary, AMNA NAWAZ: Can I ask you about what we have seen in the U.S. public, though, which is some decline in support for continuing the same level of U.S. funding for Ukraine, and specifically this idea that European nations should be doing more?

Should Europe be bearing more of the security burden, especially when it comes to Ukraine?

ANDERS FOGH RASMUSSEN: Yes.

And we are doing so.

Latest figures demonstrate that Europe has now overtaken to military assistance and direct financial assistance.

AMNA NAWAZ: That was late last year, right?

ANDERS FOGH RASMUS We are speaking about real money.

When it comes to the m euros, the U.S. 44 billion euros.

I appreciate that the Europeans contribute more.

They should -- we should do so.

But it cannot replace a continued U.S. assista We need both.

We need sophisticated we We need to lift all self-imposed restrictions on weapon deliveries to Ukraine.

So the mantra that we will help Ukraine for as long as it takes, it should be replaced with, we will give to Ukraine all it takes to win the war.

AMNA NAWAZ: There's been a lot of criticism that, had the U.S. and NATO allies done that sooner, the war might have been over by now, Ukraine would be in a different position.

It took 300 days into the war for the U.S., for example, to provide long-r President Zelenskyy had been asking for.

Was that a mistake?

ANDERS FOGH RASMUSSEN: Yes And the reason why the Ukrainian counteroffensive has been so difficult and so modest is that we took much too long time to take necessary decisions.

You cannot win a war by an incremental, step-by-step approach.

You have to overwhelm and surprise your adversary.

We failed to do that.

AMNA NAWAZ: Can I as I mean, there's been the argument that the U.S. and the world cannot equally provide support to two ongoing wars.

And the idea that Putin banked on the West losi to be now coming true.

What's -- what have you seen t ANDERS FOGH RASMUSSEN: Well, we have After the outbreak of the Israeli-Hamas war, we have seen an intensified Russian offensive against Ukraine.

A swarm of d So, no doubt that the war between Israel and Hamas serves the interest of Putin.

And, overall, what you are seeing is an emerging -- what I would call an emerging axis of autocracies, led by China, but joined by Russia, Iran, North Korea.

And this is exactly what is at stake.

We have to counter this axis of autocracies.

And we should never forget that the world's democracies represent more than 60 percent of the global economy, of the global GDP.

So, if we stand together, if we cooperate, then i that will create a lot of respect in Beijing.

AMNA NAWAZ: Former NATO Secretary-General Anders F being here.

It's a pleas ANDERS FOGH RASMUSSEN: You're welc AMNA NAWAZ: The Supreme Court today heard arguments about whether a group of Atlanta -- Atlantic herring fishermen should be required to pay for a costly monitoring system on their boats, or whether that requirement is governmental overreach.

But, as William Brangham reports, the outcome of this case could have be yond the fishing industry.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: At issue It's named after the oil and gas company whose case created this legal precedent.

It says, if there is a dispute over some ambiguous regulation, the deference should go to the government agency whose experts wrote the rule.

That's what those fishermen are arguing against, and they're being supported by in who also want to curtail regulation.

If Chevron is knocked down, it could upend rules governing nearly every sl society, health care, environmental and workplace protections, public education, banking, and more.

To understan the court for today's arguments.

Carrie, thank you so much for bein Sticking with this fishermen's case, can you explain what the arguments were and how Chevron was applied there?

CARRIE JOHNSON, NPR: These plaintiffs are United States.

And a few years ago, the Fisherie them to have professional observers or monitors on their boats, sometimes on an overnight basis, to make sure they were following the rules, and a decree that they should have to pay for the monitors to the tune of about $700 a day, which they say is just too much money.

They say it And so they took this case all the way to the Supreme Court, arguing that the fe agency here had overreached against them.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: I see.

So, in that case, Chevron -- th Yes, it might be onerous on the fishermen, but that's the rule, and the agency gets to determine that.

CARRIE JOHNS In this case, the lo mandate under the law that these fishermen would have to pay.

They firmly resisted that and took this case all the way up to th it ended up today.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: So basically winning every toss-up ball over a fight over regulation.

What is their broader argument about this deference principle?

CARRIE JOHNSON: Ultimately, they say that this is a matter of the executive branch of the government, unelected federal bureaucrats, taking power that should belong to the United States Congress and, to some extent, to federal judges, who all along have interpreted the law and who can interpret these laws and these regulations just fine on their own without any input from federal agencies.

And they say that, for many years now, almost 40 in 1984, it's really upended the balance of power between the branches, and it's put a lot of onus on small businesses like these fishermen and others to defend themselves against federal agencies, when they have a hard time winning there.

This case was supported not just by these small fishing industries, but a number of very large conservative legal foundations, groups like the Gun Owners of America, a trade group for e-cigarette manufacturers and others, just showing how sweeping this case could be if the Supreme Court ultimately decides to overrule that precedent from all those years ago.

WILLIAM BRAN Chevron, many environmental groups, consumer protection groups, and others like that, argue that this would, in essence, sow chaos.

What is their argument?

Why do they CARRIE JOHNSON: They basically argue that th e herring fishermen, who are the plaintiffs here, and that it's they want to or cripple the bureaucracy, so that federal agencies cannot make rules on major problems in American life, things from air pollution and maybe eventually even artificial intelligence, as Justice Elena Kagan raised today, to health care.

And they say, if you return these decisions to the hands of unelected fe there's something like 800 of them around the country, it risks people's Medicare and Medicaid programs, very complex programs that mean a lot to people's lives, being decided one way in one state and one way -- in another way in another state.

And that could really sow chaos for people's lives just in their personal pocketbooks, as well as for environmental regulations and workplace protections.

You just can't have a system where the regs mean something in one state and mean somet else halfway around the country.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: I know that, in his con great deal of skepticism, and I know some other conservative justices similarly have shown some antipathy to regulation.

From your reading of the arguments today, what is your sense?

Do you think the majority, the conservative majority, is going to strike CARRIE JOHNSON: We did hear deep skepticism from justice Neil Gorsuch today.

He raised a lot of very, very tough questions for the solicitor general.

And Justice Brett Kavanaugh was also pretty skeptical, Justice Sam Alito along the same lines.

And Clarence But those, William, are four votes, and I rid of this precedent altogether.

In fact, one of the Trump ri d of this precedent might mean inviting floodgates of litigation from thousands of litigants who have had their cases decided based on this principle over many years, and that really swamping the courts and potentially the Justice Department too.

So it's not clear to me there are five votes to overturn this precedent altogether.

It may be that the court compromises and chips away further at the precedent, though.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: All right, Carrie Johnson of NPR, thank you, as always.

CARRIE JOHNSON: My pleasure.

GEOFF BENNETT: American men are stuck in what's been dubbed a friendship recession, with 20 percent of single men now saying they don't have any close friends, and more than half of all men report feeling unsatisfied with the size of their friend groups.

I recently traveled to Phoenix to take a closer look at the implications of male loneliness and how some men are confronting it.

QUINCY WINSTON, Professional Bl another meet-up.

GEOFF BENNET talk about their goals for the new year.

MAN: I am training for a half-mar QUINCY WINSTON: Oh, good.

MAN: My first on MAN: Spend more time with family I have my godparents.

My grandfather, he will be 91 this year.

QUINCY WINSTON: Make moments like this, where I can sit and talk and look for an d even offer it.

GEOFF BENNETT: This friend After leaving the military in 2015, Winston moved to Arizona with his wife, LaToya, and started working as an I.T.

specialist.

But for year Were you feeling lonely and disconnected?

QUINCY WINSTON: Definitely, especially when I didn't have any.

And that lack of connection put it .

GEOFF BENNET and decided to invite other men to a local restaurant.

QUINCY WINSTON: I think we went to a restaurant wo uld show up or if anybody would show up.

GEOFF BENNETT: Sounds nerve-racking.

QUINCY WINST It was awkward.

But once the guys came in and hearing some of the for, I found out we had a lot more coming in I thought.

GEOFF BENNETT: Seven men showed up for that first event.

MAN: Are you guys warm?

GEOFF BENNETT: Whi You encouraged him to form this group.

LATOYA WINSTON, Wife of Quincy Wins I wanted him to ha the time, which was great, but I still felt like he needed to have guy time and guy friends.

QUINCY WINSTON: Yes, she made it very evident that I need to go make some friends.

GEOFF BENNETT: Go disappear for a little bit.

(LAUGHTER) QUINCY WINST Now you have Come back, but go.

Yes, the chicken nee I'm just grabbing the hot dogs right now.

GEOFF BENNETT: The men s barbecue.

Winston's Meetup group now has It speaks to the need for connection that your group is that big.

I mean, is that how you see it?

QUINCY WINSTON: Yes, it does.

And with all the technology that w instantly with anyone anywhere, but, if you notice, we don't talk as much.

We text more.

A lot gets lost in translation, because ROBERT MONTGOMERY, Professional Black Men's Friends Group: I'm the newest member of the group, but I'm also one of the oldest members GE OFF BENNETT: Connection is what 61-year-old Wh at motivated you to join this group?

ROBERT MONTGOMERY: My whole thing wa I got tired of being basically isolated at home all the time.

And I spent my birthday at home by myself.

And I got -- and I didn't -- I didn't like that.

I was like, OK, no, I can't do (LAUGHTER) GEOFF BENNET Only 21 percent of men in the U.S. That's compared to 41 percent of women.

RICHARD REEVES, Author, "Of Boys and Men": you.

GEOFF BENNET Struggling, Why It Matters, and What to Do about It."

What is driving male loneliness?

Why do men have such a hard time forming friendships life?

RICHARD REEV You have to work at it.

You have to find And my observation is that many wome into their lives.

So, it's like a GEOFF BENNETT: Ree of male friendships.

RICHARD REEVES: Bu And that's up from 3 percent in 1990.

So we have a really difficult challenge now of helping men t ways to be with other men and to sustain those male friendships.

GEOFF BENNETT: Last year, the U.S. surgeon general issued an advisory outlining the devast health effects of loneliness and isolation, including increased risks for heart disease, strokes and dementia.

And while men make up slightly less for nearly 80 percent of all suicides.

RICHARD REEVES: I think these statistics on young male i rates is part and parcel of this displacement that we see of time away from friendship.

GEOFF BENNETT: What should we be doing to reverse these trends?

RICHARD REEVES: We do need to be intentional about male f We need to be intentional about combating against male loneliness, and that we to create spaces that are not going to create themselves.

GEOFF BENNETT: That's at the heart of Men's Sheds, a nonprofit that began in Australia in the 1990s and now has 27 locations across the country, the goal here, to reach older men, who now have the highest rate of suicides in the U.S. PHIL JOHNSON, U.S. Men's Sheds Association: I had no idea other me they retire from work, they lose their work friends, and then most men struggle to get a circle of new friends.

GEOFF BENNETT: Seventy-four-yea around Minneapolis.

A couple of times a month, and to simply sit around and chat.

PHIL JOHNSON: Men feel more op they may have.

So the research shows over and over again that men do best when they're doing so and they can do it together.

GEOFF BENNETT: It's a chance for men to s PHIL JOHNSON: We tackle some tough problems, like suicide, which is higher in retired men.

We have had three men that I know of that have lost their spouses, and there's always going to be somebody else in the group who can say, hey, here's how I did it, here's some ideas, here's something you should try to do.

QUINCY WINSTON: And know you're not alone.

MAN: Yes.

QUINCY WINST You have a p You have a tribe.

You have a f GEOFF BENNETT: Back in Arizona, I was invited group, an outing organized by 29-year-old Nick Crum, who says joining the group has exceeded his expectations.

NICK CRUM, Profess And we have been able to meet so many quality peop be vulnerable, talk about things that we like to talk about, talk about our life, build that genuine connection with one another.

GEOFF BENNETT: That's exactly what Winston QU INCY WINSTON: We need each other, and we need to support, uplift, encourage and motivate other men to seek friendship.

GEOFF BENNETT: Quincy Winston now wants to expand his fri area, so meet-ups like this one can become more common for men across the country.

QUINCY WINSTON: Figure out what we can do to bring people together.

GEOFF BENNETT: For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Geof Chronic absenteeism is a problem for school districts and students across the country.

While some states have seen modest gains, the situation has grown significantly worse since the pandemic.

Nearly 30 percent of students Th at's according to the most recent federal data.

And it's defined as missing at least 10 percent of sch It can have major consequences for student achievement and much more, and many dis are struggling with it, including Missouri.

Our communities correspondent, Gabrielle Hays, join Gabby, it's good to see you.

So give us a based on your reporting.

GABRIELLE HA Well, I think it's impor national data.

It's not muc So, the most recent numbers that we have seen from our state repor a quarter of our students across state of Missouri being absent.

Now, if we're comparing this year to last year, as you have noted, what we're seeing nationwide, we have seen very, very modest gains.

But, again, the place of concern for our school administrators and our experts is numbers have not returned to what they were pre-pandemic.

And that is something that is especially of concern, not just in Missouri, but nationwide, so much so that we have seen the White House come out on this, not just last year, but even today, emphasizing the issue of chronic absenteeism across the states and across the country.

GEOFF BENNET GABRIELLE HAYS: Yes.

Well, today, across the country, and they note just how big this issue is of chronic absenteeism and what it means for students across the country.

They really honed in on the fact that, how can our nation's students learn no t in the classroom, and emphasize the need for some side of -- some sort of road map to help states navigate some accountability when it comes to that.

But we heard especially from domestic policy adviser Neera Tanden on this.

NEERA TANDEN, White House Domestic Policy Adviser: Absenteeism can account for up to 27 percent of the test score declines in math we have seen and 45 declines in reading respectively.

We know that from the Council of Economic Advisers and The truth is, we simply cannot accept chronic absenteeism as the new normal.

GABRIELLE HAYS: Now, I want to emphasize something that I heard not just from school administrators, not just from the state, and not just from the White House, but from researchers that have emphasized this as well, are these long, far-reaching impacts of chronic absenteeism and what that can mean to students.

And they have linked this not th e ability of a person to earn a living long term.

GEOFF BENNETT: So, what are the barriers keeping students out of the classroom then?

GABRIELLE HAYS: That's a really good question.

I think one thing that I -- that's i out to me and experts is that we're talking about barriers that young people faced even before the pandemic that the pandemic maybe made even worse, right?

Attendance Works, which is a national organization that works at this issue, caused them root causes.

So we're tal to not having access to stable housing.

So, if you add a global pandemic to all of these root cause scenario for a lot of our young people who are not showing up to school.

Hedy Chang, the executive director of Attendance Works, spoke to me about this and of the importance of understanding what these barriers are.

HEDY CHANG, Executive Director, Attendance at tendance is that people's reaction to when kids miss school, of we think it's because a kid and family doesn't care.

This is not about whether you care or not.

This is about whether you face barriers o GABRIELLE HAYS: This is a big thing that Chang stressed to me, that, in order a look at this issue, it has to go beyond the numbers.

The numbers are a good start, but it has to go beyond th why young people aren't at school.

GEOFF BENNETT: So, how are An d what do experts say needs GA BRIELLE HAYS: Yes, well, I think, on one really just trying to communicate and learn as best they can why students aren't showing up, so they can help them.

But Chang really empha There needs to be more investigation into what this looks like and why it looks li it, so that, once we have all of the numbers to know how far this goes, that we can work together to solve it and really attack this as a case-by-case basis, because every student is different and every story is different.

GEOFF BENNETT: Our commu AMNA NAWAZ: Paper cutting is an art form that is believed to date back to the invention of paper itself in China around 2,000 years ago.

Since then, many cultures around the world have developed their own unique styles.

Special correspondent Cat Wise recently visited an artist whose paper cutting is inspired by the natural beauty and the people of the Pacific Northwest.

It's part of our arts and culture series, Canvas.

CAT WISE: Every morning, artist and author Nikki McClure takes a long walk in surrounding her home in Olympia, Washington.

She feeds the birds and wildlife that dwell here, and spends som steps from her front door.

Inspiration for her art is everywhere.

NIKKI MCCLURE, Author and Artist: By the t will have shown itself to me.

And then I sit down and work.

CAT WISE: McClure begins wit to work her magic with her knife.

Cut by tiny cut for nearly 30 years, McClure has revealed the world she sees and the creatures in it.

NIKKI MCCLUR It's all connected, because we all are connected.

CAT WISE: McClure is the author and illustrator of 15 book more, including The New York Times' bestseller "All in a Day" with author Cynthia Rylant.

She also sells her original paper cut art, prints, and a yearly calendar.

McClure's deep connection to nature and her surroundings can be traced to her early years in Olympia, when she studied natural history at the Evergreen State College.

NIKKI MCCLURE: I just kept drawing and drawing and drawing and drawing every stick, every leaf, every insect, every bird.

It focused and trained my eye to see details, CA T WISE: After graduating in 1991, she began working at the Washington Department of Ecology and was immersed in Olympia's vibrant music and art scene.

NIKKI MCCLURE: We all lived downtown, and these apartment buildings kind it was so spontaneous and alive.

And the way that you communicated was through song or throug CAT WISE: For a time, McClure also wrote and performed music and lived next to one of the most famous musicians to come out of Olympia during that era, Kurt Cobain of the band Nirvana.

NIKKI MCCLURE: So, I moved into this house, and Kurt lived behind, and I shared the wall, and I could hear him play his songs through the wall.

Seeing them play, there was this strong connection in this house.

CAT WISE: After deciding to become a full-time artist, McClure began experimenting with paper cutting.

She self-pub NIKKI MCCLURE: I found that making art was a more calming way to communicate.

I am singing my songs still, but there is a child in a lap, in a home, and it's ultimately like, that's where I want to sing my songs.

They call these X-Acto, knives, but they're not really exact.

They have this a mind of their own sometimes.

CAT WISE: On a recent morning, I joined McClure at her desk as she worked on a piece that might end up in a future calendar.

NIKKI MCCLURE: This was this one mornin of me.

The way that They were no longer solid, even though I knew they were solid.

CAT WISE: How do you know where to cut to make the image r NIKKI MCCLURE: I don't.

You just have to tru What I really like about this process is that there are so CAT WISE: Really?

NIKKI MCCLUR I don't quite work out.

But you just keep go And, really, it's just a CAT WISE: But, oh, what she can do with a Ma ny of her works are focused on her experiences as a mother and raising her son, Finn, with her husband, Jay T. Scott, a woodworker in Olympia.

NIKKI MCCLURE: It is such a remarkable gift to participate in this lif and formed and grew and started asking questions like, "Mama, is it summer yet?

Mama, is it summer yet?

Not yet little one, but the buds are swelling.

Soon, new leaves will unfold.

Mama, is it summer yet?

Not yet, little one, but the squirrel is building her nest.

Soon, her babies will be born."

CAT WISE: In "What Will These re leased in 2020, McClure highlights a family and their community as t celebration.

NIKKI MCCLUR And it basically tells a story of this family, and here they are right here.

They are going from grandma's house -- there's grandma baking -- all the way across town to this cake, because there's going to be a big party at grandma's house later.

CAT WISE: The community, filled with people who make things with their hands... NIKKI MCCLURE: Here's my friend Mariela's (ph) pottery studio.

CAT WISE: .. is fictional, but many of the characters our mutual hometown, Olympia.

NIKKI MCCLURE: Sometimes, I wo bookstores here.

CAT WISE: The real Browser her calendars to each year.

NIKKI MCCLURE: Hey, Andrea.

I brought you more calendars.

Andrea Griffith is the store's owner.

ANDREA GRIFFITH, Owner, Brow It's so tied to the natural world and she's -- I think she teaches us how to see things here.

CAT WISE: Li life experiences she reveals through her art.

ANDREA GRIFFITH: Last month's calendar was an image of her away because her son was going to college.

He's leaving, so I think we're all a NIKKI MCCLURE: I guess what I want people to come away with or to feel when they look at my work is a sense of place and to calm down and slow down and to just take a moment.

Our lives are so fast.

Everything's just, you know, now, now, now, now, now that we forget even season it is.

The picture can transport them to a quiet CAT WISE: McClure has been working on illustrations for a new book, which will be released in March.

For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Cat Wise in Olympia, Washingt GEOFF BENNETT: Remember, there's more online, including a look at a new ban on transition-related health care in Louisiana and the response from trans kids and their families.

That's at PBS.org/NewsHour.

AMNA NAWAZ: An administration is considering banning menthol cigarettes.

And that is the "NewsHour" for tonight.

I'm Amna Nawaz.

GEOFF BENNET Thanks for j