GEOFF BENNETT: Good evening.

I'm Geoff Bennett.

Amna Nawaz i On the "News How the president is erasing debt for millions of borrowers after a Supreme Court ruling struck down his earlier plan.

Ahead of the New Hampshire primaries, Jud about why he's trying to stop Donald Trump from becoming the Republican nominee.

And a family's struggle.

An American who was helping Afgh Taliban.

The growing calls ANNA CORBETT, Wife of Ryan bring him back home.

I'm going to do ev (BREAK) GEOFF BENNETT: Welcome to the "NewsHour."

Both the East and West coasts have been hit hard by new storms today.

They're part of an increasingly deadly winter that's claimed at least 50 lives in two weeks.

This latest round walloped a huge swathe of states today, bringing bitter cold temperatures, treacherous ice and more snow.

In New Jersey, mist from waterfalls turned a park blanketed in a thick coat of ice.

In the West, Oregon declared an emergency with power out A rift emerged today in Israel's war cabinet over calls for a cease-fire with Hamas.

Former Army Chief Gadi Eisenkot told an Israeli TV program that -- quote -- "The hostages will only return alive if there is a deal linked to a significant pause in fighting."

But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to keep fighting.

He also rejects talk of Palestinian statehood, as President Biden wants.

Aides say they spoke by phone today.

JOHN KIRBY, NSC Coordinator For Stra president's view that the best long-ter of the Israeli people, is a free and independent Palestinian state that can live in peace and security with -- and this is an important caveat -- with Israel's security also guaranteed.

GEOFF BENNETT: Later President Biden said there are a number of two-state solutions and that Netanyahu is not opposed to all of them.

He offered no other details.

U.S. Navy planes have hit more Th at came hours after the Iran-backed rebels fired at an American-owned tanker in the Red Sea.

The vessel w Later, pro-H They blasted the U.S. for redesignating the Houthis as a terrorist group.

SULTAN AL-SADH, Pro-Houthi Protester (through translator): The most eloquent message we are sending today with these millions of people is that the entire Yemeni population is supporting Palestine, not just the Houthis.

The U.S. listing of the Houthis as a terrori the Red Sea.

GEOFF BENNET will continue until they stop firing at ships.

A Ukrainian drone attack on Western Russia ignited a huge fire depot.

The site was with Ukraine.

Reservoirs holding more The Russians said there were no reports of casualties.

North Korea says it has tested an underwater drone that can car The North's state media reports the weapon can carry out attacks on ships and ports.

The announcement comes as Kim Jong-un has stepped up weapons testing and threats of nuclear conflict.

Japan today became the f were short-lived.

Mission controllers were in this animation.

But the solar panels failed to HI TOSHI KUNINAKA, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (through translator): It takes 30 days for the solar angle to change on the moon.

So, when the light shines from a different dire cell from a direction other than what we have in the current situation.

GEOFF BENNETT: Controllers still hope to confirm the lander made a pinpoint touchdown.

That would be a first for lunar flights.

Here at home, thousands of anti-abortio for Life.

They stood in sn Abortion policy figures to be a major issue in this year's elections.

The U.S. Supreme Court overturned federal protection for abortion in 2022.

A grand jury in New Mexico reindicted actor Alec Baldwin today for involuntary manslaughter.

It stems from a fatal movie set shooting in 2021.

Baldwin has said the gun went off accidentally.

Special prosecutors dismissed an earlier charge, saying the They brought this new case after analyzing the weapon again.

In economic news, major new layoffs are in the works.

The online furniture seller Wayfair announced today it's cutting mor That's 13 percent of its global work force.

And Macy's is eliminating 2,300 positions.

That's 3.5 percent of its work force.

And on Wall Street, a rally in tech stocks pushed the broader m The Dow Jones industrial average gained 395 points to close at 37863.

The Nasdaq rose 255 points.

The S&P 500 added 59 points, nearly 59 points, to finish at a new high.

Still to come on the "NewsHour": clashes between The Baltimore Sun's new owner and its staff spark concerns about the wider industry; David Brooks and Jonathan Capehart break down the latest political headlines; and swimming from Cuba to Florida, Academy Award nominee Annette Bening on her new role as famed swimmer Diana Nyad.

President Biden today announced another $5 billion in student loan forgiveness for 74,000 borrowers.

It's the latest ba larger forgiveness plan last year.

John Yang has our update on the president's efforts.

JOHN YANG: Geoff, today's move will provide relief to nurses service employees who have been working for at least 10 years.

It also includes forgiveness for some borrowers who have been ma years, but never got the relief they were entitled to under existing programs.

And earlier this week, the administration said it will move up the start date of a new student loan repayment program from July to February.

So far, the Biden administration says it's erased more than $130 billion in loans for 3.7 million borrowers.

Danielle Douglas-Gabriel covers the economics Da nielle, two announcements today, one a program for public service workers, another for people who have been repaying their student loans for 20 years, but haven't gotten the benefits that they were entitled to.

How does that work?

DANIELLE DOU So, since th These are programs that allow you to pay based on your -- a portion of your discretionary earnings.

This is supp to manage their loans.

Now, the promise as a part o can get forgiveness for whatever your balance is on these loans.

Unfortunately, the Education Department for many years weren't keeping count of how many people actually were making payments on those loans during that time.

So there were hundreds of thousands of people for whom they'd been in payment fo many more years than that and never received this benefit.

So, the Biden administration came in and said, we're going to play They extended these initiatives that made it a lot easier for people who had been paying for decades to have their loan forgiveness.

And the news of this today is what we're s JOHN YANG: And also the program that they're moving up the start date from July what does it do and how significant is it?

DANIELLE DOUGLAS-GABRIEL: This is all roo known as SAVE.

And one of the cool features of or iginally and had been making payments for 10 years, whatever your remaining balance is would be forgiven.

So the Department of Educati in July, but they were able to move it up to February.

They are not certain exactly how many people will benefit from this, but do keep in mind, there are a lot of people who borrowed less than $10,000 who owe far more than that because of the way interest accumulated on their loans.

And a lot of those people tend to be at the center of where we see the most loan repayments, meaning the people who default the most, people who are delinquent on their loans, oftentimes because they started college, never finished and got the credential needed to get the kind of work to make it easy to repay the debt.

JOHN YANG: Talk about the pain of student loans.

This is an election year.

Polls show that vo Student loan forgiveness is a big issue.

And they also feel that Biden isn' Is this piecemeal approach that the president's taking now that th his bigger program, is this enough for borrowers?

Are they satisfied with this?

DANIELLE DOUGLAS-GABRIEL I mean, relative to any other administration in recent history, t forgiven the most amount of student debt.

But because of the failed promise of this widespread debt relief that wo 40 million people, a lot of borrowers still aren't fully satisfied.

Certainly, the ones who are benefiting from these incremental approaches, they're pretty happy right now, because they don't have to make payments on their loans.

But for the vast majority, they're still trying to push for somethin I mean, to be fair, the Biden administration is still fighting for more expansive loan forgiveness through this negotiated rulemaking process that's still under way.

But it's not what folks were hoping for.

And it's certainly not what he -- I think many people thought he could have JOHN YANG: We go from loan repayment to getting the student loans.

The Biden administration also rolled out the new Free Application for Federal Studen also known as FAFSA.

They did that at the beginni How's it going?

DANIELLE DOU I think we have more than a mill A lot of the technical troubles that people experienced on January 1, December 31 have largely dissipated, from what I'm hearing from folks on the ground.

But there are still some technical issues that some applicants are facing pa rents try to get a FAFSA I.D., especially if they don't have Social Security numbers.

This was a feature that was supposed to make it easier for a wider swathe of folks, but it hasn't fully worked out, from what I'm hearing.

I think the challenge is, filling out the form is one step.

There are other steps along the way, and all of those delays, it kind of has a domino effect.

And so a lot of folks in financial aid are waiting to see how this plays out.

JOHN YANG: And financial aid has to decide what they can offer students, and have to figure out where they can afford to go.

But this is getting pushed back?

DANIELLE DOUGLAS-GABRIEL: Yes, ca n submit their application now, the department may not be able to actually provide colleges that information and that data until the end of this month, if not potentially later.

And that creates a much shorter timeline for financial aid officers at schools to be able to provide award packages.

It also creates the complication of mi deadlines that require the FAFSA in order to apply for that money.

So everyone is really nervous about, how will students and families be able to get this information to make an educated decision about where to go, where they can afford to go, if we have this shorter timeline?

JOHN YANG: Danielle Douglas-Ga DANIELLE DOUGLAS-GABRIEL: Thank you.

GEOFF BENNETT: This week has brought fresh questions about the futures of some of the country's most storied newspapers.

The Baltimore Sun has a new owner, but his about what the 187-year-old newspaper could become.

And staffers at The Los Angeles Times walked off the job today to protest planned layoff That's after its top editor stepped down following reported tensions with the paper's billionaire owner.

Ann Marie Li She's now the curator of the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harv Thanks so much for being with us.

ANN MARIE LIPINS GEOFF BENNETT: So, the new raised eyebrows at his initial staff meeting, where he reportedly insulted the journalism that's being produced by the paper and told the staffers to focus on profit.

Is this type of ownership model a sustainable one for newspapers moving forward, where the super wealthy swoop in and buy them up?

ANN MARIE LIPINSKI: No.

Billionaire owners do not equal a business strategy.

There have been a number of them in the last decade or so, some of whom have had very good intentions, and, in some cases, there has been some success.

But this idea that your success in one realm will translate to a success in another, in this case, newspaper publishing, is not axiomatic.

And I think, from all accounts, it was a rough start between Mr. Smith and the newsroom.

He talked about not having read the paper hardly at all and had a lot of criticisms, not just of the paper, but of the community.

And I think that's a rocky place to start.

And there wasn't a lot of detail about what else, except, let's ma that the newsroom could really sink their teeth into.

I think it's -- the mission is not clear.

GEOFF BENNETT: And David Smith is also executive dr awn criticism for injecting conservative and right-wing commentary into its local news broadcasts that owns over 200 local TV stations.

What concerns do you have about how that might impact The Sun's journalism moving forward?

ANN MARIE LIPINSKI: I think we have examples historically where newspaper owners had political agendas.

I think the question is, where Do they play out on the editorial page, where po litical campaigns, as it were, played out by owners and publishers?

And I think that's a -- that's something we're accustomed to.

Where it gets really dangerous and interferes with the reporting obligations of is when you see that agenda creep in to the news.

And we have certainly seen that.

You know, we have seen national al l of the markets or many of the markets were required to read these identical statements about fake news, which effectively sounded like an attack on the press that very much mimicked the one that President Trump was voicing at the time.

So I think that's -- there are differences.

You can play out a political agenda or have an age the editorial page.

Columnists do that.

Where it really becomes a proble out in the news columns.

GEOFF BENNETT: Let's talk It's the first work stoppage in that paper's 143-year history.

What's the impact on the landscape of news in Los Angeles and the surrounding region?

ANN MARIE LIPINSKI: The walkout is an interesting strategy.

But I guess my question is, who's paying attention to that?

Those of us in the media are paying attention to it.

I hope that there is a sustained conversation with the community, though.

We have mounting data that show us that when newspapers are diminished or closed in communities, there's an increase in corruption, for instance, violations like pollution violations, EEOC violations.

I wish that we could p have shrinking resources, because that's the real cost.

Yes, there are jobs -- there are journalists who pay a price and lose their jobs true in a lot of companies and a lot of industries.

The outsized impact here really is on what happens in communities, and we need the support of communities to support these institutions.

GEOFF BENNETT: Ann Marie, as much as it pains me t in so many ways a story of decline.

"Sports Illustrated," which was once consi they're going to lay off most of their staff.

You work in this space.

Is there anyth What's the story of reinvention Is it the nonprofit model that Evan Smith is championing with The ANN MARIE LIPINSKI: The Texas Tribune is a good example.

It's had some financial challenges, but they have done in We have seen in the past handful of months this initiative called Press Forward, which is $500 million being committed across, I think, 22 donors, foundations, and individuals to support a local news initiative in markets across the country.

We have a lot of people living in news deserts now in this country, and this is an effort to try to return local news to a lot of those communities, strengthen it in places where there are maybe fledgling efforts.

Baltimore is another good example of that.

The Baltimore Banner, if The Baltimore Sun is disap this new effort, which is a start-up which is being run in part by a lot of alumni from The Baltimore Sun.

Look, in my perfect wo be experimenting with some others, and a lot of those are not-for-profit models.

GEOFF BENNETT: Ann Marie Lipinski is the curator of the Nieman Foundation for Journalism a Harvard.

A real pleas Thank you fo ANN MARIE LIPINSKI: Thank you, Geoff.

GEOFF BENNETT: With election year 2024 now fully under way, the effort to understand what is dividing Americans politically has become even more urgent.

For her America at a Crossroads series, Judy Woodruff turned to New Hampshire to look at how a popular Republican governor is going all out to persuade voters there to stop the renomination of former President Donald Trump.

JUDY WOODRUFF: The big winner in Iowa's GOP caucuses this week drew even fr om his supporters, there and across the country.

But among those Republicans who don't want the former president back in the White House, it brought dread.

GOV.

CHRIS SUNUNU in... JUDY WOODRUF GOV.

CHRIS SUNUNU going to win every state is Trump.

So, if he doesn't win one of thes and really crack the national narrative, if you will, that it's just Trump's party and he's just going to win.

If she's Tom I guess I'm the new guy on the scene.

I'm directing it a little bit, and we're going JUDY WOODRUFF: New Hampshire's four-term Repu an effort to persuade his constituents that the path to heal the country's polarization and get back to normalcy begins with defeating Trump and handing a win to former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley.

GOV.

CHRIS SUNUNU JUDY WOODRUF this week to listen to voters and follow Governor Sununu around.

But thanks to a fall I took last week, I can't travel for a while, so I ended up speaking with the governor remotely.

GOV.

CHRIS SUNUNU It's not who agrees with you on policy.

We all agree on a lot of the policy.

But who can actually achieve the goals?

Who can actually secure the bo Who can bring down inflation?

Who can be fiscally re Trump didn't do any of that.

Nikki can do it, right?

And so that's why It's kind of like the emperor has no clothes.

Once people realize it, they go, oh, wait a minute, we h He flies in, tells everyone what he thinks, and flies out.

That ain't campaigning.

That's a los JUDY WOODRUFF: And Gover she can help reduce its partisanship.

America is as divided as we have seen it in a very long time.

Do you think this election will make that worse or will have a How do you see that?

GOV.

CHRIS SUNUNU And if we el If you go with the on a firework.

It's just goin We have a packed house out here in Hollis.

JUDY WOODRUFF: That's a feeling voters LORRAINE ARBORE, New Hampshire Voter: I mean, he's campaigning and back in court and campaignin But, I mean, what does that say about our leadership, our morals, our integrity, our just... JIM TOLLNER, the way back to Obama, you know?

And I think Trump put a huge divide in the coun -- the lack of respect that he has for people.

That's the divide.

MARK CROTEAU their house and so -- and publicly declare that they support Trump.

People seem to be af And I think we all know why.

JUDY WOODRUFF: How much ge and in your state for former President Trump?

GOV.

CHRIS SUNUNU It's that 35 percent that we Th at is strong.

That's there And they wil they feel like he shares their anger.

And that's all it is.

There's no p It's anger.

It's frustra Most of the They say, well, he's going to be the guy, so we will just We will get behind him because we don't want to get pushed back on soci to explain all this stuff.

For some folks, it's just become the easier NI KKI HALEY (R), Presidential Candidate: on fire and go through four more years of chaos.

We won't survive it.

JUDY WOODRUF move on from Trump.

NIKKI HALEY: But, rightly or You know I'm right.

Chaos follows him.

GOV.

CHRIS SUNUNU JUDY WOODRUF for the first time that night.

MICHAEL ELDRIDGE, New Hampshire I have always been a Trump And what she's talking about, about the chaos thing, I feel like it much on his part, because I don't believe it's 100 percent him.

JUDY WOODRUFF: When you talk about the things that he didn't get done as bein main reasons you don't support him, when she's asked that question, she talks about the chaos and the destruction that follow him.

But my question is, to what extent is he respo GOV.

CHRIS SUNUNU right?

I mean, let A lot of folks think the chaos and all that is about January 6 and e That's just a piece of it.

And those is Most Republican primary voters don't consider the January 6 or the election deni of what they think about it, they're not voting on that.

But there is chaos and disruption around him.

But that's the way he's been kind of his whole Now, it got exacerbated as he hit the national stage.

It got exacerbated as he got more frustrated with wha D.C., the outburst, the attacks on the media, the attacks on anybody who was against him, as opposed to saying, hey, we can disagree, but let's find a path forward.

Let's find those pieces we agree on.

He didn't have those skills.

He lacks skills of getting Yo u have to work with folks.

You have to find some sort of JU DY WOODRUFF: So, Governor, I hear he said he was going to do when he was in office.

You have talked about how divisive he is.

You have talked about -- you said a minute ago he's But you have also said you would support him if he's the nominee of the party.

GOV.

CHRIS SUNUNU Yes, I mean, Look, I'm -- what Biden has done, the way he has let down both this country and Democr -- I have Democrats coming up to me constantly that are completely let down by Joe Biden.

And just understanding that where Biden is today, with his age, right, that's not a political hit, just physically, does he have four more strong years in him?

Well, of course not.

Nobody belie There's a lot of moving forward.

I don't thin we're going to support the Republican, because, fundamentally, I'm hoping he surrounds himself with other good Republicans that share a little more of my ability and our necessity to g stuff done.

I have no fa JUDY WOODRUFF: And just to be clear, your statement about President Trump, if he's the nominee, even if he is convicted of a felony between now and then, you... (CROSSTALK) GOV.

CHRIS SUNUNU He's very likely not to Things will be appealed.

This stuff w My point in saying that, to stop Donald Trump.

Don't wait for some That's not going to happen.

You beat him in the ball That's how you -- quote -- "get rid he's not a conservative.

For whatever Party anymore, it happens in the ballot boxes.

The biggest threat to democracy isn't just Do It's people staying home, not participating, believing that their vote doesn't matter, or they don't have a choice or anything like that, that everything's being run behind the curtain.

That's not the case.

Your vote matters.

Your opportunity to pa And the more folks that come out, the more An d that's what everyone's looking for.

So let's make it happen.

JUDY WOODRUFF: of the primary on Tuesday.

For the "PBS NewsHour," and with reporting from acr Judy Woodruff in Washington.

GEOFF BENNETT: With just days left before the New Hampshire primary, Donald Trump notches an endorsement from a former rival.

On that and more, we turn to the analysis of That's New York Times columnist David Brooks, and Jonathan Capehart, associate editor The Washington Post.

Good to see JONATHAN CAP GEOFF BENNET in New Hampshire tonight, huge blow to Nikki Haley, obviously, moving forward, esp lest we forget that it was Nikki Haley who as governor back in 2013 appointed Tim Scott to serve in the U.S. Senate.

Jonathan, what do you JONATHAN CAPEHART: Well, it just means that Do towards the nomination.

And also this fits a pattern that get on board the Trump train as quickly as they can.

And so I wouldn't be surprised, if Governor DeSantis drops out of the race, he decides to endorse Donald Trump.

Nikki Haley drops out of the race, Donald Trump.

We just heard Governor Sun the Republican nominee, which is mystifying to me, given the things that he said after that answer.

You think Donald Trump is going do ne?

Has he not p he's been doing and who he's surrounded himself with So, if Tim Scott wants to -- if Senator Scott wants to jump on that bandwagon and maybe wants to be vice president, maybe wants to be a Cabinet official, good for him.

But history will deal with him.

GEOFF BENNETT: And, David, I'm told by sources familiar that Tim Scott's endorsement, as did Nikki Haley, not directly, but through mutual friends.

If she performs well in New Hampshire, she then moves to South Carolina, where Donald Trump is already up 20-plus points.

What does it mean that Tim Scott is throwing DA VID BROOKS: Well, first, there was a moment in 2016 when Tim Scott and Nikki Haley did a rally with Marco Rubio to endorse him.

And so you had a Black guy, an Indian-American woman, the son of Cuban That was one direction for the Republican Party.

The Republican Party obviously went in a very And now Tim Scott is adjusting to the winds.

And so he's probably pro-Trump.

He's probably a little anti-Nikki Haley.

South Carolina politics is the roughest JONATHAN CAPEHART: Oh, yes.

DAVID BROOKS And so Scott and Haley have had a -- not a great him.

And so it's -- bet And if Tim Scott becomes vice president, the vice presidential candidat be happy.

GEOFF BENNET DAVID BROOKS He's a good guy.

He's a good He would have a -- if he was elected, he wo And maybe someday there'd be a future President Tim Scott, which would be a lot better than what the Republicans are offering.

GEOFF BENNETT: Well, as with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the first time in nearly a month.

They talked about the ongoing war in Gaza, the risk for a regional escalation, what the plan is for Gaza after the war.

And, Jonathan, really the divisions between these two men on all of th could argue, has never been as pronounced.

Help us understand the dynamics at play here.

JONATHAN CAPEHART: Well, when I look at these Un ited States who is desperately trying to keep a lid on the Middle East as much as can.

And then you have an Israe a far right coalition government that he's trying to keep with him, so he can remain prime minister.

And he also A lot of people say that he is wagi to jail.

And so when I praise the president, I praise the secretary of state for trying as hard as they can to be the adults in this situation, looking at this from a diplomatic perspective.

But they're dealing with a prime minister who has very parochial considerations in a war that has global significance.

GEOFF BENNETT: And, David, I thin outmaneuver and outlast U.S. officials and American presidents.

As the -- as President Biden is pushing for a Palestinian state after the war, Netanyahu gave that speech yesterday where he says, the prime minister needs to be capable of saying no to our friends, saying no when necessary, and saying yes when possible.

How does Biden contend with that?

DAVID BROOKS: Yes, well, and Bibi N And so far, he's been pretty good at it.

And his strategy now, apparently, Israel from America.

And those Americans are tryi going to be your defender.

He has very remote c going to get blamed for October 7, deservedly.

And so he's adopted this strategy, which is insane.

I mean, the idea that America would -- that Bibi N of the United States, who came to Israel right after October 7?

And, plus, there's just no viability to his plan.

He's got a war with no end date.

He's got this dream of a security from the rive You can't have a future in the Middle East without some Palestinian Authority.

Those people live there.

And he's got an opportun the Israelis need a Palestinian partner.

And somebody's got to construct that.

So his idea that you could unworkable.

But it's a c GEOFF BENNETT: So, when he says th to our friends, no to the U.S., why can't the U.S. then say, well, then we can say no to more aid and weapons, or at least without conditions?

JONATHAN CAPEHART: I think we're going to -- I think we're going down that road.

I mean, every week, it seems there's yet another Democratic senator, anothe official saying, we need to take a look at this.

We need to do something because the Israelis, meaning the prime minister And I think this is something that also the president and the administration has been trying to warn him, warn Netanyahu about.

But, clearly, he's not listening because he has domestic considerations.

DAVID BROOKS: I would just say that it seems -- it strikes me as a long way off, becau the president, President Biden, does agree that we need to get rid of Hama severely degrade Hamas.

So, a lot of the pressur slow down the military operation.

I think the military -- the presidential one.

But that doe condemning Israel for genocide.

That would be very disrupt GEOFF BENNETT: In the couple of minutes that remain, I want to about the challenges facing The Baltimore Sun and The L.A. Times.

What business model for American newspapers right now is the sustainable one?

DAVID BROOKS: Well... (LAUGHTER) GEOFF BENNET (LAUGHTER) GEOFF BENNET all cases men, swooping in and buying a paper?

DAVID BROOKS: That's the way we have always done it.

(LAUGHTER) DAVID BROOKS I work at two plac I work at The New York Times, where we're And I write for "The Atlantic," where it's Laurene Powell Jobs.

And both places are either close to breaking even or doing moderate But I would not say even at our publications that anybody's satisfied or not completely alarmed, because the business model for online journalism is just tough.

And the oncoming train is A.I.

Suppose you wake up in the morning and say, East.

Well, the bo they synthesize it and they give away for free.

And so A.I.

is -- as bad as it is right now, A.I.

is ev GEOFF BENNETT: How do you see it?

JONATHAN CAPEHART: I a But I would also say, between "The Atlantic" and The New York Times, an Post, which is owned by -- personally by Jeff Bezos, what we have with -- what The Post, The Times and "The Atlantic" have in common is that they are mission-driven.

And it seems to me that The Baltimore Sun and The L.A. Times is stat -- that the owners are status-driven.

And when you GEOFF BENNETT: And on that note, we will end it there.

Jonathan Capehart and David Brooks, thanks so much.

JONATHAN CAPEHART: Thanks, Geoff.

GEOFF BENNETT: For more than 500 days, an American citizen has been wrongfully detained in Afghanistan.

Ryan Corbett lived in Afghanis Afghan small businesses.

His wife, Anna Corbett, was administration officials to push for her husband's release.

And she sat down with Amna Nawaz.

AMNA NAWAZ: Anna Corbett, welcome to t Thank you for being here.

ANNA CORBETT AMNA NAWAZ: Yo How are you able to get news about his condition, about how he's doing, and what can you tell us about how he's doing?

ANNA CORBETT: So, I am in of contact at State Department, and they give me updates when they can.

I actually was able to speak with Ryan on Christmas Day.

He called us.

That was my third call.

And we spoke with him for six minutes.

Didn't get a lot of news.

It was so short.

And he expressed just how Bu t at least it was good to hear just a little bit from him.

On that call, he did mention that the Qataris had visited him.

And they gave me a picture.

That's all that I have had so far.

I'm hoping for more of a readou So there's bits and pieces of ne It's really challenging.

AMNA NAWAZ: ANNA CORBETT: Yes.

AMNA NAWAZ: ANNA CORBETT He had aged so much.

And the last picture I had seen was from Jan And this was almost a year later.

And he's lost a lot of weight.

And he looked aged.

He looked re And he looked frail.

So, that was so ha AMNA NAWAZ: Yes, to back it up a little bit, you and Ryan, you made a h from 2010 on.

You moved there from Minnesota.

Why that move in the fir ANNA CORBETT: Ryan and I were young, we we to make a difference in the world in a place that had suffered a lot.

So, Ryan became involved in NGO projects, and then he saw that he would have a bigger impact on Afghan families by helping them start their own businesses.

So that was the purpose of his business.

And so we wanted to make a difference, and we made a We loved Afghanistan, and our kids were little.

My son was born there, and they adapted to It was an interesting life, for sure, but we were thankful for the opportunities.

AMNA NAWAZ: You lived there for 12 years.

You did evacuate when the U.S. withdrew in August o ANNA CORBETT: Right.

AMNA NAWAZ: were telling Americans not to go.

Why did he go back?

ANNA CORBETT: Hi His staff was counting on him, and his visa So he thought, well, let me go see if I can try to get back in and pay my staff, check on the work.

So he returned in Ja Everything went really smoothly.

He was given a warm welcome.

They said, we need your kind Keep it going.

So, then, in that's when he ended up being detained.

So it was just really shocking, AM NA NAWAZ: I mean, did you ever think that that would happen, living there as for years, knowing the relationships he had on the grounds?

Was this ever a concern?

ANNA CORBETT: No.

No.

And Ryan kne We had lived We had frien We just really did AMNA NAWAZ: Anna, this is now your eighth trip to Washington, D.C.

I know lawmakers have introduced a bipartisan resolution calling for But you have met with the secretary of state.

You have met with the deputy na What are they telling you are Ryan's chances of release?

ANNA CORBETT: They're all telling me they're working really hard towards I appreciate State Department, congressmen, senators on the Hill and at the White House.

All of them are expressing how much they want Ryan home.

But yet I'm 17 months in, eight trips to Washington, D.C., with three children alone.

And I'm really concerned that, is this really being prioritized or not?

I have a meeting with Jake Sullivan, and I'm really looking forward to talking with him and hearing where things are at, because the situation is dire for Ryan.

He's getting worse.

And the winters are really difficult in Afg And the reports I have heard from other Western prisoners who were held with really scary, with talking about fainting and discolored extremities.

He's not doing well.

And I'm real Last I heard, there was no heat.

He's in a basement cell.

And I really need the government to priori to be brought home.

AMNA NAWAZ: How are they coping with all of this?

ANNA CORBETT: It's r I'm so proud of them I know Ryan would They're amazing.

But it's so My daughter's a senior in high school.

And I'm trying to teach my daughter to drive.

I mean, that's just really challenging even when lif (LAUGHTER) ANNA CORBETT His dad has never watched him play.

It's really tough.

AMNA NAWAZ: ANNA CORBETT: Want him to know I'm going to fight for him to bring him bac I'm going to do everything I can to bring him back home.

We love him.

We miss him And we're really worri AMNA NAWAZ: Anna Corbett, we thank yo ANNA CORBETT: Thank you so much for having me.

GEOFF BENNETT: One of the year's most acclaimed acting performances now receiving Oscar buzz came from Annette Bening, a four-time Academy Award nominee known for such films as "The Grifters," "American Beauty," and "The Kids Are All Right."

In her latest, she takes on a formidable woman in her own swimmer Diana Nyad.

Jeffrey Brown has our look for our arts and WOMAN: One hundred miles or 60 hours of constant swimming.

JEFFREY BROWN: At age 60, Diana Nyad, played by Annette Bening in the film "Nyad," decided to attempt what she had been unable to achieve in her 20s, swim from Cuba to Florida.

ANNETTE BENING, Actress: Imagine knowing in your bones that you could do something that only you could do, like fate.

JEFFREY BROWN: Nyad herself navigated more th sharks and venomous jellyfish, this time without a protective cage.

She would fail and fail and fail again, before finally accomplishing her dream in 2013 at age 64, swimming for just under 53 hours.

For Bening, accepting the role was irresistible.

Only then did reality hit.

ANNETTE BENING: I didn't really think about it, but that's how you end up plunging into things that are shocking and new and different, and you learn and you grow and you have a new challenge.

And I don't regret it at all.

It's the opposite.

But I did then pause am 60 -- whatever I was at the time, 61, 62.

And, wait, can I do this?

Can I pull this off?

And how's that going to wo So then I got into the business JE FFREY BROWN: That echoes Diana Nyad herself, who titled her 201 She'd achieved fame early on for her epic swims, retired from the sport at age 30 and worked for decades as a sportscaster, before resolving to make waves again.

ANNETTE BENING: I need to get myself functioning at the highest level.

You're going to be my coach.

JEFFREY BROW lover, forever friend and coach for the swim, was co-directed by Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, a husband-and-wife team who'd previously explored the world of extreme sports in documentaries, including 2018's "Free Solo."

Determined to do her own swimming throughout the film, Bening trained for more than a year with former Olympian swimmer Rada Owen to capture the athleticism and drive of a woman who'd written of herself: "I'm either a stubborn fool or a valiant warrior."

ANNETTE BENING: I love that.

I love that she She is.

She's an ext She's an inc And she does have a single-mindedness, let's face it, that is extraordinary.

JEFFREY BROWN: If you're playing a fanatically driven person... ANNETTE BENING: Yes.

JEFFREY BROW love her... ANNETTE BENI JEFFREY BROW Is that hard or is that ANNETTE BENING: Oh, it's fantastic.

JEFFREY BROWN: Yes?

ANNETTE BENI sort of come to ourselves, but we also escape ourselves.

So there's this funny kind of duality to it.

In a way, it's a wonderful escape to be somebody ow n history and your own issues and jump into somebody else's shoes.

But, at the same time, you're always confronting yourself as an actor.

You're always dealing with your inner world.

You're the instrument.

So it's always -- that i insane, because it is just pretend.

JEFFREY BROWN: For all her Hollywood celebrity, incl Academy Award-winning director Warren Beatty, Bening started in theater and returns to it regularly.

ANNETTE BENI Take it!

JEFFREY BROW "Medea," the ancient Greek tragedy by Euripides.

She's clearly unafraid to take on challenging roles.

With "Medea," scorned wife takes revenge to shocking extreme by killing ANNETTE BENING: Did we drift?

JEFFREY BROWN: Or and sun, frequent vomiting and life-threatening jellyfish stings.

ANNETTE BENING: That's very liberating.

It's wonderful to just strip everything awa I did a lot of plays.

JEFFREY BROWN: Yes.

ANNETTE BENI And so it didn't start happening, this whole thing about being glamorized, and having m put on you, and being lit in a certain way, and all the things that come with movie acting, that is -- it's all fine.

It's an interesting part of the job.

But it's just a part of it.

And being able to strip everything away in se -- it's a great feeling.

JODIE FOSTER, Actres You see it?

ANNETTE BENING: Is it the sun?

JODIE FOSTER: No, that's not the sun, babe.

Those are the lights of Key West.

JEFFREY BROWN: For all the single-minded obsessio is how Nyad comes to see she can't do it alone, relying on a support team in and out of the water, most of all, friend Bonnie, and, for Bening, fellow acting great Jodie Foster.

ANNETTE BENING: Diana needs Bonnie in order to do what she does.

And it is also a reflection of our profession.

We need each other so much in our work.

It's interacting.

It's listening.

It's respond And all of that is so -- it's such a satisfying, joyous kind of exchange, even in tough And even in dark moments, to have that bond, that mutual vulnerability is such a key part of acting.

JEFFREY BROW perhaps we usually see in the movies.

ANNETTE BENING: Well, yes, there's been a about women.

It's not tha It's that people haven't made Wo men don't disappear when they're 50 or 60 And stories are very interesting and very rich.

And I think we're in a time now where a lot of the stereotypes, the stereotypes that women were trapped in, in the movies are dropping away.

It's not just about playing a -- quote, unquote -- "strong woman."

That's not interesting.

It's interesting to play so and also intelligence and the whole range.

JEFFREY BROWN: And for you personally, you don't have a desire to swim AN NETTE BENING: I do not.

But I still It's just... JEFFREY BROW ANNETTE BENI I have alway So now it's swimming.

And I'm just -- I love It's the best.

JEFFREY BROW friendship between Nyad and her that started during production continues, happily going the distance.

For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm GE OFF BENNETT: We invite you to tune into "Washington Week With The Atlantic" tonight on PBS.

Jeffrey Goldberg conflicts in the Middle East.

And watch "PBS News Weekend" tomorrow f to fly just as air travel gets back to pre-pandemic levels.

And don't forget to join us next Tuesday for special live coverage of the New Hampshire primary starting at 11:00 p.m. Eastern.

And that is the "NewsHour" for tonight.

I'm Geoff Bennett.

On behalf of the